Is there one word that describes the joy you receive from your sport?
Accomplishment!

How did you become interested in your sport?
I had been a runner for about 7 years, and just got bored of soley running. I used to watch the Hawaii Ironman every year, and was just amazed by what they were doing! I grew up swimming, and I loved riding a bike, so I thought, "I can do that!". I started out with sprint distances in my first year, moved on to Olympic distances my second year, and last year completed 3 half-ironman distance races! I plan to stay with half-ironman distances this season, and my goal is to complete the Lake Placid Ironman in 2007!

What other hobbies do you enjoy?
I LOVE the winter, it's my favorite season of the year, so I enjoy skiing, snowboarding, ice skating, and snow shoeing. I also enjoy reading, and playing with my two black labs!

What's your favorite meal to eat before and after a big race?
The night before a big race, I love to eat almost an entire box of pasta, and drink tons of water! The morning of the race, I always eat a HUGE bowl of sugar cereal, a banana, two pieces of toast with peanut butter and a glass of orange juice. After the big race, I will honestly eat anything, and everything, that has chocolate in it, on it, or around it!

Do you have a favorite song, favorite music group, or is there music you like to train to, or is there a certain song that plays in your head when you race or ride?
My favorite artists right now are Fifty Cent and Eminem, who I also enjoy listening to while running. (I spend a lot of time with my track team after school at practice, and again on the weekends at track meets, I guess their music just rubs off on me!!!)

Do you have a personal motto?
Work to live your life, don't live your life to work!!!!

The most memorable and meaningful race you've been in and why?
My most memorable race to date is the 2005 Musselman Half Ironman in Geneva, NY during early July. It was this race that I ended up qualifying for the US Half-Iron Championship meet in Kansas City, MO!! I had no clue that I was even close to qualifying for the race until a couple of hours after. I was looking over the results, and realized that I was in the top 25% of my age group! I remember jumping up and down screaming because I was so excited! It was definitely a milestone in my triathlon career. This year, my goal is qualify for the new World Championship 70.3 race in Clearwater, FL in early November.