Winni Allison stretches by her car at Springettsbury Township Park before a run. (KATE PENN)
While swimming, biking and running 140.6 miles for 12 hours through Louisville, Ky., Winni Allison couldn?t stop smiling.It was in the high 80s with low humidity on that August day, and the 41-year-old Hellam Township resident thrived on the energy surrounding her.
Allison had started training for her first Ironman triathlon six months before. For 12 to 18 hours a week, she executed different combinations of the three exercises ? often waking up at 4 a.m. to begin and squeezing workouts in before and after work.
On her race day ? after 11 hours, 57 minutes and 37 seconds of exertion ? an announcer called her name as she crossed the finish line: ?Winni Allison, you are an Ironman.? She finished ninth in her age group.
Allison said she cried as she hugged her husband, Bill, who was her crutch, and then ate pizza.
?There?s just something about being able to check that off your list,? she said.
Allison started competing in triathlons in 2003, after seeing one in Dewey Beach, Del., while she was on vacation. There was a beer truck at the end for participants, and the avid runner thought it looked like fun. She has since completed about two a year.
But Allison isn?t your typical triathlete. In 2007, she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis ? a autoimmune disease that affects the central nervous system.
Read more on Allison?s story here.
Editor of Smart. NEPA transplant. Penn State and Shippensburg grad. Kickball and craft beer enthusiast. Collector of cardigans. "Bennie and the Jets" fanatic. Contact me at atrotter@ydr.com, at "Smart magazine" on Facebook, @SmartMagPA on Twitter or by phone at 717-771-2030.Source: http://www.yorkblog.com/smart/2012/10/15/york-county-woman-with-ms-competes-in-ironman-triathalon/
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