AIKEN, S.C. (October 29, 2024) — When Sally Bartelmo isn’t running a nuclear waste processing facility for a Savannah River Site (SRS) mission, she’s running marathons to complete a mission of her own.
As the Operations Manager of the Defense Waste Processing Facility at SRS, Bartelmo is helping the SRS liquid waste contractor, Savannah River Mission Completion (SRMC), in its work to safely treat and dispose of millions of gallons of radioactive waste remaining in underground tanks at SRS.
But on her days off, she has been working toward a personal mission. Ten years ago, Bartelmo made a goal to run a marathon, or more, in each of the 50 states in America.
She completed that mission in June 2024.
“My dad, an avid runner, passed away while he was on a run,” Bartelmo said. “I was in college at the time, and I ran a 5K as a tribute to him. After that, I wanted to go longer distances. I’ve been running marathons ever since.”
It didn’t take long to combine her new love of running with her life-long love of traveling. Hundreds of miles and more than 60 races later, Bartelmo’s journey was accomplished at mile 26.2 on June 3 in Deadwood, South Dakota.
“It feels great to be able to accomplish a goal like this one,” Bartelmo said. “I don’t think it fully hit me until I was on the plane home. This has been a fun goal to go after, but after 10 years, it’s a relief to have it all done.”
Bartelmo credits her SRMC co-workers for the support they’ve shown along the way. One of her co-workers, Tank Farm Shift Operations Manager Annah Garrison, even ran the last marathon with her, and several showed up in South Dakota to cheer her on.
“When I started this goal, I did not think anyone would care about it, but what I found is that the encouragement that my co-workers and friends gave me carried me to the end,” she said. “This was a long, hard-earned goal, and I truly would not have gotten it done without a lot of people in my corner. I hope everyone is as lucky as I am with great people.”
She’s learned a lot while running races, including some lessons learned from working at SRS – like having the “right tools” for the job.
“I need to be ready with a certain set of tools when I show up for a race – not only things like water and the right shoes, but also the right mindset,” she said.
“Similarly, I need to come to work with the right tools to make sure I can get the job done safely and correctly. Being prepared for a race means I will be ready to handle the path in front of me, and being prepared for work means I’m ready for what I have on my plate that day.”
Bartelmo started her SRS career as an engineering summer intern in 2011 and has been promoted to roles such as shift technical engineer, shift operations manager, and a project owner in the tank farms before becoming DWPF operations manager in 2023.
Sally Bartelmo, the Defense Waste Processing Facility operations manager at the Savannah River Site, is joined by friends and SRMC co-workers in South Dakota for her last race in her 50-state marathon mission.
SRMC is the Liquid Waste Contractor at the Savannah River Site and comprises parent company BWX Technologies, Inc. with partners Amentum and Fluor. Its team brings the capabilities necessary to accelerate cleanup at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site through safe nuclear operations, optimized and integrated mission execution, and strong corporate governance.
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