 Rachel Crawford doesn’t let diabetes slow her down as she gets ready to bike to victory during the Lake Havasu Triathlon |
When Rachel Crawford, an administrative associate in the School of Forestry, recently won second place in the women’s division of the Lake Havasu Triathlon, she said the victory was not hers alone.
“I want to show that having a disease doesn’t mean you can’t do it,” said Crawford, who was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 2004. “Having diabetes made me even more determined to take my athletic ability to a new and higher level.”
A triathlon is when a person swims, bikes and runs during one race. Competing against more than 200 participants at Lake Havasu, Crawford’s additional rankings included placing first in her age group and ninth in the overall men and women participants.
“I love racing because I love tackling whatever is thrown at me and changing with it,” Crawford said. “I was really sideswiped when I developed this no-cure disease and realized that I’m going to have to deal with this everyday of my life. I’m still trying to deal with it, but my dream is to be part of the USA triathlete Olympic team.”