As a kid, Justin Metzler dreamt of being a professional athlete when he grew up, hoping he could make it as a basketball player. When that didn’t work out, he found himself a little lost, unsure of who or what he was. It turns out triathlon first helped rescue him from that crisis and later propelled him back towards his pro athlete dreams.

At 27 years old, Metzler is part of the new guard of pro racers, but he already boasts almost 15 years’ experience in the sport, thanks to discovering triathlon at the age of 13, when he became “the kid at school who did triathlons.”

“At that time, my Dad was racing Ironmans and challenged me to come train with him,” he said. “In the early stages, it was just about hanging out with him, but this quickly morphed into something much more. I started to dive deep into training and found I unexpectedly had some underlying endurance talent. I rose through the ranks quickly, which ignited the passion for the sport that I still carry with me today.”

As a member of Julie Dibens’ training squad in Boulder, Colorado, Metzler—who hails from Glenview, Illinois—has set himself up for success in every way. He’s assembled a mighty team of coaches, including Dibens, bike coach Matt Bottrill, and strength expert Erin Carson to help guide his training. Last year, he married fellow pro triathlete Jeanni Seymour, who—along with their dog Milli—help make the most of their training together.

“Our first date was at a coffee shop and I later proposed at the same one, so going on coffee dates together is something we both still love to do every week,” Metzler said. However, he admits that it took several attempts to get Seymour to agree to that first date. “She was a hard one to lock down, I nearly gave up, but something kept me coming back and my persistence paid off,” he joked.

With wins at Challenge Iceland, Challenge San Gil, and, most recently, a victory at the Huntington Olympic Tri in Indiana, Metzler has tasted success, but knows there is plenty more to come: “I want to win a 70.3 and an Ironman in the U.S and, in the longer term, win world titles at 70.3 and Ironman.”

With his heart, drive, and talent, those are north stars that seem absolutely likely for “the kid at school who did triathlons.”

How Justin Metzler Fuels