Intihar goes distance in triathlon
ZELIENOPLE — Alyson Intihar has yet to be graded on her senior project.
But she certainly deserves an 'A' for effort.
Intihar, a senior at Seneca Valley High School and native of Zelienople, competed in a triathlon at Miami (Ohio) University on April 8.
The 18-year-old finished first in her age group and placed sixth overall among women.
All of this simply because she couldn't come up with an idea for her senior project.
"The due date for submitting a topic was in February and I couldn't think of anything, so a friend suggested competing in a triathlon," said Intihar.
Intihar was intrigued by the idea. Since her older brother, Alex, was already in training for the Miami University event, she decided to join him.
Intihar plays soccer and softball at Seneca Valley and has been named all-section in both sports, so she was in good shape. But to finish a triathlon, an athlete must commit to hours of vigorous training.
Alyson contacted Tom Murray, a Zelienople resident who has competed in about 250 triathlons.
"I helped her train for the swimming," said Murray. "But, because of a scheduling conflict, I was unable to be there for the biking and running.
"But I did give her a complete outline on how many miles to run or bike each day and what kind of diet she should be on," added Murray.
"I trained six days per week," said Alyson. "I'd spend two days each running, swimming and biking at North Park and Moraine State Park.
"I really didn't know what to expect going in to the (triathlon). I just did everything the best I could."
The event included a 400-meter swim, a 20-kilometer bike ride and a 5K run.
"The bike ride was what I was most comfortable with," said Intihar. "But the hardest part was the transition from the bike to the run. My legs felt like a block of ice."
Faced with 37-degree temperatures, Intihar kept pushing herself, though there were times when she questioned whether or not she'd be able to finish.
"About a mile and a fourth into the run, I started getting sharp pains in my lungs," she said. "But I just kept going.
"You have to be in great shape physically, but the mental part of competing in a triathlon is so important," Intihar added.
One hour, 22 minutes and 37 seconds after she began the race, Intihar crossed the finish line.
"My legs were really hurting," Intihar said. "But it was like a rush when I finished. It was all very gratifying."
She finished two minutes ahead of her brother, Alex."He had been training all year for it," she said. "But he said before the race that I'd probably beat him. I don't know, if it was a longer race, he'd probably beat me."Intihar's performance was even more notable, considering she trained for just two months before the triathlon."Normally, that's not long enough," said Murray. "But she is such a gifted athlete and can do just about anything if she puts her mind to it."Intihar will be playing Division I softball at Cornell University next year."I'd like to compete in another triathlon after college," she said. "But for now, I'm going to focus on softball."I'm not sure what my goals are yet at Cornell," she added.Whatever they turn out to be, you can be sure Intihar will go after them with everything she's got.She's used to doing that.
