The Turtle Hospital’s manager has legs of steel. On May 16 and 17, Marathon’s Bette Zirkelbach battled brutal temps and sun to finish all 100 miles of the Keys 100 ultramarathon, arriving in Key West in 30 hours, 24 minutes and 20 seconds. Her time landed her as the second-fastest Keys woman in the race, trailing only Big Pine Key’s Jessica Geide, and the 24th overall female. Of the 42 women who began the race, over 25% did not finish. ‘This was massive for me – my Mount Everest,’ she told the Weekly. ‘Fueled by overwhelming community support and the One Health initiative, proving all living things are connected, I did it. … The pain and intensity of those 100 miles will fade, but the love I felt will last a lifetime.’ Photo contributed
