Karen Smyers
Chronology
| 1961 | Born September 1 in Corry, Pennsylvania |
| 1983 | Graduates from Princeton University with a degree in economics |
| 1984 | Enters her first triathlon, using bicycle she rides to work; enters Bud Light Series triathlon in Boston as an amateur and finishes second overall |
| 1984-89 | Works at computer consulting firm, training and competing in triathlons in spare time |
| 1985 | Begins entering triathlons as a professional |
| 1989 | Computer consulting firm closes; Smyers becomes full-time triathlete; places fourth in International Triathlon Union (ITU) World Championships at Avignon, France |
| 1990 | Places first at ITU World Championships in Orlando, Florida |
| 1992 | With prize money and product endorsement contracts, begins earning a six-figure income |
| 1994 | Enters first Hawaiian Ironman Triathlete after husband, Michael King, enters as an amateur; Smyers places fourth |
| 1995 | Wins Hawaiian Ironman after champion Paula Newby-Fraser collapses near finish line; wins ITU World Championship, making her the only woman to win both titles in the same year |
| 1996 | Wins Long Distance World Championship at Muncie, Indiana |
| 1997 | Storm window falls and shatters, cutting Smyers's left thigh and severing her hamstring |
| 1998 | Daughter, Jenna, is born by Caesarian section, in May; in August, Smyers is hit by 18-wheel truck while riding her bicycle and badly injured; resumes training four months later |
| 1999 | Finishes 38th at ITU World Championships, in spite of having bronchitis; in September, doctors diagnose probable thyroid cancer; finishes second in Hawaiian Ironman in October and postpones biopsies until after race in Ixtapa, Mexico, in November; at Ixtapa race, fallen cyclist causes Smyers to flip her bike, breaking her collarbone; cancerous thyroid is removed in December |
| 2000 | Places fourth among American women, 22nd overall, at 2000 Olympics trials in Sydney, Australia, but fails to make U.S. Olympic team due to seventh place finish in finals; begins radioactive iodine treatments for thyroid cancer |
| 2001 | Finishes fifth in Hawaiian Ironman in October; wins U.S. Elite National Championship; in December, first annual checkup shows no cancer |
| 2002 | Continues to compete in triathlons; although plagued by a bladder problem, finishes Hawaiian Ironman in October, placing 27th; sister Donna Smyers breaks Hawaiian Ironman record in her 45-49 age group |
Additional topics
- Karen Smyers - Awards And Accomplishments
- Karen Smyers - From Amateur To Full-time Pro
- Other Free Encyclopedias
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