Mark Balsiger

A two-time Ironman finisher, a Team USA masters member in both triathlon and duathlon, and a competitor in three world championships. A late bloomer in the world of running and triathlon, starting at the age of 49, Mark (now 58) is on the board for the longest, continuously running triathlon series in the world (Southwest Challenge Series) which has brought countless young people into the sport. He has 16 marathons to his credit, including qualifying and running Boston in 2007. His lust for adventure stems from many years as an underwater filmmaker with documentaries from coral reef destruction in the Philippines to following the migration of whales from the Dominican Republic to the icebergs of Davis Strait off Greenland. Recently married for the first time last August to Mariana, an accomplished triathlete in her own right, she has been helping Mark train for the North Pole by running the desert sand dunes in snow shoes, accompanied by their Siberian Husky “sled dog”.