Our Tri Love Story: 2019 Edition

13 February, 2019

Swimming + biking + running = the perfect equation to fall in love, or at least for Triathletes it is! These ten couples all share and experience Triathlon together as a way to spend time together and grow as a couple. As we celebrate this Valentine's Day, we also celebrates these Tri Love Stories, because it's true what they always say... the couple that Tri's together, stays together! 

Our Tri Love Story: 2019 Edition
Eva Moral And Ángel Salamanca (ESP) - Eva and Angel race the Triathlon course together as Eva is a PTWC Paratriathlete and Angel is a guide of José Luis García, a PTVI Paratriathlete!
Our Tri Love Story: 2019 Edition
Elites: Kirsten Kasper (USA) & Matthew Sharpe (CAN) - Kirsten and I first met on a bike ride in Stellenbosch, South Africa in 2015 before the World Series race in Cape Town. At the end of the spin we started to ride together and started chatting a bit. At the time I was dealing with an injury and not in a great headspace, so I don’t think I was a great conversational partner. At one point she asked me where I was from in Canada and I gruffly responded, “Ah its pretty small, I don’t think you’d know it.” Of course little did I know she was also Canadian and moved to the U.S. when she was thirteen years old. I just ignorantly assumed most American’s wouldn’t know where Victoria, Canada was, or if it even existed. She proceeded to put me in my place big time, and she remembers thinking, “you were kind of a jerk.” Rightfully so. A little less than a year later I was somewhat able to redeem myself when we sat down for a coffee in Phoenix, Arizona. We were both training there at the time. As the months went on we communicated a lot over the phone and messaging. Although we weren’t in the same place we became quite close. Ever since the fall of 2016 we have been in a special relationship where we get to live and train together, and share the love of sport. I am super grateful that I can share my life with such an amazing woman. Kirsten is someone who is always leading by example in sport and in life and has been an exceptional partner and role model for myself. I always love her, even when she drops me on the bike!
Our Tri Love Story: 2019 Edition
Jimmy and Sam Russomano - Is there anything more romantic than swimming, biking, and running with the same heart rate as your beloved? Training and racing together have taught us to always try to get on the same wavelength. Every peak and valley that we have experienced since beginning triathlons, we have experienced together!
Our Tri Love Story: 2019 Edition
Isabela Neiva & Wagner Araujo (BRA) - We use to follow each other on Instagram as we train in the same Tri Group in Brazil. One day we started chatting about her Tri bike painting then I said: “could I send you an audio to explain this idea better? From that point we never stopped talking to each other. We do some workouts together, especially running and we even travel on vacations together.
Our Tri Love Story: 2019 Edition
Natalie Curgenven & Paul Clucas (GBR) - My partner and I met at Helvellyn triathlon in 2016. This is a picture of the event and at this point we hadn't met each other. After the event our paths crossed and we haven't looked back. I feel incredibly lucky he is an amazing guy who makes me smile every day. Our Tri journey has seen us travel all over the world together, we have shared amazing experiences and of course, training sessions.
Our Tri Love Story: 2019 Edition
Paulette & Evert - Paulette and I (Evert) first met when I was working at a local bike store. She came in looking for advice when preparing for her first triathlon. I had been racing for many years, and my colleague referred her to me to help. Since she was new in town, I thought it might be Paulette and I (Evert) first met when I was working at a local bike store. She came in looking for advice when preparing for her first triathlon. I had been racing for many years, and my colleague referred her to me to help. Since she was new in town, I thought it might be helpful to show her some running routes around our city. I asked her to come for a run, which ended up being our first date (and my longest run ever at 21km). Although we didn't date long, I always knew that she was a very special person, and often thought about how things could have been if we had worked out. She was the one that got away. I would see her at races sometimes and we would occasionally cross paths, but didn't really speak for about 8 years. Many years later, I reached out to see how she was doing and how her race season was going to play out. We got to talking and found that we were both single, and decided we both wanted to get together. We had a few a few dates, some runs, some rides, some swims, and found that we really enjoyed each others company, and that we had a real spark between us. We were everything that the other was looking for now, and soon moved in together, did an Ironman together (my first, her 8th), and now have a little dog together named Alba (our best training partner).
Our Tri Love Story: 2019 Edition
Alison Patrick & Jack Peasgood (GBR) - I met my now husband in 2014 when I joined the British Paratriathlon Squad. He was a guide for the PTVI men and when their category wasn’t in for the games he did training with the girls helping me achieve medal success. We do so much training together and there is no one I’d trust more on the front of the tandem, especially when your descending at over 50mph. He proposed at the top of an alpine pass after cycling up and we got married on 27th of October 2018.
Our Tri Love Story: 2019 Edition
Felicity & Philip Caddick - My long-suffering husband doubles up as my support crew, bike mechanic, chauffeur and general dogsbody. He helps me train and even sometimes competes in a sprint event himself.
Our Tri Love Story: 2019 Edition
Andrea & Mariano (ESP) - My partner Mariano or Copo (41 years old) like all of our sports colleagues know him, and I Andrea (27 years old) met training 5 years ago. Copo already trained in triathlon since 2008 and I started at the end of 2013, both of us trained with the same group. When I started training I was a swimmer and I was swimming pretty hard, and everyone started telling Copo that I could beat him swimming and that's how we started swimming together. Then we went running together. Finally, on the bike I did not have an idea of what I was doing and he helped me buy my first bike and that's how we started training together and getting to know each other. Today, 5 years later, we are traveling through Australia training and getting to know ice cream shops and cafes in order to start a new triathlon, coffee and ice cream business here in Australia.
Our Tri Love Story: 2019 Edition
Vanessa Mancini & Marco Brunni (ITA) - This Roman couple train together on the same Triathlon team in Rome, the Purosangue Athletics team!