The Ironman USA competition is a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride, and a 26.2-mile marathon in one day. Miller trained for the event over the past year, working out for two to three hours every weekday and 10 hours over the weekend. She had competed in triathlons before, she said, but never in one so long. She finished the competition in 13 hours, two minutes, 57 seconds.

When Miller decided to compete, she spotted an opportunity to raise money for Salima AIDS Support Organization (SASO), an organization dedicated to feeding and placing AIDS orphans, providing homecare, offering counseling, and encouraging HIV testing (Salima is a city in Malawi). SASO was founded by Catherine Phiri, an HIV-positive woman in Salima, Malawi, who has been honored by the United Nations Development Program.

"With the 20th anniversary of the AIDS epidemic this year, I thought the triathlon was a great way to further raise awareness of AIDS issues," said Miller.

Miller asked people to sponsor her in the race by writing checks payable to SASO care of her address in Watertown, Massachusetts. Once collected, the money will be wired to a SASO account at the Commercial Bank of Salima, said Miller. Sponsors contributed whatever amount they felt appropriate. So far, she has raised $2,000.

In 1995 and 1996, Miller lived in Malawi in a district of 100,000 people. The conditions were poor, said Miller, who was one of only about 10 people in the district whose home had electricity. AIDS was omnipresent, she said, claiming many who lived near her. During her time there, Miller saw one-third of the hospital staff die from the disease.

"There was sadness every day," said Miller. "It was shocking to see so many die."

Miller explained that people in the community were reluctant to be tested for HIV, believing they could expect to live for only another year or two after diagnosis. Beyond the virus itself, explained Miller, poor nutrition and sanitation further jeopardized the Malawians’ health.

Every year, AIDS kills thousands of children in sub-Saharan Africa and leaves millions more without parents, according to the World Health Organ-ization. While 10 percent of the world’s people live in Africa, the continent is home to 90 percent of the world’s HIV-infected children.

Miller plans to return to Africa eventually. She is currently studying the prevention of high-risk alcohol use, another contributor to HIV transmission. She said she hears from friends back in Malawi, but their numbers have dwindled because of deaths from AIDS.

Miller said she is still accepting donations. To learn more, contact her at cmiller@hsph.harvard.edu.