About Marni

3x Author, Board Certified Sport Dietitian, Master of Science in Exercise Physiology, 19x Ironman finisher, 2x XTRI finisher, 6x Ironman World Championship finisher, 5th AG 2021 Ironman World Championship (St. George). 2017 Ironman Chattanooga Overall Female Amateur, Triathlon coach, 31-year vegetarian.
Loves animals, culture, nature, travel, adventure, people and endurance sports.

When I was in graduate school, my life consisted of studying, working in the lab, teaching undergraduate classes, going to class and more studying. I had been a student athlete for the past ten years and I really missed having a competitive outlet to move and use my body. While in graduate school, I decided to train for a marathon (it seemed like the popular thing to do in Florida). Prior to my marathon training for the 2005 Miami Marathon, I participated in a few triathlons with the help of my first bike - a Giant Hybrid bicycle (with a kick stand). Throughout graduate school I had little money and coached myself for all my triathlons and running races. I finished my first marathon in a time of 3:38 and I was shocked to find out that I had qualified for the Boston Marathon. I immediately fell in love with endurance sports. By the end of 2006, I could finally call myself an endurance triathlete as I completed the Boston Marathon, Disney half Ironman and Ironman Florida (all in 8 months). I even qualified for the Ironman World Championship by winning the 18-24 age group at my first Ironman.

In 2006, on May 31st (my birthday), I met my now husband Karel. He thought I was crazy for my love of endurance triathlons but little did I know - six years later - that my cyclist husband would become a long-distance triathlete….and he ended up being really good at it too!

After earning my Registered Dietitian credential (schooling + internship from 2007-2010), I worked for three years as a Clinical dietitian at Baptist Medical Center Beaches. On January 2nd, 2012, I became a small business owner. In April 2014, we made the scary and life-changing decision to leave everything that we knew in Jacksonville, FL and move to Greenville, SC. to work at Trimarni full-time. And Trimarni Coaching and Nutrition just celebrated 10 years! I am licensed to practice nutrition in South Carolina and I hold a Board Certification in Sport Nutrition (CSSD).

Karel no longer thinks I am crazy and we both love to seek out new crazy adventures and events to test our physical and mental limits.

Since starting endurance sports, I wrote 3 books, completed 19 Ironman events (included 5 Ironman World Championship events). Just a few weeks before my 40th birthday, I placed 5th in the 40-44 age group in the 2021 Ironman World Championship in St. George (taking place in May 2022). I’ve raced in other countries, I’ve won races and I have a successful coaching and nutrition business. But I've had my ups and downs with training and injuries and life challenges. I lost my dad to cancer in May 2014. He was my best friend and my greatest supporter. With him no longer in my life, I find myself never wanting to waste a day of life.

When I am not training or working, I enjoy being creative, spending time with our 5 furry family members and being outside. My best furry friend Campy is 16 years old and we are treasuring every day with him in his final stage of life.

Through my business, Trimarni Coaching and Nutrition, I have had the great opportunity to help hundreds of athletes from all over the world fuel and nourish their bodies better for endurance sport. I hope to continue to educate, inspire and motivate others to never take their human body for granted.

I was born and raised in Lexington, Kentucky. I have always enjoyed staying busy and active. I started swimming competitively around 10-11 years old, I played piano at an arts school in Middle School and discovered my love of science in High School.

After four years of collegiate swimming, I also earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Exercise Science and a minor in psychology from Transylvania University in 2004. During my senior year of college, I participated in the Cross Country team and discovered my joy for off-road running.

In the fall of 2004, I moved to Davie, Florida for graduate school at Florida Atlantic University. Several semesters later, I received a Master of Science degree in Exercise Physiology from FAU in December 2005.

Education

Marywood University - Distance Dietetic Internship
June 2010-May 2011, Scranton, PA. Completed May 2011.

University of Northern Colorado, Distance Dietetic Program Dietetic verification statement
May 2008-August 2009, Greeley, Colorado.

Florida Atlantic University, Master of Science in Exercise Physiology
Graduate December 2005, Davie, Florida.

Transylvania University, Bachelor of Arts in exercise science and a minor in psychology
Gradauted May 2004, Lexinton, KY.

CERTIFICATIONS

Board Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics (CSSD) 2015-2020, 2021-2026.

South Carolina license - 1355

Commission on Dietetic Registration, RD certified, June 21, 2011

USA triathlon level 1 coach – certified 2007-current

American Heart Association CPR certified, 2008-2014

Red Cross Certified - 2014- current

CPR certified - since ~1998

International Society of Sports Nutrition Certified Sports Nutritionist (CISSN), 2005-2010

Received a certification by the American Dietetic Association in Adult Weight Management, 2009

Memberships

Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 2008-present

International Society of Sports Nutrition, 2004-2012

Vegetarian Nutrition, 2009-2014

Sport, Cardiovascular and Wellness Nutrition, 2009-present

USA Triathlon - 2006 to present

PR's and Achievements

Key 

* Boston marathon qualifier

 ** Ironman World Championship qualifier

 *** Ironman 70.3 World Championship qualifier

Personal Achievements

5K:
SpaMe 5K, St. Johns, FL: 19:52 (2012)

10K:
Rotary 10K, Trinity, FL: 40.09 (2011) - Overall female winner

15K:
Gate River Run, Jacksonville, FL: 1:05:2 (2010)

