Last Out of the Water, Still on the Podium | Tommy Struzzieri on Confidence, Community, and the Big Apple Triathlon

What if the person behind your race experience has been living inside this sport since before they could drive? This episode brings you inside the world of a man who didn't just grow up loving triathlon but grew up building it, race by race, cone by cone.

Tommy Struzzieri, USAT certified race director and founder of Alpha Win Racing, has worn nearly every hat in this sport: athlete, volunteer, age group All-American, Division I runner at Syracuse University, coach, and now the person making it all happen for thousands of participants across the country. His guiding belief, that there is a distance for everyone, shapes every decision he makes, from offering an open entry-level distance designed to welcome true first-timers to keeping race-day logistics as convenient and stress-free as possible.

This season, Tommy is bringing triathlon back to New York City with the Big Apple Triathlon on October 10, 2026. Hear what it took, what it means, and what he hopes every athlete feels when they cross that finish line.

Whether you're lining up for your first sprint or your first time standing at a starting line, this one is for you.

Join the Tri Beginner's Luck Community: Enjoyed this episode? The best way to support the show is to leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify! Follow us on Instagram: @TriBeginnersLuck Connect on Facebook: Tri Beginner's Luck Page Questions or Feedback? We want to hear your story! Send your questions to tblpodbiz@tribeginnersluck.com, and we may feature them in a future episode.

Let's tri this!

Denne episoden er hentet fra en åpen RSS-feed og er ikke publisert av Podme. Den kan derfor inneholde annonser.

Episoder(193)

Go Big or Go Home | Tom Scheer on Racing as a Clydesdale, DNFs, and a Guinness Record

He registered for 47 races, blew out his knee, got disqualified for a GoPro, got married, went on a honeymoon, and still came home with the record. Thomas "Tom" Scheer is a Naval Academy graduate, Nav...

30 Jun 1h 13min

From Shanghai to the Starting Line | Brandon Woolfolk on Depression, Purpose, and Becoming a Triathlete

Some people don't find triathlon. Triathlon finds them. It calls quietly for years until the timing, the spirit, and the courage finally align at once. Brandon Woolfolk is a certified personal trainer...

17 Jun 58min

The Army Couldn't Break Her. The Pool Almost Did. | Betty Collins on Faith, Fear, and First Triathlon

For over 20 years, Betty Collins led troops, mentored communities, and built others up from the inside out. So what happens when the person who is always pouring into others has to finally let others ...

10 Jun 55min

They Canceled the Race. He Finished Anyway: Mike Nyman on Family, Community, and Racing Through Fear

What does it take to come out of the water nearly last and choose to come back? Not once, but race after race, distance after distance, through graduate school, a pandemic, and the arrival of three ch...

3 Jun 56min

Called to Serve, Built to Race | Michelle Christine on National Security, Team USA, and the Discipline Behind It All

What if the most decorated athlete you've ever seen race was doing it on stolen hours, powered by discipline she didn't know she had until the military turned it on? That's exactly the kind of story t...

27 Mai 1h 4min

From Marathon Chaos to First Triathlon | Beatriz Sampaio on Starting Scared and Racing Anyway

Some people count down the days to their birthday. Beatriz Sampaio counted down the laps. For her first triathlon, she chose the most meaningful finish line she could think of: race day on her birthda...

20 Mai 51min

46 Days After Surgery, He Ran a 10K | Scott Stanley on Cancer, Loss, and Ironman 70.3

Three weeks after writing a half-Ironman goal on his bathroom mirror, Scott Stanley got a cancer diagnosis. Forty-six days after colon surgery, he was at the starting line of a 10K. What do you do whe...

13 Mai 57min