Josephine Kassube just wanted to get some training in for a half-marathon.

So when the Augustana University student learned about the Mayor's Sprint Triathlon in Papillion, Nebraska, she thought it sounded great. A 500 meter swim, followed by a 13-mile bike ride and 3.1 miles of running. No problem.

A post on her Instagram after the race shows Kassube smiling — with two ice packs tied onto her arms.

The caption underneath the photo reads "Results of my first triathlon: 2nd in my age group & two broken arms. 🙌"

She'd only signed up for the race three weeks ago, but when Kassube starts something, she finishes it. "I just couldn't imagine quitting," Kassube said. "I'd trained so hard."

It was only three miles into the bike ride when another rider clipped her from behind, sending her flying off her bike. She caught herself with her arms (and her chin).

The other rider flagged down some help, and EMTs came and checked Kassube over. There was no visible damage, she said, but her arms were in "excruciating pain," and it was suggested she not finish the race.

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That wasn't going to happen for Kassube, who also attributed her resolve to being a LIFE Runner, runners who wear jerseys in support of pro-life causes during races.

She couldn't get back on the bike herself, so the EMTs helped her back on. Kassube then rode 10 "excruciating" miles with her arms resting across her handlebars.

"My legs are fine, they're doing most of the work," she said. "I can carry my arms."

Her father Brad Kassube was watching the race with other family members, and was expecting her to have a pace of about 17 minutes per lap. So it was a little strange that it took more than 30 minutes for her to ride by.

"She was smiling for the camera and said 'I fell,'" Brad Kassube said. But she looked fine otherwise.

It was only when they got to the transition area between biking and running where it became apparent what was wrong.

"She couldn't even pick up the bike," he said "But she got going right away."

"She's a go-getter, she's determined," Brad Kassube continued. "Quitting was probably never an option for her."

Josephine Kassube said when she moved from the bike to running, "I'd never been more happy to start a race. A three mile run at this point was nothing."

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When she crossed the finish line, Josephine Kassube — who again, took second place in her age group — said her main frustration was that she'd added 15 minutes to her time.

"I guess I learned a lot about my perseverance," she said.

Later, at the hospital, she'd learn that both her radial bones had been broken. Luckily, so far surgery hasn't been required, and she's not in casts — she's wearing two slings and going through physical therapy.

She's had plenty of support from friends and family, she said — as well as some well wishes from Congressman Dusty Johnson, whose office she volunteered in last fall.

And while she's going to have to miss her half-marathon in September, Josephine Kassube said she's going to be running as soon as doctors say she can.

For now, she's on her way to a vacation in Colorado — where she'll be doing a little more sightseeing and a little less whitewater rafting than she'd planned.