RPTM Faculty & Staff, Serving the Community Triumphantly | Penn State College of Health and Human Development

On Sunday, July 2, 2023 Recreation, Park, and Tourism Management Department Head and Martin Professor, Peter Newman, Ph.D., completed the IRONMAN 70.3 Pennsylvania – Happy Valley. As always, we love seeing our boss in a onesie made of the tightest fabric possible… So we decided to enshrine this memory with a Postcard from the Field entry.

According to IRONMAN’s website, athletes began their race journey from a 1.2-mile swim in Foster Joseph Sayers Reservoir at Bald Eagle State Park; completed a scenic 56-mile bike ride through the beautiful rolling hills of Centre and Clinton Counties; and finished with a 13.1-mile run on the campus of Penn State University including a unique finish line experience for athletes inside Beaver Stadium.

RPTM Staff Lissa Neese and Jill Selfe volunteered at bag drop and registration. They both tracked Peter his entire journey through the available app. In the office on Wednesday after the race, they were discussing Sunday’s events. “I could follow Peter’s picture through the whole trip. It was really easy to track his bike ride,” said Jill. “Oh, I tracked you the whole race,” added Lissa. “You did?!” asked Peter. “Of course, I did!” replied Lissa. Jill was able to track Peter to the finish line, and was in Beaver Stadium congratulating athletes as they finished.

Lori Coup, former RPTM staff and current Health and Human Development Marketing staff, could be found at the base of one of the large hills during the biking part of the course. Peter saw her holding a sign that said, “Kill the hill!”. And so, he did.

Chris Ortiz, RPTM Professor and Associate Director of Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center, volunteered on-course and found Peter mid-run. Chris was able to take a video while he cheered Peter on, and at the end you can hear him saying, “You’re almost there! You got it, you got it!”. (Please enjoy this screen grab of said video, when he was running alongside Peter!)

If there are any take-aways from this past weekend, they are that our Director can rock a pair of tights… and Penn State’s Recreation, Park, and Tourism Management department is full of wonderful people who care for their co-workers and students—and ultimately, their community. WE ARE!