Palin Facts

--Her nickname as a member of Wasilla's high school basketball team was "Sarah Barracuda;" she is known to be deeply competitive.

--She was born in Idaho.

--She and her husband own a float plane.

--Her father taught elementary school.

--She and her father often went rabbit and moose hunting.

--She enjoys mooseburgers.

--She is very athletic (she hunts, fishes, snowmobiles, and runs marathons). As she has said, "I had a great upbringing under Title IX. I can't imagine where I'd be without the opportunities provided to me in sports. Sports taught me that gender isn't an issue; in fact, when people talk about me being the first female governor, I'm a little absent from that discussion, because I've never thought of gender as an issue. In sports, you learn self-discipline, healthy competition, to be gracious in victory and defeat, and the importance of being part of a team and understanding what part you play on that team. You all work together to reach a goal."

--She placed third in the women's 40-49 age group in the 2006 Running with the Bulls 5-K race in Palmer. Of her result, she said, "I was so embarrassed when they posted my time because I knew I was going to get a ribbing from a lot of people.

--She is very adept at juggling work and family. When daughter Piper was born during her Wasilla mayoralty, she returned to the office the following day. A trim runner, she did not announce news of her most recent pregnancy (with Trig, born April 18) until her seventh month. According to Palin, "To any critics who say a woman can't think and work and carry a baby at the same time, I'd just like to escort that Neanderthal back to the cave." Her older children are Track, Bristol, and Willow.

--She and husband Todd couple celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary on August 29, the day her veep selection was announced.