A recurrence of her cancer made Pennsylvania dentist Dr. Caroline Hsu determined to bounce back — big. When she told her Benco Territory Representative, Jason Sturm, that one of her goals post-chemo was to complete a grueling Half Ironman, his response was swift and succinct: When do we start?

In the summer edition of Incisal Edge dental lifestyle magazine, writer Elizabeth Dilts speaks with the two friends:

“I knew I was about to get really sick, and I needed to know what I was going to do to get better,” she recalls. “What works for me is having a goal, usually a slightly ridiculous one. I said, ‘I’m going to finish chemo . . . and start training for a half-Ironman.”

Sturm—presumably exceeding the job requirements for a Benco Territory Rep by a good margin—immediately responded, “Let’s do it.”

Dr. Hsu was taken aback. “I was like, ‘What?’ ” she says. “ ‘I’m doing it.’ ”

Read about the events leading up to the Old Orchard Beach Half Ironman, which was held August 25 in Maine: https://secure.viewer.zmags.com/publication/dc08a6ab#/dc08a6ab/52