Jessica smashes her first full distance Ironman

Jessica recently traveled to Lake Placid, New York (Home of the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympics) to complete her first full distance Ironman. Jess started competing in triathlon during grad school and has already completed four Ironman 70.3 races and competes for the University of Florida Trigators club triathlon team.  

Jess completed the race consisting of a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, and 26.2 mile run on July 23, 2023 in a time of 13 hours and 37 minutes. We are incredibly proud of Jess’s commitment and determination to train and finish this race!  

“I started triathlon as a way to balance my time in the lab,” Jess said when asked about completing this goal. “I wasn’t sure if I would finish my PhD or my Ironman first – but now I’ve only got one goal left to achieve. I’m looking forward to continuing to train and race while I finish up my PhD over the next year”  

Jess will be competing in California later this year and hopes to qualify for the Ironman World Championships.  

Way to go, Jessica!