Dorothy Sinson of Elmhurst has been doing triathlons for about three years. Her last one, The 2012 Lifetime Tri Chicago, was on Aug. 26. She swam about a half-mile in Montrose Harbor in Chicago, then biked about 13 1/2 miles up the lakeshore, and she finished it up with a 3.1-mile run.

Did we mention that Dorothy is 81 years old?

She joined nearly 10,000 participants from across the country in this giant event. Her time in the Sprint Distance Competition was 2 hours, 35 minutes and 39 seconds, placing her in first place in her division. Full disclosure: She was the only competitor in her division—Females, 80 and Older—because not a lot of 80-year-olds could pull off a Chicago Triathlon.

Her swim time was 30 minutes, 11 seconds; biking took one hour, 8 minutes and 55 seconds, and she ran for 41 minutes, 56 seconds.

Dorothy was interviewed by the State Journal-Register in Springfield after she finished another race, the Stoneman Sprint Triathlon, in Springfield last July. She said in the interview she has been doing triathlons since she was 78, after a doctor sent her to a health club to help fix her back.

The benefits of being a trathlete? Her three sons are impressed with their mom's endurance, she stays in great shape, and she always keeps someone in her prayers in each race, she said. Her wish is always that "my energy would flow to them."

See the complete interview with Dorothy and the State Journal-Register, embedded with this story.