Nov. 30, 2001
Diana Hassel: Finding balance working, playing hard
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| Campus equine surgeon Diana Hassel went back to the lab a couple of years ago to pursue a doctorate in comparative pathology. She now balances her work and school responsibilities with triathlon training. Here she works with DNA from horse intestines. Neil Michel/Axiom |
By Ellen Chrismer
If you are looking for Diana Hassel, you’ll probably find her on the go – dashing between school and work or swiftly swimming, biking or running as she fits in a rigorous training regimen.
She is an emergency equine surgeon at the Veterinary Medicine Teaching Hospital, plus a doctoral student in the comparative pathology program at the vet school. And since 1997, a triathlete.
From January through October, as Hassel trains for grueling Ironman competitions – swimming 2.4 miles, then cycling 112 miles and finishing off with running a marathon, or 26.2 miles – she has to balance her day with classes and lab research.
Then there’s nightly on-call work for the vet hospital. Hassel performs emergency surgeries on horses – everything from intestinal blockages to foot lacerations – an average of twice a week, but is on duty Mondays through Fridays.
Hassel, a native of Woodland Hills, has groomed herself for veterinary work for years, as soon as she began riding and caring for horses at 12. She graduated from UC Davis with an animal science degree in 1989, then entered vet school here, followed by a surgical internship and residency.
Hassel’s entrance into the elite levels of triathlon followed a much quicker path. In 1999, two years after taking up the sport, she set a goal of competing in an Ironman in 2001.
However, after watching Davis friend Beth Zinkand participate in the sport’s premier event, the Ironman Hawaii, Hassel decided she wanted to compete there the next year.
"It’s an absolutely amazing experience being there. I can’t explain it," she said. "It’s the entire aura of the event: the week leading up to the race, having all the top athletes there, the nice people and the weather all combining to make it amazing."
In her first Ironman, Hassel, 34, finished third in her amateurs age group with a time of 10 hours, 31 seconds. Last month she matched her 2000 placement and garnered the fastest bike split among amateur women.
What are you studying?
Equine enterolithiasis. It’s a condition in horses where they form large stones in their intestinal tract. It’s probably due to a combination of diet, environmental factors and possibly genetics. I’m trying to find the actual cause of the disease and whether there’s a genetic component.
Why return to school?
The area of research that I do is best done in California. It’s very geographically affected. I wanted to continue to pursue my research. I had a good opportunity with my night work at UC Davis to combine the two.
What’s your favorite place on campus?
The arboretum. I like to run there, and it’s the only place in Davis where you feel like you are getting a hill workout.
What aspect of your job do you enjoy the most?
I like the reward associated with saving animals’ lives.
How about the least?
That’s easy. Being up at 4 a.m. too many nights in a row.
What’s your favorite workout?
Running on Mount Tamalpais. There’s a 15-mile loop that some of us run. It’s really fun – even in the pouring rain.
Who’s your biggest inspiration?
Beth (Zinkand) is pretty inspirational for me. It’s her success in triathlons and being who she is – personal, helpful and fun to train with.
In my free time, I … ?
Most of the time I like to do a lot of things here with my friends. We have potlucks really regularly.
We’re a very social group, us triathletes.
Dateline UC Davis is the faculty and staff newspaper for the University of California, Davis.