Brooke Bennett still chasing medals 30 years after winning her first Olympic Gold in Atlanta

30 years after Brooke Bennett won her first Olympic Gold medal in Atlanta, she could be spotted at Sand Key Park in Clearwater training for her next event.

“I did not want it to fully control my life or fully sacrifice everything," she said. "I’ve lived that life.”

At 46 years old, this three-time Gold medalist still has the itch to compete. But it won’t just be in the water.

“Everybody knows me as the Mermaid, and I’m just the Mermaid tail. Nobody I think ever visualized legs," she said.

On Saturday in Jacksonville, Bennett aims to complete her first full-distance IRONMAN triathlon. It's a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride and a 26.2-mile run. At her age, it must be finished in 17 hours.

“I am not doing this to be No. 1. To be the best. I do it for me. I do it for others,” Bennett said.

Brooke is a mother to two children. While the Olympic flame inside of her still burns strongly, her life and body are not the same.

“Some days, I honestly [surprised myself] because I thought I needed 26 hours in the day to make this happen,” she said.

There were plenty of 4 a.m. wake-up calls to get her miles in, but an organized, consistent schedule kept Bennett on track for race day.

“Why did I want to do this? Well, what do they say when you cross the finish line? — 'You are an IRONMAN.' And everybody says those four words are amazing when you do it,” she said.

According to available data, fewer than .01 percent of the world’s population has completed a full-distance IRONMAN. The percentage of those with multiple gold medals is far fewer than that.

If anyone deserves to hear those four words, it’s Brooke Bennett.

“To be 46 [years old] and to run more than I’ve ever ran in my life. When I did my 18-mile training run, I was like 'Holy Cow, I really did it.' It was not pretty, it was not fast, but I’m not doing it to run fast.”

Speed was the key 30 years ago.

On Saturday, it’s just about finishing with a greater goal still on her mind.

“I hope my commitment encourages someone to try something for the first time," she said.

Bennett is proving she is much more than a Mermaid.

However, after the race? It might be a different story.

“I don’t know if I’ll be able to walk," she said with a laugh.