He Closed an Ironman Marathon in 2:39, Broke a Course Record, and Is Still in Med School—Matthew Marquardt Is Redefining What’s Possible

THE RUNNING EFFECT PODCAST

Dominic Schlueter

Running, Sports

4.8 • 686 Ratings

🗓️ 30 July 2025

⏱️ 46 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

While other pros are napping in NormaTecs, Matthew Marquardt is doing rounds in med school while still torching Ironman courses.

Matthew is a two-time Ironman champion who just shattered the Lake Placid course record with a blistering 7:50:08. A month earlier, he dominated Ironman Cairns, closing the marathon with a fearless 2:39:47.

And here’s the kicker, he’s also a full-time medical student at Ohio State.

That’s right, while most pros are recovering with fancy gadgets, Matthew least Marquardt is on hospital rotations. He’s up at 4 a.m., trains between cases, and still finds a way to run down world-class fields.

What makes his story even more compelling? He comes from an elite swimming background. Think state records and Ivy League titles at Princeton. and has made one of the most seamless transitions into professional triathlon we’ve seen.

He races with initials of loved ones impacted by cancer etched on his bike. And he’s deeply committed to using sport not just as performance, but as a platform for purpose.

From cancer advocacy to med-school resilience, Matthew’s story is one of purpose-driven performance.

In today's conversation, Matthew takes me through his meteoric rise in traitholin, training 25-30 hours a week while being a full-time med student, his ambitions for the future, his desire to get into cancer research, and wisdom for the next generation.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Ladies and gentlemen, before we hop into today's episode of the podcast, I want to tell you that
0:04.6	today's episode is brought to by my good friends over at David Protein. I'm just going to speak
0:09.4	from the heart here. David Protein, I have consumed their bars almost daily since I was first
0:14.1	discovered them in November of 2024. They're absolutely delicious. They're 28 grams of protein,
0:20.2	only 150 calories, zero grams of
0:22.8	sugar and gluten-free. I can't believe a product like this exists, quite frankly, and studies
0:27.7	have shown that 30 to 50% of people don't get enough adequate protein in their daily lives.
0:33.6	I've tried a lot of protein bars. Most are chalky, overly processed and full of junk. David bars,
0:39.4	a different story entirely. Head over to Davidprotein.com to check out the full list of bars.
0:45.1	These have been a massive game changer in my ability to up my protein, recover better, and then
0:50.7	hit training even harder the next day. Head over to Davidprotein.com and see why I'm raving about this product currently.
0:58.2	And without further ado, enjoy today's episode of the podcast.
1:06.5	My vision, my goal, my dream within the sport of triathlon is to use this sport as a platform to
1:13.3	make a difference in the lives of cancer patients and in the lives of cancer research. And so really
1:18.6	using the sport as a way to make a difference in the lives of healthcare and particularly, you know,
1:24.7	these really, really challenging diseases is really what gets me through.
1:29.9	Because I know that as bad as my day is, a cancer patient's day is way worse.
1:37.1	And they're going through way more than I am and hopefully more than what I will ever have to imagine.
1:49.8	Thank you. more than what I will ever have to imagine. That's Matthew Marquard today on the Running Effect podcast.
1:52.9	I have the privilege of sitting down with one of the top ranked Iron Man athletes in the world
1:57.3	who devotes his life not just to the sport of Ironman, but also on the side is a
2:02.8	full-time medical student. They're studying to become a doctor, specifically with a passion
	...

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