While the triathlon world rightly focused on last weekend’s star-studded showdown in Texas, Matthew Marquardt slipped in a performance on the other side of the world, which went a long way to validating his status as one of the best multi-discipline athletes in America.
Texas, a race which doubled as the North American Championships, was dominated by Norway’s Kristian Blummenfelt and a cast of Europeans, while Marquardt was 14,500km away at IRONMAN South Africa, setting a new course record on his way to securing a third win from his last four full-distance races.
It was a win that rocketed him up from fifth in the PTOs USA rankings to second, leapfrogging the likes of Trevor Foley, Sam Long and Jason West, to sit proudly behind current number one, Morgan Pearson.
Recent achievements cannot be ignored
Marquardt had raced in the Lone Star State both in 2024, when he finished third, and again last year, when he came home in 15th; quite how he would have fared against what was undoubtedly a stronger field this time around, we will never know, but his recent achievements cannot be ignored.
Indeed, smart money would surely be on him bettering the eighth place he secured at last year’s World Championships in Nice, where he was the first American to cross the line behind the formidable Norwegians and another strong showing from the European contingent.
His addition to Kona, come October, certainly whets the appetite as the USA looks to break the stranglehold on an event which has not been won by an American male since Tim DeBoom doubled-up with the 2001 and 2002 championships.
Deboom’s wins remain the only US men’s titles in the 29 years since the great Mark Allen won the last of his six, way back in 1995.
Hectic mix of triathlon and study
Not your average triathlete, Marquardt combines racing and training with his studies at the Ohio State College of Medicine, where his passion is to play a role in the fight against cancer.
Just ten days before winning on the Nelson Mandela Bay course, he took another huge step in that direction by taking his STEP 2 – a one-day, nine-hour, computer-based test assessing a student’s ability to apply clinical science to patient care.
And just last month, he completed the eight-day Absa Cape Epic mountain bike race in the Western Cape of South Africa before a rapid trip and turnaround back home.
His choice of South Africa over Texas this year came down to it ‘aligning better with his calendar’, and it was clearly the right one, as he followed up last season’s wins in Cairns and Lake Placid with another hugely impressive display.
And, unlike with those last two wins, he did not suffer from cramp this time as he smashed the previous course record held by Magnus Ditlev.
‘The past month has been extra busy’
Posting on his Instagram page after the win in South Africa, he wrote: “Today I set a new Ironman South Africa course record. 10 days ago, I took a 9-hour medical school exam. 28 days ago, I completed the ABSA Cape Epic. 🥵
“To take the W and break Magnus Ditlev’s course record by ~2 minutes is a bit hard to comprehend! This past month has been extra busy and stressful even for me, so to still be able to perform well at a high level leaves me super excited for the rest of the season.
“Here are some things about my race you probably didn’t know:
1) I did NOT cramp during a race for the first time in 18 months.
2) I lost 2 bottles, each with 640 calories, during the bike, and I even lost ~60 seconds or so turning around to grab one of them because carbs are key.
3) The South African spectators bring an energy to this race that is UNMATCHED!
4) The first and last finishers to cross the finish line were both American.
5) The bike course is wayyyy harder than it looks on paper. We had a strong crosswind the entire race, and the roads made your legs feel like jelly, but the views were spectacular!
“This race definitely goes down as one of my favourites…”
Whether America truly does have another athlete capable of breaking their long wait for a World Championship victory remains to be seen, but Marquardt is certainly one to watch this season.
