Destination Hawaii. That is where former Titan Andrea Hutchins is heading after qualifying for the Ford Ironman World Championship, held in Kona on Oct. 9.

“When I started training for the Ironman, the championship was a very distant goal, but the more I worked and the harder I trained, the more attainable the goal became and the more I believed I could qualify,” Hutchins said. “I have a great coach [John Brinker, a 20+ year veteran of triathlons and 2X Ironman World Championship qualifier] who prepared me to compete in the Ironman and not just complete it."

The event is a triathlon challenging competitors in the areas of cycling, swimming and running.

Competing in her first full Ironman competition at the Ford Ironman Louisville in Louisville, KY, Hutchins earned her bid to the championship after finishing 94th overall – out of over 2,000 competitors - and in the top 10 among women claiming ninth out of 697. In her 30-34 age group, she was runner-up and posted the best time in the running portion of the event.

Her final time of 10:39:30 covered a 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bike ride and a 26.2 mile run.

“The thing that was the most impressive to me was just finishing where I did in that heat. It was in the mid-90's and about 16% of the people who started didn't finish so the fact that I was able to get my time to where it was just showed me how much I wanted it.”

“Not bad for someone who once thought 810-meters was a long way,” said head coach Guy Murray.

A former Titan record holder in track in the 1000-yards and 1000-meters, Hutchins was a consistent scorer for Detroit at the Midwestern Collegiate Conference championships' throughout her career. In cross country, she was named the team's MVP in 1996, and had her best NCAA Regional finish of 72nd in 1998.

“I really learned how to train hard and push myself at Detroit,” said Hutchins. “In addition, Guy's understanding of the balance of academics and athletics helped prepare me to continue my competitive training while pursuing my career.”

Since graduating from Detroit, Hutchins has taken part in events such as the Boston, Chicago and Grand Rapids Marathons as well as the Whirlpool Ironman 70.3 Steelhead Triathlon.

“I have been on and off with my running post-college. At one time I was doing all of my training alone, but for the past two years I've been a part of a team and have had a coach and it reminds me how important that support and structure is to one's success." said Hutchins. “I love running and training hard. Having a coach and team to hold me accountable brings back what I had at Detroit and how fortunate I was to be a part of that team."

Hutchins graduated in 2000 with a Bachelor's in Architecture, and is a licensed architect in the State of Michigan. She is currently an architecture and design marketing specialist with the Whirlpool Corporation.

For more information on the Ford Ironman World Championship, click here.