Peggy Novak was hoping to finish in the top three in her age group at a recent triathlon in West Virginia.

She was in for a big surprise.

A 1976 graduate of East Brady High School, Novak finished the Great Greenbrier River Race in one hour, 50 minutes, 41.9 seconds. That effort not only was the best in the female 60-69 age division, it was the best time among the event’s 68 female participants.

Out of 146 total entries — male and female — Novak placed 11th.

“When I saw that I had won, I was shocked,” Novak said of the race, held April 30 in Marlinton, W.Va. “I mean, come on! I’m 64 years old and I knew there were women a lot younger than me competing that day. I thought, ‘No way!’”

The race began with a three-mile run, followed by four miles in a kayak in the Greenbrier River and finished with a 10-mile bike ride.

“There weren’t many hills in the running and biking, but the water level in the river was still pretty low and there were a lot of rocks I had to watch out for,” Novak said of the kayak portion.

A current resident of Derry in Westmoreland County, Novak was active at a young age, lettering in both basketball and softball at East Brady High.

She and her husband, Bill, raised a son, Eric, who now lives in Montana.

“My husband died in 2014 and I wanted to find ways to stay active,” said Novak, who began entering races three years later.

She took part in 5K, 10K, 10-mile and half marathon events.

"I got involved with a running club in Greensburg.“ she said. ”There was a team triathlon coming up and a friend of mine said she and her husband could do the running and biking, but I had to do the kayaking.“

Novak had never been in a kayak, but she took on the challenge. Another friend, David Novak, began giving her tips.

“After two months, I felt pretty comfortable with it. I learned that white caps on the water mean there’s rocks ahead and I had to stay away from them.

“We ended up doing well in that triathlon and I love kayaking now. It’s good exercise for the upper body and I think everyone should try it.”

The experience also sparked a relationship between Peggy and David and they later married. The couple enjoys exercise and the outdoors on a daily basis.

“There’s a lake near our house and we run around it,” said Peggy. “We try to do different things, two a day if we can.”

The couple is now training for the Great Island Adventure Triathlon in Lock Haven at the end of June.