A real life Iron Mom

Woodbridge resident Jennifer Burg won't be done when she crosses the finish line at the 2008 Ford Ironman in Louisville, Ky. today.

That's because Burg competes for more than glory; she runs for a cause with a determination as deep as her love for her 3-year-old twin daughters, Kaylee and Madison.

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"She's extremely focused, extremely committed to what she's doing," said Rob Dulin, the owner of The Running Store in Gainesville, where Burg gets all of her running gear at cost. "Obviously when you're out there in a race those two traits are going to be used through the entire span of the race."

Just how deep Burg's determination runs shows in everything she does, including a recent Friday night before a New Jersey triathlon.

Instead of going home after a concert with the United States Air Force Band, in which she plays French horn, the 36-year-old single mother drove to New Jersey from Arlington, pulled into an empty campsite, set her phone alarm and slept until 4:30 a.m. when she had to get ready for the race.

Oh, and she won—at least for the military division.

"It's just incredible," Burg said. "I do a lot of crazy stuff."

As of today, add "Ironman race" to the list of "crazy stuff" Burg has accomplished.

The race today, her first attempt at an Ironman, consists of a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride and a marathon.

"It's the biggest physical challenge an athlete can accomplish," said Burg, a graduate of Gar-Field Senior High School. "I'm scared to death."

Burg is using this event to fundraise for March of Dime

Foundation, a non-profit that helps prevent premature birth, birth defects and infant mortality.

It's a cause she feels connected to; both her daughters and niece were born premature.

"I wanted to do something for a bigger reason," Burg said. "I was sick of doing it for myself."

Her daughters were born at INOVA Fairfax at 31 weeks, weighing about three pounds. Kaylee had to stay in the neonatal intensive care unit for six weeks, sister Madison for eight weeks.

"It was very hard, it was very emotional," Burg said.

A year later Burg's sister went into labor after 25 weeks. Her niece Blake weighed 1 pound, 14 ounces.

Burg credits March of Dimes for her daughters' and niece's success.

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Burg started running to become more active while in graduate school at The Peabody Institute in Baltimore.

She's never looked back.

At first it was just for fun, entering a 5K here or a half marathon there. Then, she said she got "addicted."

And about four years ago, she started placing.

A year into it, she over-exerted herself, injuring her knee in the Bank of America Marathon in Tampa, Fla. It was her third marathon within three months—she'd run the Marine Corps Marathon and one in Richmond.

Her physical therapist said she couldn't run while in rehabilitation, so to stay in shape, she hit the pool.

Once better, she added triathlons to her laundry list of races.

Burg said her goal for the Ironman is to finish in 16- and a-half hours.

She'll snack on chicken soup broth, maybe a bagel, some power jellybeans and electrolyte capsules and drinks along the way, probably on her bike. She's a bit nervous about the swim, which will take place in the Ohio River.

Burg said her fundraising goal is $10,000. As of earlier this week, she'd only raised about $8,000. People can still donate after the race.

"Living a healthy fit lifestyle, you can take that lifestyle and make it mean something," Burg said. "I chose to run for something greater than myself."

She's not done after the Ironman. Burg said she'd probably do the Marine Corps Marathon later this fall.

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Her daughters and mother also traveled to Kentucky to cheer her on.

"We're just all extremely proud of her," said her mother, Lynda Morrison. "She is a very motivated individual. There is very little that Jennifer has ever failed at."

Morrison, 63, a realtor living in Manassas, said Burg told her that by doing this, she's repay-ing March of Dimes, by paying it forward, in a sense, to help another mother.

Still, her mother is a bit nervous about the race, especially the biking.

"A hundred and 12 miles on a bike is a long way to go," Morrison said. "There's always concern… She's an extraordinary woman and extremely goal-oriented. I think Jennifer would finish if she had to crawl across the finish line."

Staff writer Josh Eiserike can be reached at 703-878-8072.