LAKE PLACID — Jill Graney drank chocolate milk while she sat on the porch of her

rented house on Cascade Road.

It was 11 p.m. and Graney was enjoying the recovery from her first Ironman endeavor.

The 41-year-old mother of three from Buffalo completed the Lake Placid course — a

2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride and 26.2-mile run — in 12 hours, 48 minutes and 50

seconds. That was the 25th best time in her age group.

Graney was one of 26 athletes from Western New York who completed the Ironman Lake Placid

race Sunday.

"I feel great," Graney said with a huge smile. "It was an amazing experience and I learned a

lot.

"On the bike I was drinking water at the start and realized I needed more Gatorade because

I was starting to cramp. Then on the run, I started to get cramps in my calves. I decided to

walk the hills on the second loop of the course."

But walking those hills didn't make much difference in her overall experience.

"The bike felt so good," Graney said. "I didn't want to get off the bike because I knew I

had to run."

And that open water swim?

With a mass start of more than 2,200 athletes the Ironman swims are known to be a bit

nasty.

"People were vicious on the swim," said 37-year old Jennifer Bushover of East Aurora, who

competed in her first Ironman. "They really were all on top of you, and especially around the

corners the guys got very aggressive."

But the swim was over soon enough. And then the support kicked in.

"People were so supportive on the course," Bushover said. "Your name is on your bib number

so people would yell your name and encourage you. It was amazing. I actually thought about

quitting after the first loop of the run but I saw my husband and he said no, keep going."

The Lake Placid course consists of two loops of each discipline. The last segment of the

event, the final 13.1 miles of the run and that last loop, is where many people struggle.

"My legs were hurting on that second loop so I walked a bit," Bushover said. "I had never

felt that kind of pain before but now I know that I can push through that next time."

Next time?

Bushover has already registered for next year's race, as have many of the other athletes

who competed this year.

Joe Meyer of Lewiston was the best local finisher. The 34-year-old completed the course in

10:14.04, which placed him 75th overall and ahead of several professionals. He covered the

marathon in 3:29:12.

Lancaster's Kevin Buzzelli, 24, competed in his first Ironman, finishing in 13:05:28.

WNY Ironman finishers

No., Name, Age, Hometown, Time

634, Justin Adamek, 37, Tonawanda, 11:58:27

1162, John Baldwin, 43, East Aurora, 11:55.40

1273, Eric Brouillard, 45, Buffalo, 14:55.02

2168, Jennifer Bushover, 37, East Aurora, 11:41.13

138, Kevin Buzzelli, 24, Lancaster, 13:05.28

66, Daniel Callahan, 58, Orchard Park, 15:49.55

2201, Lisa Gimlin, 38, Amherst, 13:46.26

2286, Jill Graney, 41, Buffalo, 12:48.50

1234, Ted Graney, 44, Buffalo, 11:11.38

2451, Catharine Haight, 47, East Aurora, 12:53.30

450, Eric Hepkins, 34, Buffalo, 13:04.06

961, Stephen Hoadley, 41, Tonawanda, 11:05.21

701, Richard Horner, 38, Buffalo, 13:13.05

779, Thomas Kandefer, 39, Williamsville, 12:35.23

1012, Bruce Levine, 42, Amherst, 13:06.32

2440, Brenda Mattar, 47, Lockport, 16:00.21

1404, Dave Melohusky, 46, Derby, 12:26.12

443, Joe Meyer, 34, Lewiston, 10:14.04

1658, Charles Miller ,51, Ransomville, 13:33.31

667, Andrew Moynihan, 38, Buffalo, 12:43.18

1327, S. Nordenflycht, 45, Buffalo, 15:46.18

137, Craig Rudzinski, 24, Lancaster, 10:22.49

2046, Julie Ruszala, 32, Cheektowaga, 16:34.22

520, Mark Scalabrino, 35, Buffalo, 12:05.25

1016, Tim Siragusa, 42, Gowanda, 14:41.28

245, Charles Watson, 29, Tonawanda, 11:58.41

Complete results can be found at ironman.com/events/ironman/lakeplacid.