IRONMAN Matthew Marquardt offers to most cancers care
Pelotonia 2025: Highlights from Experience Weekend in Columbus, Ohio
Pelotonia introduced the power to Columbus for the 2025 Experience Weekend. Watch high moments from an unforgettable trip supporting most cancers analysis.
- Ohio State medical scholar Matthew Marquardt balances demanding research with coaching for skilled triathlons.
- Marquardt just lately received an IRONMAN Professional Sequence competitors in Lake Placid, New York.
- Marquardt’s main focus stays his medical coaching, aiming for a profession as a head and neck most cancers surgeon.
Like different college students on the Ohio State College Faculty of Medication, Matthew Marquardt dedicates hours to learning, medical rotations, courses and analysis.
In contrast to different college students, he additionally dedicates hours within the mornings and evenings to coaching for skilled triathlon competitions.
Two weeks earlier than Marquardt rode in his fourth Pelotonia Experience Weekend as captain of a group of medical college students, the Spin Medical doctors, he crossed the end line of an IRONMAN Professional Sequence competitors in Lake Placid, New York.
And he received.
To many, what Marquardt has completed would really feel like a pipe dream.
When the Cincinnati native was nonetheless in highschool, he summited Mount Kilimanjaro. When he had an sudden break from collegiate swimming whereas at Princeton College because of the COVID-19 pandemic, he biked throughout the nation from San Diego to Jacksonville, Florida.
Past a propensity for carrying out the seemingly not possible, a typical thread runs by way of Marquardt’s journey — he has used his athletic feats to lift cash and consciousness for most cancers sufferers and analysis.
It began when he was coaching to climb Kilimanjaro, when one among his childhood buddies was identified with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), a blood most cancers.
“Whereas I used to be coaching, I used to be additionally watching her undergo this therapy,” Marquardt mentioned.
“I made a decision, ‘You understand what? I need to attempt to increase some cash for a corporation of her selecting as a solution to give her one thing else to consider in addition to the therapy.’ So, we determined to lift cash for Make-A-Want. And thru quite a lot of totally different fundraisers, we raised over $6,000.”
A number of years later, in the midst of his 20-day journey throughout the nation by bike, Marquardt raised over $15,500 for St. Jude Kids’s Analysis Hospital.
Pursuing ardour and function
He attributes this trip to launching his profession as an endurance athlete.
“I used to be now in my senior spring, and I used to be in search of one thing else to do and determined to coach for a half IRONMAN simply in order that I stored myself busy till commencement,” he defined.
“On the time, my plan was solely to do this one race after which be achieved with it as a result of I had medical college arising within the fall of 2021, and, like, any regular individual believed that it was not possible to do triathlon and medical college on the identical time.”
After receiving permission from the dean of the school of drugs and sponsorship from the James Most cancers Hospital, Marquardt now represents the James at each skilled IRONMAN occasion.
As part of the sponsorship by way of Ohio State, he promotes the significance of most cancers analysis and prevention, David Cohn, MD, MBA, COO of the James Most cancers Hospital, mentioned.
Noting that Marquardt manages a sophisticated life at an distinctive degree in all features, Cohn mentioned he was moved by a dialog he had with the triathlete following his July win in Lake Placid.
“He mentioned that essentially the most impactful factor of this whole expertise — coaching for the race, successful the race and challenges through the race as properly — was with the ability to be on the end line for his colleagues and buddies to supply them with their medals after they grew to become an IRONMAN,” Cohn mentioned.
“That speaks to his humanity.”
Cohn defined not solely Marquardt’s participation in Pelotonia every year as a rider, but in addition that his placement in a Pelotonia-funded most cancers analysis lab ties all of the threads collectively.
As a rider, the coed and athlete had raised $26,043Â for Pelotonia as of early August 2025.
“That’s type of the primary factor that drives me: the flexibility to make somebody’s life a bit of bit higher,” Marquardt mentioned.
“Whether or not that is what drives my analysis when it comes to wanting to enhance most cancers care or that drives my research in medical college… After which that additionally drives me in (a) triathlon.”
The medical scholar made some extent to notice that his medical coaching continued to be his first precedence, and he hoped to safe an ear, nostril and throat residency to organize for a profession as a head and neck most cancers surgeon sooner or later.
“Clearly, I want to achieve success, and I am motivated to achieve success, however I wasn’t staying up at night time daydreaming about how nice it will be to win a race. My focus has at all times been and at all times shall be on my analysis and medical college first,” he mentioned.
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