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windshell
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Joined: 15 Nov 2006
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 Posted: 02/27/07 - 08:39 Post subject: Woman won Cowtown marathon after cancer surgery
Siri Terjesen came a long way to run in Saturday's Cowtown Marathon. The 30-hour trip to get from Australia to Fort Worth, TX was the easy part.
About six weeks ago, the 31-year-old from Brisbane, Australia, was diagnosed with cervical cancer. On Feb. 6, Terjesen had surgery, which she thinks got rid of the cancer.
Terjesen didn't decide to run at Cowtown until a few days ago, but she won the women's marathon title in 3 hours, 5 minutes, 28.8 seconds. Before Saturday's 26.2-mile race, she had run only three times since her surgery, with the longest run being about eight miles.
"It's nice to win, but it's really just nice to finish," said Terjesen, who will start a teaching job at TCU's Neeley School of Business in August. "I didn't know if I would be able to run. I'm very lucky that I'm healthy now, and very lucky to be alive."
Terjesen's flight didn't arrive until 6:30 p.m. Friday, and Saturday she had to battle jet lag and 20- to 30-mph winds. But in her first Cowtown race, she won by nearly nine minutes.
Terjesen had to wear a brace 23 hours a day from age 7 to 16 because she had scoliosis, but she has run more than 95 marathons and ultramarathons. She finished third in the 2006 50K Trophy World Championships, and she has a personal-best marathon time of 2 hours, 57 minutes. "My best distance is 100 kilometers, which is 62 miles," she said.
Source: dallasnews.com
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