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Congratulations to the winner of our Reader Cover Contest:Â Mark Brandt of Cleveland, Ohio. He was nominated by a coworker for everything he’s done to grow the tri community in Ohio and for having “one of the biggest hearts.”
Out of all our fantastic finalists, Mark received the most votes and his passion for helping to grow the sport won over our editors. You can read his coworker’s submission below and look out for Mark on the cover of our July/Aug issue.
Mark had a vision to bring the sport of triathlon racing back to Cleveland! He is the founder of Tri CLE Rock Roll Run. The inaugural race took place in 2021, in the midst of many uncertainties with COVID-19. Tri CLE highlights short-course racing with beautiful views of Cleveland. Not only did Mark create this race, but he founded the Kids That Tri program. This program is free for youth in Northeast Ohio to learn the sport of triathlon without having to worry about the costs of participating in the sport.
Mark has one of the biggest hearts and he is an amazing athlete! He truly cares about the growth of the sport of triathlon. He has raced short-course and long-course—most notably, he raced and finished St. George 70.3, despite the crazy weather that the participants had to endure. Mark truly figures out how to balance family, work, and training—given that he does have to travel for his job.