Joni Alexander knew that not even her toughest 10-kilometer race compared to the trial her grandmother, who was diagnosed with an incurable blood cancer, was facing.

So the former OU cross-country runner decided to step it up a notch by undertaking a triathlon for her grandmother.

Alexander, who graduated with a journalism degree in 2004, will be competing in St. Anthony's Triathlon in St. Petersburg, Fla., on April 30 in her grandmother's honor.

Alexander is a member of a Team in Training of about 90 people, who will each raise at least $3,900 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

She said a triathlon reflects the athletic lifestyle her grandmother, Lila Bowers, 71, has maintained.

"When she was young, she played basketball before women played basketball, ran road races, played tennis; she's a huge supporter of women's athletics," Alexander said. "For me to do something that incorporates three different sports just seemed logical."

Alexander said she thinks that if her grandmother had the energy, she would still be just as physically active.

Joni's Journey

o An Olympic triathlon includes 0.9 miles of swimming, 25 miles of biking and 6.2 miles of running.

o See Joni Alexander's blog at www.racingforlila.blogspot.com

o Alexander will raise $3,900 for cancer research while preparing to compete in the triathlon.

o To donate money to Alexander's Team in Training, go to www.active.com/donations/fundraise_public.cfm?key=jonialexander

Source: Staff reports

"Initially, the doctor told her she had six to nine months to live," Alexander said. "We thought, 'Oh my gosh, this is my healthy grandmother.'"

Bowers, who backpacked through the Grand Canyon at age 55, said she remains optimistic in spite of facing her fifth chemotherapy treatment and a bone marrow transplant as she continues to battle multiple myeloma.

"I kind of took it like preparing to do the canyon," Bowers said. "If I can backpack the Grand Canyon at 55, I can beat this at 71."

Bowers said she also ran a number of 10-kilometer races when she lived in Norman, where she worked for L&L Designs decorating Chi Omega, Kappa Kappa Gamma, Pi Beta Phi and Gamma Phi Beta sorority houses.

Bowers said her granddaughter didn't even tell her she had entered the triathlon until after she took the challenge in her honor.

"I'm just so proud of her that she is ambitious and is willing to train to do it," Bowers said.

Bowers said the running and swimming portions of the triathlon should be easy for Alexander, but the bicycling will be a challenge.

Alexander said though she has quit running since college, she felt like the 0.9 miles of swimming, 25 miles of biking and 6.2 miles of running that make up the triathlon would be "doable."

"I swam when I was younger and I run ... and you never forget how to bike," Alexander said. "But biking has thrown me for a loop."

She said the 25-mile bike ride leaves her arms "Jell-O-y" and her body exhausted, a familiar feeling from years of cross-country training.

"Doing this has actually gotten me back to a workout routine that leaves me as exhausted as when I was in college," Alexander said.

Alexander trains for one and a half to three hours each morning. She varies a combination of two of the three disciplines per day.

"I find that it's a lot less stressful on my body than training for a marathon," Alexander said.

Alexander said she doesn't consider herself a "super-jock athlete," and many of her Team in Training teammates also have strong backgrounds in only one of the three disciplines.

"A lot of people that are drawn to the Team in Training have a strong desire to do some sort of long-distance athletic event," Alexander said. "A lot are not your top-notch athlete and just have the goal to finish."

The Team in Training provides support for triathletes and the requires participants to raise $3,900. Alexander, who has raised 54 percent of her goal, said most of the money has come from family and friends.

"People I didn't even expect to donate have written me huge checks," Alexander said. "Cancer has a soft spot in a lot of people's hearts."

Alexander said the money will help to find better treatments and possible cures for a cancer that is treatable, but not yet curable.

"This is not something she'll probably ever be completely recovered from," she said.

Alexander said her grandmother's constant optimism about this process has helped her to remain upbeat. Alexander's blog at www.racingforlila.blogspot.com describes her triathlon journey and Bowers' battle with cancer.

"The blog is sort of a trendy thing," Alexander said. "Everyone seems to be keeping a blog and I figured it would be an interesting experiment to actually do it."

In her weekly blogs, Alexander describes physical and mental trials along the way and provides links for those interested in donating to the cause.

Alexander said she has made immense progress in her training and hopes to finish the race with a competitive time.

"I'll admit that if you run cross-country in college you are a bit competitive," Alexander said. "I really want to prove to myself that I can still do difficult athletic events."

Though Bowers will not be able to watch the triathlon because she will be recovering from her transplant in St. Louis, she will be cheering from afar.
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