'Ironwoman' tackles run, bike, swim challenge Published Sept. 10, 2010 By Susan Griggs 81st Training Wing Public Affairs KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- Yekaterina Karpitskaya won't be competing in the Air Force Marathon this month, but she has big plans for her upcoming weekend. Saturday, she's competing in her first full Ironman competition in Madison, Wis. The event, sponsored by Ford Motor Co., consists of a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride and 26.2-mile run. "I'm not sure what state I will be in after that, so I didn't sign up for the Air Force Marathon this year," explained Karpitskaya, who competed in last year's marathon as a member of Air Education and Training Command's women's relay team. The 33-year-old orthopedic surgeon from the 81st Surgical Operations Squadron said her reason for undertaking "such an insanely long race is for all my active-duty and retired patients whose injuries rendered them unable to do such things." Karpitskaya came to the United States eight years ago from Simferopol, Ukraine. She became a naturalized American citizen in 1997 and was commissioned in 1998. She came on active duty three years ago here at Keesler. Since she started running in 2005, she's done 22 full marathons, including the Boston Marathon twice, as well as those in New York, Chicago, Berlin, London, Florence and other locations. She's also competed in three half marathons and numerous 10-kilometer races. "I started doing triathlons in June, and so far have done two biathlons and three triathlons, mostly in preparation for the Ironman," she said. Karpitskaya is humble about her athletic accomplishments, but clear on what factors have enabled her success. "It takes commitment and persistence," she stated. "I'm not a professional athlete. I'm not genetically gifted. "My running times are decent," she continued. "I've been biking for only about four months, and my swimming is good enough to just make it -- hopefully -- under the 2-hour 20-minute cutoff time. And on race day, I hope that the inspiration from watching my patients overcome adversity will carry me across the finish line."