PREV     of     NEXT  ERIKA SCHULTZ / THE SEATTLE TIMES Athletes emerge from Lake Washington after completing a half-mile swim. Sunday's Danskin Women's Triathlon attracted more than 5,000 women of all ages and fitness levels. ERIKA SCHULTZ / THE SEATTLE TIMES Deejah Sherman-Peterson, with Cheryl Stumbo's name on her face, talks with University Unitarian Church team members. ERIKA SCHULTZ / THE SEATTLE TIMES Swimmers line up to start the Danskin Women's Triathlon, in which they would swim, bicycle and run.

The sun had just risen over Lake Washington as droves of women prepared to plunge into the cold water off the shores of Genesee Park on Sunday for the 17th annual Danskin Women's Triathlon.

Cheryl Stumbo, a victim of the July 28 Jewish Federation shooting, had planned to be one of them. But even as she remained in serious condition at Harborview Medical Center, 45 women from her church swore that she was with them as they took to the course for the church team's first triathlon.

"I'm excited, fearful, joyful and grateful," the Rev. Alicia Grace of University Unitarian Church said just before the event began. "Cheryl is with us. She's here in spirit."

The Seattle triathlon had more than 5,000 women, ages 12 to 79 and of all shapes and sizes, swimming a half-mile course in Lake Washington, biking 12.4 miles along the shore and the I-90 bridge to Mercer Island and back, and running 3.1 miles on a southern loop of Lake Washington Boulevard.

The first to cross the finish line, Alina Brown, completed the course in an hour and five minutes.

The Danskin Women's Triathlon Series takes place every year in eight major cities. Seattle's is the largest of the series, triathlon director Maggie Sullivan said.

Danskin donates 10 percent of all entry fees to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation, she said. An estimated $100,000 has been raised in this year's series.

Stumbo, 43, was shot in the abdomen about three weeks ago at the Jewish Federation, where she worked as the marketing director. Alleged gunman Naveed Afzal Haq reportedly spouted anti-Semitic and anti-Israel statements during the shootings.

Stumbo's team decided to swim, bike and run in her honor — donning some 1,000 temporary tattoos with her name and a diving porpoise in blue on their arms and legs.

For many of the women on Stumbo's team, this triathlon was their first. Stumbo had registered church-team member Zoë Meyers for the event. The 55-year-old Mountlake Terrace resident was told by her doctor that she needed to adopt a healthier lifestyle.

For Meyers, the commitment meant learning how to swim in three months and hopping on a bike for the first time in almost 20 years. It was a blessing to have the opportunity to train with her church's team, she said. "Here I was being offered a situation where I would be totally supported and coached — and I said yes."

Stumbo was on her way to recovery but recently was transferred to the intensive-care unit after a fluid buildup in her lungs, said Lu-Ann Branch, who coaches the church's team. To drain the fluid, doctors had to break a rib, she said.

"Everyone is doing this for their own reasons," Branch said. "One of those reasons is for Cheryl. She raises the importance of this for us."

As church-team member and Ballard resident Keiki Kehoe, 50, crossed the finish line, she was flushed with pride and excitement.

"It was so incredible," she said. "I want to say thank you, Cheryl, for inspiring us. We'll continue with her next year."

Kathy F. Mahdoubi: 206-464-8292 or kmahdoubi@seattletimes.com