There were several athletes who stood out of the crowd with their inspirational stories.  Among them were: • Pat O'Connor, 50, from Palm Harbor, FL.  This morning marked Pat's second Iron Girl event since being diagnosed with stage-2 breast cancer.  She participated in her first Iron Girl event last year only ten days after her mastectomy.

Eileen Hodges, 42, from St. Petersburg, FL, returned to her second Iron Girl Clearwater event today.  This year, she teamed up with her 7-year-old daughter as a Mother/Daughter Team.  This was her daughter's first 5K event.

Lisa Deneka, 37, from Brandon, FL, who lost 80 pounds and has adopted a healthy, active lifestyle.

Iron Girl sponsors including the City of Clearwater, Gatorade, Zephyrhills, Luna Bar and Wear-Dated Carpet helped make today's event possible with the Iron Girl Expo, product giveaways and on- course support.  RYKA, title sponsor, was on-site providing complimentary shoe fittings and product to the winners in each division.  Iron Girl charitable partner, the Ulman Cancer Fund, was also on-hand offering information to those interested in racing to benefit young adults living with and recovering from cancer.