Marc's St. Anthony's Triathlon Win Recap

This one meant a lot! Not just because of the result, but because it was my first time defending a title.

Going in, this fitness was a bit of a question mark. It was only my second hard run in the last seven weeks due to two partially torn tendons in my foot. But I kept showing up, focused on what I could do, and trusted the work I was able to put in. The run actually surprised me—in the best way—and reaffirmed that there are multiple ways to get better at running: one is running more, and the other is getting stronger and faster on the swim and bike.

There’s always something to work on. For me lately, that’s been swimming, dialing in the bike, and staying mentally sharp. It all paid off on race day.

Race recap

🏊The swim start was only 50 meters to the first buoy—not ideal, but it worked in my favor if I could get there in a good position. I hit the turn in first and set the pace for the first 600 meters, pushing to force a break. My teammate Greg came around (a little later than expected) and led the rest. I came out second and got on the bike first. Job done.

🚴There are only two spots on the course where you can really gauge time gaps. The first is at mile 5, so I pushed hard until then. Greg and I had a solid gap, with two others about 20 seconds back. That duo eventually bridged up a few miles later. I knew Magnus Männer was motivated, so we rotated 5–10 minute pulls at the front (we averaged 28 mph—so yes, there’s still a benefit even at 12 meters, especially with some headwind). We rode aggressively but smartly, knowing the gap could be decisive. I didn’t hear the split coming into T2, so I made it a priority to get to the 5K U-turn with a gap that would break the others' confidence without crushing myself for the rest of the run. 

🏃I started the run somewhat conservatively, aiming to build into it. I actually felt better than expected and really found my legs around 4K, which helped me lift the pace. Honestly, with so little hard running lately, I expected a crash-and-burn. I saw Matt only about 30 seconds back, and for a moment, I caught myself being okay with the second place. But I snapped out of that quickly and lied about how he could have been hurting as much as I was. Turns out…he was. 31:20 for 10K. Job done.

I’m moving out of Tucson this week and heading back to Boulder—with a detour through St. George (still on the fence about racing there…it’s a brutally demanding run course for where I am at now). Either way, I’m excited to keep building on this win, and I will see you guys there!