WESTFIELD — For dedicated athlete and Westfield resident Mary Konsolaki, crossing the finish line is only the first step towards kicking off her next race.

Ms. Konsolaki, a professor of applied genetics at NJIT, recently became one of only a handful of athletes to complete the Ironman World Championship, a grueling, threerace event that requires participants to finish a 2.4-mile swim through the Mediterranean Sea and a 112mile bicycle ride through the mountains before running a full marathon (26.2 miles). The full event has to be completed in a single day without any scheduled breaks.

“It’s hard to say why I wanted to do this,” said Ms. Konsolaki, laughing. “It seems like a crazy thing to do, but sometimes you have to push yourself if you really want to know what you can do.”

Ms. Konsolaki ultimately finished 25th out of 66 athletes in her age group (comprised of women between the ages of 60 and 65) during the championship race, held in September in Nice, France.

“When you cross that finish line, you’re sore, you’re exhausted…but you’re happy,” she said.

Ms. Konsolaki secured her spot in the championship race after winning third place in an Ironman race held last year in Arizona.

“I was so excited,” she said. “It’s very competitive — they will only let two or maybe three people in from each qualifying event, so you really have to work hard to get to the front of the pack and stay there.”

This year’s event, the first women’s championship ever to be held in Europe, was especially challenging.

“The course for the bike race was very steep and very technical,” Ms. Konsolaki said. “There are a million turns, and the streets are very narrow. There were a few accidents out on the course, unfortunately, and some people didn’t finish because of it. It was beautiful — beyond beautiful — but I had to keep reminding myself to stay focused.”

The final leg of the event, the 26.2-mile run, took place in the city center.

“I think that was my favorite part,” Ms. Konsolaki said. “My family was there, and because we were running in a loop, I got to pass them each time I came through. On my last lap, I lost sight of my son, but then I saw him, running up the sidelines with me, cheering me on. It was incredible.”

Ms. Konsolaki finished her race in just over 15 hours.

“You see people struggling, people who are working so hard to get through the course, but they keep going, they keep biking, they keep running. It’s a very inspiring thing to witness,” she said. “It’s a competition, obviously, but it’s also about being a part of something bigger than yourself.”

Now that Nice is in the rearview mirror, Ms. Konsolaki says she is already planning for her next event.

“There is another race in Australia in December, so it’s time to start training again,” she said. “There’s always another race — that’s why I love this. There’s always another chance.”