Retired special education teacher Patricia Garone has always been physically active. She was a self-described “gym rat” in her 20s and 30s, and she became a certified yoga instructor and took up running in her 40s. She ran in her first marathon at age 44 and went on to compete in duathlons, where running alternates with cycling, and triathlons, where swimming is introduced to the mix.

But she took her athleticism to a whole new level after she retired in 2016 at age 59. Since then, she has completed eight Half Ironman triathlons (a 1.2-mile swim, a 56-mile bike ride and a 13.1-mile run), two full Ironman triathlons (a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride and a 26.22-mile marathon) and dozens of other races.

“I don’t really sit still,” she said.

Garone taught at PS 37 in Springfield Gardens, Queens, for 35 years. During that time, she brought yoga into the school, as well as the Girls on the Run program that develops girls’ social, emotional and physical skills.

After retiring, Garone moved from Nassau County to Hollywood Beach in Florida. She said she found a “whole big family” at TriDi Multisport Training with a team of athletes of all ages and a great coach. A year after retiring, she completed her first Half Ironman.

“I’m competitive with myself just to see how far I can go,” she said. “I have made it to the podium several times.”

She’s traveled to Arizona, Georgia, Maryland, Utah, Oregon and other states for competitions. Her first full Ironman was in Florida in 2021 and the second was in Tempe, Arizona, in 2022.

Garone said it took her more than 16 hours to complete each of the full Ironman competitions (17 hours is the maximum).

In 2022, she ran the Chicago Marathon on Oct. 9 in preparation for the full Ironman in Arizona on Nov. 20. Getting to the finish line in Tempe and hearing the announcer say, “Patricia Garone, you are an Ironman!” was a great moment, she said.

“I was crying. I was like, ‘Oh my God, I did it,’ ” she said.

Training is intense — six days a week for months — and is not something she could do on her own, Garone said. Her regimen includes swimming, biking, running and weight training. Because of the Florida heat and humidity, some of her six-hour bike rides start as early as 4 a.m.

“It’s all in the training,” she said.

For the past nearly four years, Garone has volunteered twice a week at TriDi as an assistant youth coach.

Garone said she gets aches and pains and likely has some arthritis, but she receives chiropractic care and massages.

At age 66, she may not have any more full Ironman competitions in her future, but she is lining up Half Ironman competitions and similar races for next year.

“I’m doing it until I can’t do it anymore,” she said.