Greencastle woman wins triathlon

Megan Martin of Greencastle was recently a top finisher in the Chambersburg Half Marathon, but that’s nothing compared to her victory last fall in a triathon.

Martin crossed the finish line first in the women's division of a triathlon held Sept. 24 on Maryland's Eastern Shore.

The 28-year-old fitness coach entered the U. S. Association of Triathlon Mid-Atlantic Ultra Championship event. That entailed a 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bike ride, and a marathon run of 26.2 miles. She finished in 10:02:52. The male winner recorded 9:14:47 and the fourth place man was eight seconds ahead of Martin.

"I was so happy to win and finish with some of the guys," she said.

Though drizzle was the weather of the day, she was satisfied with the conditions.

"It was a good day. My swim was real strong. The biking is my weakest skill but I improved. Going into the marathon I had stomach issues a few times, but I was right on my previous times."

Competition is nothing new to Martin. A "hard core" swimmer for 18 years, her parents drove her to Washington D.C. daily since her Williamsport, Md. high school did not have a swim team. She earned an athletic scholarship to the University of Maryland and majored in kinesiology. She owns two fitness centers in the metro Virginia area.

At the urging of a co-worker, Martin added biking to her exercise regimen, tried a triathlon five months later and loved it. She's been at it for years, and adjusts her training depending on the different distances. She will put in 10 to 15 hours per week in the three activities.

"You have to be a little bit crazy to do this. My family thinks I'm nuts."

At work, her clients range from couch potatoes to those seeking the most efficient fitness plan, from ages 13 to 77. She doesn't expect them to match her pattern, and tells anyone who lacks motivation, "A little bit is better than nothing."

On March 10 Martin finished 42nd out of over 300 runners in the Chambersburg Half Marathon with a time of 1:33:11 and was third in her age group.

Martin and her husband Josh moved to Greencastle where she enjoys the pace of country living. And there are miles of roads for training.