Coleen Barta of Columbia Station, Ohio—sister of longtime Lakewood resident Eileen Dixon, wife and mother of four boys—completed the IRONMAN triathlon on June 24 in Coeur d’Lene, Idaho, with a total time of 14 hours, 30 minutes and 39 seconds. Her goal was to complete the race by the age of 40 and cross the finish line by the cutoff at midnight. She finished around 9:30 p.m. looking fresh as a daisy while her support crew, sister Eileen, niece Chelsea and cousin Maggie, cheered her on.

Barta trained for the 2.5 mile swim in local area pools and Lake Erie for nine months. It was her best swim ever in the choppy Coeur d’Lene Lake, with winds blowing up to 30 miles per hour. She prepared for the biking leg of the triathlon in the comfort of her home for up to 8 hours at a time, using a trainer while listening to music or watching movies. This allowed her to tackle the rolling foothills of the mountains for 112 miles. Training for the 26 mile marathon by running through inclement weather in the Rocky River valley primed her for the last leg of the race through the town of Coeur d’ Lene. “It was my faith that carried me through,” said Barta.