Name: Diane Dutcher

Age: 23

Personal: After graduating from Georgia Tech a few years ago, I took a healthcare analyst role at an Atlanta-based firm, while continuing to stay involved in both the GT and Atlanta communities. Health and fitness is truly ingrained in my lifestyle, as it infiltrates all sectors of my life. I am certified as a personal trainer by the American Council on Exercise (ACE) and hold Group Fitness and Indoor Cycling certifications. I have continued to teach fitness classes (boot camp, cycling, and circuit training) at the GT campus rec center and absolutely love them! In addition to staying fit, I enjoy photography, Bikram yoga, playing/working with my dog, and sipping coffee.

Athletic experience/accomplishments: During my freshman year at Georgia Tech, I became immersed in the culture of running – and soon realized that I genuinely looked forward to waking up at 5:30 AM to meet my running group/partner. That spring, I ran my first half-marathon, the Country Music Marathon & Half-Marathon, in Nashville and was hooked. Since then, I have been competing in races of different calibers; some are small, independently-directed 5Ks while others are sponsored by global brands such as Nike. My triathlon spirit was born out of my experience with Team in Training in the spring of 2006, when I raised nearly $4,100 for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s mission in exchange for motivation, coaching, and camaraderie. Being a part of a cause greater than simply my own competitive self was inspiring and empowering and I aspire to continue to give back to the community during my future competitive endeavors. Needless to say, the seed of triathlon has been forever planted in my soul.

An exhaustive list of my previous racing accomplishments seems like a bit of overkill, so I am simply listing the experiences that are the most memorable for me:
• 2009 Tri the Parks Series – Top rank for AG (20 – 24) amongst all competitors who raced in at least 3 races; top 3 in AG finisher for all races in which I competed
• 2009 Go Tri Sports Beach Bum Sprint Triathlon – First place in AG (20 – 24), second overall female – 1:00:57
• 2008 ZOOMA 5K – Third place in AG (20 – 24), fifth overall female – 23:43
• 2008 Callaway Gardens Triathlon – Third place in AG (20 – 24) – 2:13:12

While I may not put up times that are competitive at the national or elite level, I consistently place in my age group for local Georgia races. Also, I think it’s interesting to note that I have been competing on my hybrid commuter bike for all of my triathlons, including my Olympic-distance races. I recently acquired a triathlon bike and am looking forward to racing on a bike that weighs less than 36 pounds!

2010 Goals: As I mentioned above, I look forward to training and racing on my newly-acquired triathlon bike, regardless of which races I compete in. I plan to race in several of the Tri the Parks races, as well as training for my first Ironman 70.3 event (Augusta). In addition, I am planning to run several half-marathons (my favorite distance). Throw in a few local 5Ks and a handful of mid-distance races…and that’s 2010 for me!

Inspiration: My running and workout partners, who continually amaze me with their strength, resilience, and grace