Woman Completes Triathalon at Garden Spot Village

Retirement community supported Diana Widdowson's solo feat

NEW HOLLAND, Pa. — June 7, 2010 — A Lancaster County resident completed an Ironman triathlon on Saturday with support from the Garden Spot Village retirement community here.

Diana Widdowson, 44, of Conestoga, swam 2.4 miles in the community’s indoor swimming pool Saturday morning before joining the bicyclists participating the in Pedal to Preserve event, which started at Garden Spot Village at 8 a.m. She pedaled the course twice and then some, racking up 112 miles. She then ran a full 26.2-mile marathon, following the USA Track & Field (USATF)-certified course laid out for the Garden Spot Village Marathon, which was held in April. The course begins and ends on the 104-acre Garden Spot Village campus and circles through the farmlands at the foot of Welsh Mountain.

She finished in approximately 1:20 for the swim, 7:30 for the bike ride and 5:20 for the marathon.

“I didn’t stress about the time,” said Widdowson, a patient access representative in the admitting office at Lancaster General and a distance runner. “I knew I would ‘win.’ My goal was to complete the distance.”

Widdowson wanted to do an Ironman triathlon, but competing in an organized event would have cost $550 or more. Instead, she organized her own “Foilman” for $25—the entry fee for Pedal to Preserve.

“At Garden Spot Village, we believe it’s important to stay active and fit throughout our lives,” said Scott Miller, the community’s marketing director and as well as race director for the Garden Spot Village Marathon. “We were happy and proud to help Diana reach her goal.”

“I was so surprised by their support,” said Widdowson. She contacted Miller the week before Pedal to Preserve because she couldn’t find a public pool that opened early enough to give her time to swim the distance before the bicycle event’s 8 a.m. start time. “It was perfect to be able to do the whole event from Garden Spot. I am so excited that it all came together.”

Dee Miller, 44, a certified lifeguard also from Conestoga, swam with Widdowson. Harry Smith, 61, of Manheim, did the 112-mile bike ride with her. Karen Sandt, 34, of Conestoga, ran the marathon with her.

Widdowson competed in the first Garden Spot Village Marathon in 2009, finishing second in the women’s race with a time of 3:31:46. This year, she finished the event’s half marathon in 1:36:40. She has also completed nine 100-mile races and plans to enter another in British Columbia in July.

“When I reach retirement, I don’t want to be looking at the views from the bus,” Widdowson said. “I want to be out climbing the mountains and swimming in the water and being ‘in’ what I am looking at.”

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