News Release
Athletic Trainer by Week, Ironwoman by Weekend
by Dan Lauletta, Co-ordinator of Sports Information
When a student-athlete comes into the training room throughout the upcoming academic school year, Wilmington University assistant athletic trainer Amanda Pupillo has every right to balk when they say they’re tired.
Why?
Because on Sunday, July 27, Pupillo swam 2.4 miles in Mirror Lake, biked 112 miles up and down the Adirondack Mountains, then ran a full 26.2 miles marathon through the streets and around Lake Placid in upstate New York, during the 2014 IRONMAN competition.
Pupillo completed the course in just 12 hours and 46 minutes.
“I was excited to be done and be able to sit down, honestly,” Pupillo laughed when describing the feeling of seeing and crossing the finish line. “I am so excited to have accomplished the entire race. At points I didn’t know if I was going to be able to finish, but I’m just proud to have crossed the line at my first Ironman.”
IRONMAN Lake Placid is the longest-running American event aside from the IRONMAN World Championship in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. It’s also the home of one of the most challenging IRONMAN courses with its famous Adirondack climbs.
According to the official IRONMAN website, www.ironman.com, athletes begin with a two-loop swim at Lake Placid, site of the 1980 Winter Olympics, in clear Mirror Lake with its famous sight line at the bottom of the lake to guide them. Transitioning to the bicycle in the Olympic Speed Skating Oval, the rolling mountain views provide a scenic backdrop to the ride. Two loops of 56 miles bring competitors back to the Oval once again, where they next begin their 26.2-mile run through the town and around the lake.
“The swim used to be my weakest leg of a triathlon, but I think I did really well with this swim,” Pupillo said. “Once I got on the bike, the course started off on a long downhill, a stretch of flat ground, and then a section of hills at the end of each loop. The end of each loop just kills all your energy.
“As far as the run, there were a few rolling hills throughout, but once again, there were two hills at the end of each loop. Everyone was walking the hills or else we wouldn’t have made it all the way through.”
In order to be able to complete such a grueling event, Pupillo competed in the Boston Marathon and a half IRONMAN earlier this year.
How does someone end up competing in marathons and an IRONMAN event, you ask?
Peer pressure.
“A friend of mine does marathons and I always liked to run,” Pupillo described. “I thought to myself ‘I think I can do a marathon’, so I signed up for one. Then another friend of mine thought I would be really good at triathlons, so I just signed up for my first spring triathlon. The curiosity just grew from that point.”
Pupillo’s unofficial time was 11:58:02. Not every competitor was able to complete the two-loop swim due to weather conditions, but since she did her two loops, Pupillo counts the entire race.
“My goal was to just finish my first IRONMAN,” Pupillo said of her time. “That was first and foremost. But in the back of my mind, I had a goal of 12 hours.”
“I have always had more energy at the end of my runs,” Pupillo continued. “There were all kinds of people lined up along the final stretch of the race and cheering me on. I had my name on my bib and all I could hear were the fans cheering my name and encouraging me to finish the race. The last five miles I was running at something like an eight-minute mile. As I crossed the line, I had the biggest smile on my face and tears in my eyes.”
So when she is out on the practice field, at a game, or in the training room covering any of her sports (women’s soccer, cheerleading, women’s lacrosse, and filling in where needed), Pupillo shouldn’t hear a single mention of the word ‘tired’. She has every right to roll her eyes and say, “Suck it up.'
After all, she is an IRONWOMAN.
About Wilmington University
Wilmington University is a private, nonprofit institution committed to providing flexible, career-oriented, traditional and online associate, undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degree programs. Ranked as the fourth fastest growing nonprofit university in America 2001 - 2011 by The Almanac of The Chronicle of Higher Education, affordable tuition, academic excellence and individualized attention are the hallmarks of the University that enable greater student success in their chosen careers. For more information, contact Wilmington University at 302-356-INFO (4636), via email at infocenter@wilmu.edu, or visit our website at www.wilmu.edu.
