Meet Colleen Mannion: A physical education teacher of nearly three decades, a former collegiate athlete, a two-time IRONMAN finisher, and a proud breast cancer survivor. 

Colleen is heading back to the notoriously grueling hills of Lake Placid for her third full IRONMAN. We sat down with Colleen and learned about how a classroom full of students coincidentally helped save her life, how she handles the mental grind of endurance racing, and why this race means more than any other she’s taken on before it.

How did you make the leap from marathons to an IRONMAN? 

I used to watch IRONMAN races on TV and think, “These people are crazy! This is nuts, but I would love to do that one day.” But, the real inspiration came when I was teaching a health class for my students. 

I showed a video to the class of the first female single-leg amputee to complete an IRONMAN during a lesson. A week later, one of my students came up to me, lifted her pant leg, and showed me she was missing a leg just like the IRONMAN finisher. I ended up reaching out to the female athlete featured in the film and organizing a school assembly with her. Seeing my student connect with the amputee triathlete  was the highlight of my teaching career. 

After the assembly, I had the opportunity to talk to the athlete guest speaker and I asked, “How do you do an IRONMAN?” She looked at me and said, “You know, you’re not that much more sore after an IRONMAN than from doing a marathon.” That stuck with me, and motivated me to try triathlons. I started with sprint triathlons, then tried a 70.3 IRONMAN event. Next, I jumped into the deep end, signing up for my first full IRONMAN distance race at Lake Placid in 2016. 

You mentioned that your IRONMAN Lake Placid race in 2016 was supposed to be “one and done”, but you went back in 2019 and now you’re back again. What makes this year’s return to Lake Placid so momentous for you? 

I am a breast cancer survivor, and I just hit my five-year survival mark this spring. I haven’t raced a full IRONMAN since before my diagnosis, so this race is incredibly meaningful to me. It’s like the last page of that chapter. I need this for closure. I need one more IRONMAN post-cancer to prove to myself that I’m okay. That I can do this. 

The timing of my diagnosis actually came about because of my students. In 2021, they asked me to take over the school’s chapter of a youth volunteer organization that supports cancer survivors and their loved ones. I felt I needed to walk the walk, and at 45 years old, I had never had a mammogram. That first routine screening caught my cancer in its early stages. The type of cancer I had doesn’t grow in a typical lump, so I never would have caught it as early as I did. If I hadn’t taken over the club and gotten tested, it could have been a much worse prognosis. 

A year and a day after my surgery, I completed a marathon in Nashville and now, taking on Lake Placid for the third time feels like the ultimate celebration. 

How do you mentally approach a race course as challenging as the one at IRONMAN Lake Placid? 

I break everything down into loops and chunks. When I am swimming, I only focus on lap one, then lap two, and I don’t let myself think about the bike. When I’m on the bike, I don’t think about the run. I digest the day one piece at a time.

A co-worker who has run a bunch of marathons told me, “Just remember, put one foot in front of the other. Every step you take, you’re one step closer to the finish line.” I keep that in my head the entire time. You just have to keep going and keep moving. 

How did you first discover Athletic Brewing, and what led you to become an ambassador? 

I think the first time I tried Athletic was in 2018 when volunteers were handing it out at a triathlon. After cancer I was looking for an alternative to beer because I still loved the taste. Finding Athletic was the perfect solution, and now it is the only thing stocked in my basement refrigerator! 

A few years ago I saw some information about the Athletic Ambassador Program and it was in 2025 that I signed up to join. 

What advice would you give to someone who is interested in triathlons, but is intimidated about getting to the start line? 

You have to be willing to put in the training. A lot of people say it’s the hardest part and I would agree. Staying focused on something for months [and months] is tough. But if you can do all of that, then you’ve done the work and the starting line isn’t as intimidating. You view the race as a fun day that is celebrating all of your hard work. 

What is your absolute favorite Athletic brew? 

Free Wave is my year-round go-to, but my favorite seasonal style is Oktoberfest! I also really loved Winter Wonder when that came out this past winter.