Cross Country Alumni Wins Lake Placid Ironman
7/29/2013 12:00:00 AM | Cross Country
LAKE PLACID, NY - UB track and cross country alumna Jennie Hansen (Donofrio) had a historic weekend, winning the 2013 Ironman Lake Placid. In the race, held on Saturday, the 2007 graduate overcame an early deficit in the race to claim the win by more than 12 minutes to qualify for the upcoming world championships in the Fall.
The world-famous triathlon consists of a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride, and a full 26.2-mile marathon run. Hansen would finish with a time of 9:35:06. After falling back 11 minutes at the end of the swim, she would post the top time for the bike portion to go into her run with just under a nine minute deficit. Hansen would pass the women's race leader at the 12-mile mark of the marathon, and never looked back. She would run the marathon portion in a time of 3:05:04.
The win follows up second place finishes at last year's Ironman qualifiers in Texas and Lake Placid.
Hansen, who earned her degree in Exercise Science and eventually the doctoral program in physical therapy at UB, was a presidential scholar in her time with the Bulls. When she isn't competing professionally in triathlons, she is a full-time physical therapist in Rochester, NY.
The Ironman includes 2,800 athletes from 29 countries, all competing in 60 age groups to qualify for spots in the Ironman World Championships, to be held Oct. 12 in Kailua Kona, HI.
