When Hailey Jackson lost consciousness and fell off her bike at the 80-mile mark of last month’s Coeur d’Alene Ironman, it didn’t take long for the competitive 18-year-old to declare she would go back and finish the triathlon.

“At the hospital I was talking to my dad and told him I was going to go back tomorrow and finish the course,” the energetic teen said. Hailey’s dad convinced her to allow a little time to recover and she reluctantly agreed.

Last Sunday, Hailey made good on her word and went back to the spot where she fell off her bike due to dehydration and poor nutrition. From there, at the base of Mica Hill south of Coeur d’Alene, she would complete the final 32 miles of the 112-mile bike course and then run the 26.2-mile marathon.

Hailey was joined by two other Ironman competitors who also didn’t finish on race day—Connie Price and Zain Graser. Enduring temperatures hovering near 90 degrees, the trio finished together under the watchful eye of a Coeur d’Alene paramedic and friends in support vehicles who offered encouragement every mile of the way.

Determined to complete the course in the allotted 17 hours or less, Hailey said she would be back; but her next Ironman will have to wait a few years. The 2014 Lake City High School graduate is headed to Daytona State College in Florida on a softball scholarship.

As soon as baseball is not consuming so much of her time, Hailey said she’ll return to the Ironman course to make it official. It will be worth the wait, she says.

While Hailey may not be an official Ironman—yet—finishing something she started (albeit a week later) meant a lot to the college-bound athlete.

“It was such a great feeling … there were about 25 people at the finish line cheering and my mom held a fake microphone announcing our arrival,” Hailey said. “It was awesome!”