Temecula women with Type 1 diabetes will compete at Ironman Oceanside 70.3

Two women from Temecula who have Type 1 diabetes are part of a three-person team that will compete Saturday at Ironman Oceanside 70.3.

They are Susan Powell, the team’s cyclist, and Tanya Morgan, the runner.

The third member of team, swimmer Brad Williams from Arizona, also has type 1 diabetes.

They call their team Dia-bet-ucan’t-beat-us, and the event poses an extra challenge because of their diabetes.

Before, during and after our race, each of the three will need to calculate how to keep their blood sugar high enough so they don’t have a hypoglycemic incident but not so high that they are in danger of diabetic ketoacidosis, Powell wrote in an email.

They will also need to monitor fluid intake, because they are prone to dehydration, and monitor their blood sugar along the way.

Powell, who was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes a little more than a year ago, wrote that she “wanted the challenge of all of those hills to prove I can do it, despite this diagnosis!”

“I had been struggling for a couple of years, but didn’t realize just how sick I was. After one dose of insulin, I was a new person,” she wrote. “I am blessed with the most supportive husband, family, kids, friends and coach! Without, this support system, I would not be here today.”

Team member Tanya Morgan, who is a nurse, grandmother and Boston Marathon qualifier, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes as a young adult, according to Powell.

“She has truly been a resource for me and others,” Powell wrote.

Brad Williams, who is a firefighter from Tucson, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes as an adolescent.

For information about Ironman Oceanside 70.3, go to proseries.ironman.com/races/im703oceanside.

Morgan

Powell