Special feature on AMY MARSH

Special feature

teamTBB's Kona Girls
September 29th 2010

2010 has been a year of many firsts for American Amy Marsh and I am not just talking about winning firsts. Amy joined teamTBB this year. It is the FIRST time she has trained with a team. It is the FIRST time she has left her hometown of Austin, Tx to train overseas. Her FIRST trip to Asia where she spent some time in Singapore, trained with the team in Krabi, Thailand and in-between that, she popped over and WON IM China – on her FIRST attempt!

Amy admits while she did not quite take to the Asian food scene as much as husband and fellow pro Brandon she did love training in such a focus driven environment.

Leysin, Switzerland training camp was, yes you guessed it; Amy’s FIRST spell in European training. The mountains served Amy well; she picked up a win in IM Lake Placid and more recently romped home for the win in Cedar Point, Ohio in REV 3. There have been numerous other wins dotted in-between that clearly outlines the pedigree of Amy.

We can only wait with anticipation on how she will further improve next year because we all know there is more to come. Until next year though Amy is lining up in Kona with hundreds of other hopefuls. She may not be a top 10 pick, but we believe she is one to watch and may sneak in under the radar!

Amy is presently at home with husband Brandon in Austin. The heat in Austin this time of year is pretty sticky so good for Kona acclimatisation. As the day draws near, lets find out a little more about this mighty Marsh.

10minutes & 10 questions with Amy

ED: Life before triathlon for Amy Marsh was…
AM: I grew up playing every sport imaginable...swimming, tennis, gymnastics, softball (hated it), soccer, skiing, basketball, you name it. Starting in middle school I solely focused on swimming to pursue a swimming scholarship to college.

ED: If you weren’t doing triathlons, what would you be doing?
AM: I would be involved in sport/health fitness somehow either coaching an age-group/masters swim team or doing some type of personal training.

ED: Tell me about Brandon. How do you balance both being pro triathletes and being a husband and wife? – Some may say it is a recipe for disaster ;)
AM: We seem to have a pretty good system worked out between training, racing, and our home life. We both understand each other’s schedule and when we're tired. You know when B is getting cranky or I'm getting cranky, then one of us probably needs to ease up and try to get a bit more sleep etc. It's definitely a team effort.
In a way that is how we came to be on teamTBB. Brandon was coaching me ever since I started triathlon in 2002. After 2008 we decided it might help our racing and relationship if we found a coach for one or both of us. We contacted teamTBB after the 2008 season and the rest as they say is history.
It's great to be able to train, race and travel all over the world with your best friend.

ED: A reoccurring thought/image that gets you out of bed each morning is…
AM: Knowing my competitors are out there training.

ED: This year is your first year training with teamTBB and Brett Sutton. You must have been aware of the tough training regime; did you have any scary thoughts/expectations before meeting up with the team?
AM: Still am scared! Before training with teamTBB I always heard the horror stories about Brett's training and how hard the workouts were. I think I've adapted pretty well and actually look forward to the challenging workouts now.

ED: As a first year student of teamTBB it would be pretty fair to say you have had an awesome year. Wins in China, Lake Placid, Rev 3 among others – have you surprised yourself?
AM: I'm very pleased with how my season has been going this year. Yes, I have surprised myself as well as others I'm sure! Just hope to keep improving year to year.

ED: As one half of the Marsh duo, you come across as the quiet one. But underneath that quiet exterior I sense a fire burning. Does Amy Marsh have newfound confidence?
AM: Just knowing that I'm training with some of the best triathletes in the world and coached by Brett Sutton has given me a bit more confidence this year.

ED: Mental toughness, confidence, belief, your biggest non-physical strength is and why?
AM: Mental toughness is probably my biggest strength. The tougher the conditions the better I do.

ED: Life after your triathlon career, do you and Brandon think about kids?
AM: We would like to race for a few more years professionally and then eventually settle down and start a family.

ED: Kona. It’s just around the corner...how are you feeling and what expectations do you have of yourself?
AM: I'm feeling quite calm right now. This will be my first time racing Kona as a pro so I don't really have any expectations or feel any pressure. I'm pleased with how my season has gone so far and I'm treating Kona just like any other race I have done this year.