Name: Ricardo Santos
Sport: Triathlon
Age Group: 40-44
Hometown: Freehold, NJ USA
Number of Years Racing/Competing: 3
B.E.S.T. Coach: Tom Manzi
Racing Career Highlights:
- 3X IRONMAN Finisher
- 6X IRONMAN 70.3 Finisher
- 1X Survived clothes shopping w/ wife at the mall (hardest endurance event!)
Ricardo is a technologist whose job often requires prolonged sedentary periods of working in front of a computer. A few years back the consequences of this lifestyle started to manifest themselves in not so pleasant ways, and with the birth of his child, this became the catalyst to a lifestyle modification that would embark him on his triathlon journey.
Starting at first with running races, Ricardo began participating in local 5k and 10k events that provided continuous training motivation. Running itself was not exactly an aptitude that came naturally but the endurance component sparked an interest that eventually would lead to a passion. After being challenged by a friend to take on triathlon (specifically long course), Ricardo signed up for his first 70.3 giving himself only 3 months to train (admittedly not the smartest move!). When it became painfully apparent that assistance was required, Ricardo reached out to Coach Tom Manzi who came highly recommended by the local athlete community.
With the triathlon journey now underway, the discovery of carbon wheels, bike computers, power meters, heart rate monitors, smart watches, and all the other tech toys that come with it, was like the cherry on top for this self-pronounced tech geek! The enjoyment of tri toys, the inspirational and supportive triathlon community, and of course, the “mind over body” endurance component had such a transformative impact on his life, that it became the defining characteristic of what he identifies as. He is a triathlete.
With the help of his coach, he finished that first 70.3 he so hastily signed up for, and has since moved on to full distance triathlon. He hopes to inspire his daughter to live a healthy lifestyle and to take on big challenges. He is currently training for the IRONMAN European Championships in Frankfurt Germany this summer where he will be supported by his wife and sherpa who is also a triathlete.