Four Liberty triathletes complete first Ironman 70.3 races Sunday at Penn State

Liberty triathlete Kendall Leininger PSU Ironman 70.3 finish line — Leininger crosses the finish line in 5 hours, 25 minutes, 48 seconds after the half-marathon run stage outside PSU's Beaver Stadium.

Kendall Leininger, a rising junior on Liberty University's triathlon team, won the women's 18-24 division of Sunday's Ironman 70.3-mile Pennsylvania Happy Valley race held at State College, Pa., with the 13.1-mile run held throughout Penn State University's campus and finishing outside Beaver Stadium.

"This is something that I've been hoping to do for years, and this weekend I was finally able to get it done," said Leininger, who is pursuing a B.S. in Exercise Science with a minor in American Sign Language. "This was such a fun race, even with the literal mountains I had to climb on the bike to reach the finish. I am so excited to do more of these and see how much faster I can get at this distance over time."

Leininger completed the 1.2-mile triangular swim in the Foster Sayers Reservoir in 33 minutes, 37 seconds before finishing the 56-mile cycling stage in 2 hours, 58 minutes, 8 seconds and the half-marathon run in 1:47:28 for a combined time of 5:25:48 including transition phases. That placed her 136th out of 865 participants and 31st among women.

"That is a tremendous accomplishment, and qualified her for the (Ironman 70.3) World Championships (Nov. 8 in Marbella,) Spain," Liberty Head Coach Heather Gollnick said, noting Leininger has opted to skip the opportunity after previously representing Team USA at the World Triathlon Championships in Hamburg, Germany, in July 2023 and in Spain last summer. "She is also a tremendous student focused on her academics."

Leininger, who was awarded the team's Perseverance Award this past season after overcoming Functional Neurological Disorder last year to compete for the Lady Flames in the majority of their races, was one of four Liberty representatives in the race including rising sophomores Elise Collette (fourth out of 17 contestants in the women's 18-24 division in 5:49:16) and Naomi Dieken (sixth in 6:16:38) and rising junior Charles Block (6:08:04). Complete results are available online.

Kendall Leininger Liberty triathlete — Leininger won the women's 18-24 age division of her first Ironman 70.3-mile race.

"I'm so grateful to my teammates who raced it with me and encouraged me every step of the way," Leininger said. "Shoutout to (Collette) for also making top five in our 18-24 age group. Compared to where I was a year and a half ago, I could not be more grateful for where I am today. Thank you, Jesus!"

"Each of these athletes chose to take on a half-Ironman during their summer break to continue building their base and gain race experience as they prepare for next season," Gollnick added. "Their dedication and discipline are a true testament to the strength of their character and commitment."

She said as she reflected on their efforts, she was reminded of Colossians 3:23: "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters."

"Their example continues to reflect the heart of our mission — pursuing excellence both athletically and spiritually," Gollnick said.

Liberty triathletes at Ironman 70.3 race at PSU — LU triathletes (from left) Kendall Leininger, Elise Collette, Naomi Dieken, and Charles Block, completed Sunday's Ironman 70.3 at PSU.

Four Liberty triathletes complete first Ironman 70.3 races Sunday at Penn State

Players Mentioned

Charles Block

Elise Collette

Naomi Dieken

Kendall Leininger

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