For Jill Beisel, fitness isn’t just a goal, it’s a way of life.
Besides staying healthy and active on her own, she encourages others through her job as a physician assistant at Gastroenterology Specialties. She began running regularly with her husband but had to quit due to children, life and health getting in her way. She only began competing in triathlons eight years ago when a friend encouraged her to start.
“The year after my son was born, I went from being totally out of shape to doing a 5k, 10k, half-marathon, marathon and started training for a triathlon,” she said.
After running her first triathlon seven years ago, Beisel did a few others over the past few years, including the 2017 Cornhusker State Games. But this year’s triathlon is special to Beisel because she gets to do it with her daughter.
Keegan Beisel, a freshman in high school, runs six times per week as she enjoys the feeling of accomplishment she gets at the end of a run, and is a talented cross country runner at Seward High School.
“I am really excited to do the triathlon this summer as the cross training should help me get in better shape for cross country this fall,” she said.
For Jill Beisel, she expects Keegan to beat her in the race but said training with her daughter will help push her to have a goal in mind. Additionally, it will be a fun bonding moment for the two of them to run and train together.
“It’ll be good for us to have something intentional to spend time together this summer, something we can both enjoy,” Jill Beisel said.
And while both Jill and Keegan’s strengths are more aligned with the running portion, they are looking forward to getting better at the swimming and cycling portions. Overall, the mother-daughter duo are less focused on their finishing time and more about the benefits they get from staying active and enjoying each other’s company.
“Anybody can put one foot in front of the other,” Jill Beisel said. “You just need to get out there and start moving and you’ll be surprised what you can do.”
Registration is currently open for the 2019 Cornhusker State Games. Featuring competition in 70 sports, participants can find more information and register online at our 2019 Sport Listing