Whelchel completes second ironman triathlon

Whelchel completes second ironman triathlon

Penny Whelchel, assistant professor of family and consumer sciences and director of dietetics specialization at Henderson State, completed her second Ironman Triathlon Oct. 17 in Wilmington, N.C., winning her age division and finishing as the seventh female overall out of 142 female finishers.

An ironman distance triathlon consists of a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride and 26.2-mile run. Whelchel completed the race in 10 hours, 45 minutes.

Whelchel, who is self-coached, uses her dietetics background to optimize her performance.  She is a Henderson graduate and a former Reddie cross country runner. As a member of the Reddie Hall of Honor, Whelchel still holds the school’s cross country record.