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Josephine Kassube crossed the finish line of her first triathlon feeling a little disappointed in her time, but she was grateful to have finished the race — especially since she did it with two broken arms.

Kassube, 19, signed up for the Papillion Mayor’s Triathlon to get some cross-training in before an upcoming half-marathon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. But she broke both her arms during the biking portion of last month’s triathlon. She opted to keep going, and finished the race in a little more than 2 hours.

The 500-meter swim went well for Kassube, who’s been swimming for 14 years.

But three miles into the bike portion, she was clipped by another cyclist. They were both going pretty fast and had come off of a hill, she said. The impact sent Kassube flying off her bike. She pushed both hands out — almost like she were diving into a swimming pool — to break her fall. Her chin skidded across the ground, too.

The other cyclist flagged down help and volunteers called for medics. They looked Kassube over and, despite no visible signs of a break, they encouraged her to sit out the rest of the race.

“I trained for it. I couldn’t imagine quitting,” said Kassube, who grew up in the Beaver Lake area. “I would have been so disappointed to sit it out.”