Reach a career high; sit sidelined right after. Climb your way back to the top; lose the biggest influence in your life. Turn your struggles into inspiration; get even better. The word-perseverance. The athlete- Becky Lavelle.

34-year-old Lavelle has proven her ability to bounce back from disappointment, tragedy, and injury to place herself at the top of the triathlon world since she joined her first USA triathlon national team in 1999. She embodies what it means to be a resilient, consistent athlete and it is those traits that have kept her in the spotlight for the last decade.

Lavelle was a standout swimmer before adding running and biking into the mix. Swimming for Louisiana State University, she was a 10-time NCAA All-American, an SEC Champion, and LSU’s NCAA Women of the Year in 1997. During her summers back home in Minneapolis, her brother pushed her to try her first triathlon. She took second in her age group, and has since been hooked.

There have been many highlights that have remained benchmarks in Lavelle’s career. In the summer of 2003, she represented the U.S. at the Pan American Games held in the Dominican Republic, going 2:00:36. That same year, she won the LA Triathlon.

Riding on a high of successes, Lavelle was quickly grounded in 2004 when she was injured from overtraining and would be sidelined the entire season. After fully recovering, she bounced back to win the 2005 USA National Championships. That year alone, she had four wins in a row, including the Chicago Triathlon. Recognizing the obstacles she overcame in order to have such success, Triathlon Magazine named her “Comeback Athlete of the Year�.

In 2006, Lavelle was on top. She won eight out of ten races she competed in that season, including the grueling Escape from Alcatraz. Continuing to be recognized by triathlon outlets, she was named Inside Triathlon’s 2006 “4^th Best Female Triathlete in the World,� as well as the USAT’s “Multi-Sport Athlete of the Year�

Lavelle could not have been prepared for what lay ahead for her in 2007. Capturing the long course national championship as well as the Wildflower Half Ironman, it looked to be another positive year. It was in December that she received the call that her twin sister, Jenny, and baby nephew had passed away due to postpartum depression. She would ring in the New Year with the tragedy of losing her best friend.

Six months after the loss, Lavelle found herself toeing the starting line of the 2008 Olympic Trials. Unable to compete at the last two trials because of injuries, this was her opportunity to represent Team USA at the games. In the most emotional race of her life, she beat the competitors standing in the way of fulfilling her Olympic dream, and she made the team as an alternate. To cap off the year, she returned to the states and was crowned the 2008 Toyota Cup Series Champion.

In 2009, Lavelle won the Lake Stevens 70.3 race, placed third at Alcatraz, and finished as the second highest American at the Hy-Vee Elite Cup. Expecting her first child with husband and professional triathlete Brian Lavelle, she is taking a year out of racing for the 2010 season.

Since her twin sister’s death, Lavelle has devoted her time and much of her racing to raising awareness for Jenny’s Light-a foundation created in her sister’s honor to improve and save lives by increasing the awareness of all prenatal mood disorders such as postpartum depression. Lavelle is also a head coach for a GOTRIbal triathlete team mentoring young girls to get involved in all of the positive benefits that sports, including triathlon, have to offer.