Half Marathon:
Subaru Half Marathon, Jacksonville, FL: 1:31:51 (2011)

Half Marathon:
Iron Girl Clearwater, Clearwater, FL: 1:33.25 (2012), Overall female winner

Marathon:
Miami Marathon, Miami, FL: 3:38.28 (2005)*

Aquabike:
Rock n' Rollman, Macon, GA: 3:18 (2013), Overall winner

Olympic distance triathlon:
Jacksonville Tri Series #3, Fernandina Beach, FL (2012): 2:15.21

Half Ironman:
Branson 70.3, Branson, Missouri (2012): 5:19.02***, Overall amateur female, age group course record

HITS Ocala, Ocala, FL (2014), 5:06.29, 1st overall female

Challenge Williamsburg, Williamsburg, VA. (2015), 4:54:42, 1st amateur female

Lake James 50, Lake James, NC. (2016), 3:30.33, 1st overall female

Lake Logan Half Triathlon, Canton, NC. (2016), 4:53.47, 1st overall female

Ironman 70.3 Chattanooga (2022), 4:41.48 (PR), 2nd AG,

Ironman 70.3 Blue Ridge (2021), 5:00.14, 1st age group (35-39), 2nd overall female (missed 1st by 2 sec)

Ironman 70.3 World Championship (2021), 5:08.24, 11th AG.

Ironman
Ironman Chattanooga
Chattanooga, TN 10:28.50 (2017), 1st overall amateur female, 1st AG, 10th overall female.** 

Ultra Endurance Events/Off-Road
2020 Florida 3-day Extreme Triathlon (292 miles = 6 miles swimming, 242 miles biking, 50 miles running): 23 hours and 16 minutes. Overall female winner, event record.
2021 Xterra Oak Mountain 20K trail run - 2:01.07, 3rd female
2021 Xterra USA Championship 21K trail run - 2:10, 2nd AG
2021 Xterra World Championship 21K trail run - 2:04, 2nd AG
2023 Xterra South Africa - 3:18.5, 4th overall female, 1st AG
2023 Xterra Oak Mountain - 3:13.17, 1st overall female
2023 6-hours on the ridge MTB - 1st overall female
2023 XTRI Canadaman - 13.37.59, 2nd overall female
2023 High Cascades 100 MTB - 9:48, 1st AG
2023 XTRI ICON - 16:33, 2nd overall female

Ironman Distance  

Ironman Florida
Panama City Beach, FL: 11:00.47 (2006) 1st age group**

Ironman World Championship
Kona, Hawaii: 12:26.58 (2007)

Ironman Kentucky
Lousiville, Kentucky: 10:53.45 (2009), 7th age group 

Ironman Wisconsin
Madison, Wisconsin: 10:57.53 (2010), 4th age group **

Ironman World Championship
Kona, Hawaii: 11:02.14 (2011)

Ironman Lake Placid
Lake Placid, New York: 10:43:14 (2013), 5th age group**

Ironman World Championship
Kona, Hawaii: 10:37:10 (2013)

Ironman Austria
Klagenfurt, Austria 10:17.35 (2014), 7th age group, PR

Madison, Wiscosin 10:44:.47 (2014), 3rd age group**, 6th overall amateur female

Ironman World Championship
Kona, Hawaii: 11:30:37 (2016)

Ironman Austria
Klagenfurt, Austria 10:06.354 (2016), 2nd age group, 4th amateur female, 10th overall female, fastest female swim, PR

Ironman Chattanooga
Chattanooga, TN 10:28.50 (2017), 1st overall amateur female, 1st AG, 10th overall female.** 

Ironman Austria
Klagenfurt, Austria 10:23.10 (2018), 2nd AG

Ironman Wisconsin
Madison, Wisconsin 10:32.29 (2018), 1st AG**

Ironman Canada
Whistler, Canada 11:07.09 (2019), 5th AG.

Ironman World Championship
Kona, Hawaii: 10:48.02 (2019)

Ironman Lake Placid
Lake Placid, NY 10:40.40 (2021), 1st AG**, 3rd overall female

Ironman World Championship
St. George, Utah: 10:53.16 (2022), 5th AG

Ironman Lake Placid
Lake Placid, NY. 10:25.01 (2022), 1st AG**, 2nd overall female

Currently

Trimarni Coaching and Nutrition (Greenville, SC) - Owner 

3x Author, Triathlon coach, Board Certified Sports Dietitian, writer, speaker. Host of group and private training camps.

Contributed articles to various sport/health-related websites and magazines, such as  Fitness,  Shape, Health, Women's Health,  Men's Journal, Runners World, Cosmo Girl magazine, Bicycling,  Women’s Running,  Women's Health, Prevention, Good Housekeeping, LAVA, Triathlete magazine, Beginnertriathlete.com, USA triathlon.com, LAVA online, Ironman.com, Irongirl.com. Topics include health, wellness, fitness, exercise physiology and sport nutrition.

Author of Essential Sports Nutrition, The 365-Day Running Journal, Athlete to Triathlete.

Past Employment

Baptist Medical Center Beaches (Jacksonville, FL)
Clinical Dietitian (PRN) (2011-2014)

Assess, diagnose, intervene, monitor and evaluate patients in all units of hospital.

Provide outpatient counseling, as neded

Provide patient education

Involved in Baptist Heartwise program (screening/education program for women)