Theresa Bender rides during the Silver State 508. Bender, from Papillion, was the first woman to cross the finish line at the race.
Theresa Bender rides during the Silver State 508. Bender, from Papillion, was the first woman to cross the finish line of the race.
The first 200 miles went well. So did the next 100.
Then it hit Theresa Bender.
She’d been riding a bike through hilly desert terrain in Nevada for nearly 20 hours. She was exhausted, and she still had more than 200 miles to the finish line.
The Papillion woman powered through and — thanks to caffeine and an encouraging support crew — was the first solo female cyclist to cross the finish line of the Silver State 508, named for the distance pedaled.
“I was probably too tired to enjoy it as much as I wanted to,” Bender said. “But it was validation that all of the time and money and effort I’d put into it had paid off.”
Bender, 34, started cycling casually in high school. She got a little more serious about the sport in her late 20s.
The Silver State 508, held on Sept. 13 and 14, was the first cycling competition Bender has tackled. The race sends cyclists — solo or in teams — on an out-and-back course along Highway 50 from Reno, Nevada.
Bender, a nurse practitioner with Methodist Health System, finished the race in 34 hours, 44 minutes.
“I’ve never really done any competitive cycling before, but I always knew my niche was in the endurance side of it,” Bender said.
She packed in training around work and family time. Sometimes she squeezed in rides twice a day. Bender tackled the Bike Ride Across Nebraska and the Triple Bypass in Colorado this year.
She was accompanied by a three-member support crew: Brad Hildebrandt, Jim Maaske and Kristin Weston. They drove the route, keeping Bender in sight. They offered changes of socks, energy bars and caffeine. When the going got tough, they shouted words of encouragement to keep Bender going.
Bender said she went in knowing she had the potential and the confidence to do well. She wouldn’t have been disappointed if she didn’t win.
“Plan A is to win it. Plan B is to finish it,” Bender said.
By the time she finished the race, she had received more than 700 text messages from well-wishers. Many messages came from her teammates at Ironhawk Endurance in Omaha.
Sign up for the Live Well Nebraska newsletter
Get the latest health headlines and inspiring stories straight to your inbox.
Bender’s win qualifies her for the Race Across America in June, although she may opt for a different endurance race that runs from California to Colorado.
Oh, and she’ll have to ramp up her running routine again. Bender is running the Boston Marathon in April.
Instead of numbers on the race bibs at the Silver State 508, runners have a moniker or totem. Bender submitted hers as “the not-so-magical unicorn.” Race directors boiled it down to magical unicorn. It was fitting, she said.
“I think it really kind of summarized a rookie athlete on the course, surprising everyone and getting after it,” Bender said.
A roundup of inspirational stories from Midlanders with heart
There's the woman with MS who runs despite her diagnosis. The 7-year-old born without his left hand who plays baseball just like the other kids his age. The refugee who turned to Zumba to help her recover from cancer treatments. Check out their inspiring stories and others below.
Oliver Henderson plays first base waiting for some action. Without a left hand Henderson is able to adapt to the world of baseball.
Libby DiBiase runs in a 14-pound vest during a workout at CrossFit Kinesis in Gretna. This Omaha police officer uses CrossFit to keep in shape for her unpredictable job.
Jeff Strufing enjoys being able to help people during group classes at Kosama. Despite his cancer diagnosis, Strufing hasn’t let it change his lifestyle. The 46-year-old business owner, husband and father of two still works part-time as a paramedic and teaches weekly classes at three gyms. He’s done it all while undergoing chemotherapy treatments.
Margie Irfan practices bicep curls during her workout at Life Time Fitness. Iftan entered the world of bodybuilding when she was 46 years old. The Omaha woman has lost 10 percent of her body fat while maintaining the same weight — and she’s got the toned muscles to prove it.
Jack Mallett practices his tennis skills at Miracle Hill tennis courts. After deciding to quit drinking Mallett, 92, made tennis his addiction.
Michelle Graft runs on the Wabash Trace in Council Bluffs to train for her portion of the MS Run the US relay. Gaft who has MS uses running to keep the symptoms at bay.
Mary Manhart works out at the Downtown YMCA four times a week. She sees the people at the gym as her extended family.
Hadeel Haider started to exercise after being treated for Hodgkin's lymphoma, and she fell in love with Zumba. Haider now teaches Zumba class at the the Maple Street YMCA.
Melissa Kayser, left, holds Tierney, and her sister Lisa Auten, right, holds Ashlynn. Kayser had complications having children and her sister volunteered to carry children for Kayser and her husband.
Nancy Nygren works out at least three times a week to help keep off more than 65 pounds that she lost a decade ago. “She’s the perfect example of somebody who has lost a significant amount of weight and has done it the right way,” said Jennifer Yee, who leads Nygren’s boot camp class and is also an instructor in Creighton University’s exercise science program.
Tom Carney does a workout during kickboxing class. Carney used to work out so he could eat whatever he wanted. Now he understands diet is just as important as exercise.
Rik Zortman runs the name of children who have died of cancer. He has ran the name of more than 250 children since his son's death in 2009.
Katie Chipman, a 12-year-old gymnast with juvenile arthritis, practices at Airborne Academy. Chipman works to hard to compete and only misses practices if her symptoms are too severe.
Joe Reisdorff and Dan Masters grew up in the same town, attending the same church were never close until Reisdorff needed a new kidney and Masters was a match.
Jacob Oswald forgot he signed up to be a bone marrow donor until he got a call saying he was a potential match for a Nebraska baby. He went through with the procedure and more than a year later, met with recipient Alle Jilg.
A workplace accident left Leah Nixon paralyzed from the armpits down. As had to work on becoming more independent, she also worked on reconnecting with an old love: outdoor adventures.
Still recovering from a heart transplant, Rick Ganem wouldn't be able to make it to his daughter Sarah's wedding. So she brought the ceremony to his hospital room.
Since starting her weight-loss journey, Keasha Hawkins-Moore is closing in on dropping half of her starting weight — 500 pounds. During that journey, she's battled cancer, lost loved ones and strengthened her faith.
Leota "Lee" Brown suffered a stroke and two days later, the 98-year-old was back to her spunky self at home in an assisted-living facility. She's required no therapy since the stroke.
Harley Swanek had been living with an undetected heart condition for the first seven months of her life. It caused her to become unresponsive for more than 30 minutes, leading to a brain injury. Harley's back home and relearning all of her milestones.
kelsey.stewart@owh.com, 402-444-3100,
Kelsey Stewart
Kelsey covers health and fitness for The World-Herald. Follow her on Twitter @kels2. Phone: 402-444-3100.
