EVANSTON, Ill. – With two other U.S. paratriathletes, Northwestern 2013 alumna Hailey Danisewicz earned a world title last week at the International Triathlon Union championships in London.
Last spring, while still a senior at Northwestern’s School of Education and Social Policy (SESP), Danisewicz -- who lost her leg to cancer as a teenager -- took time out from academics to counsel athletes and others who lost limbs in April’s Boston Marathon bombings.
Running along London’s 2012 Olympic triathlon course, Danisewicz won her first world title for Team U.S.A. at the International Triathlon Union’s Paratriathlon World Championships.
She began running triathlons as a Northwestern undergraduate. In her sophomore year, she worked on a triathlon as part of an internship with Great Lakes Adaptive Sports Association. As part of her undergraduate program, she helped plan a camp for injured veterans and coached participants in the adaptive ski program during a SESP internship at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago.
Danisewicz completed the International Triathlon Union’s 750-meter swim, 20-kilometer bike ride and 5-kilometer run in 1 hour, 29 minutes and 29 seconds.