Marlins President trains to be an Ironman

 

MIAMI -- Going the extra mile has taken on new meaning for Florida Marlins president David Samson.

As if running the day-to-day business operations of a big-league club isn't time consuming enough, Samson has piled another 26 hours a week to his lifestyle of grueling physical training. Daily, he is up before 6 a.m. ET, either running, swimming or biking.

 

Pushing his mind and body, Samson is on a hardcore conditioning regimen to reach new personal -- and groundbreaking -- heights.

 

The 38-year-old Marlins executive is striving to go where no other active professional sports team president has ever gone before: The Ford Ironman World Championship in Hawaii.

 

On Oct. 21, Samson will fulfill a dream by being at the starting line, along with 1,800 determined individuals who have qualified for the prestigious triathlon in Kailua-Kona. A consummate test of endurance and will, the event encompasses a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride and a 26.2-mile run. All three disciplines must be completed in succession to be recognized as a true Ironman.

 

"I've always dreamt of doing an Ironman competition," Samson said. "To me, it's the ultimate mental and physical test. It's bringing the body and mind to the limit. That has always appealed to me."

 

Self-motivated, Samson was born in Milwaukee, Wisc., and raised in New York City. Being active is his nature. In 1996, 1999 and 2002 he ran the New York City Marathon. Since February 2002, he's been the Marlins' team president, where he oversees all business aspects of the club. One of his major challenges with the club right now is trying to hammer out a stadium deal that would secure the long-term future of the Marlins in South Florida.

 

So how does a team executive find the time to pack training for a triathlon into an already hectic schedule?

 

With the Hawaii event a little more than two months away, Samson is highly disciplined, balancing his team president duties with training.

 

"My average number of hours per week I train is almost 26 hours," he said. "It's about two hours each day during the week, and each weekend is about eight hours."

 

A typical day starts at 5:42 a.m. He gets up, logs onto his computer and catches up on the West Coast baseball scores.

 

"I go through the box scores of every game," he said.

 

While online, he checks his personal and team-related mail before heading to the kitchen to read the newspaper. A typical breakfast is Product 19 cereal, plus a slice of bread with peanut butter.

 

After eating, he begins working out for about two hours. On running days, he will slip on his Asics Gel-Kayano running shoes. And his bike is a sleek Kestrel Airfoil Pro, a popular brand among triathletes.

 

During workouts he will monitor his calls. Typically, if he is running or biking and team owner Jeffrey Loria phones in, Samson will pull over to take the call. On some busy days, he may have as any many as 14 messages waiting for him.

 

On a normal day, he will burn anywhere from 1,500-2,500 calories.

 

Samson reads his share of triathlon magazines, and he is amazed by the nutritional habits of the competitors.

 

"There are triathletes who are very focused on nutrition," Samson said. "I'm the president of a Major League Baseball team. I eat whatever I want, whenever I want to. I eat sandwiches, meat, chicken, fish. I eat chips. I eat candy.

 

"I've read books on what I should eat. They make me crazy because I don't eat anything I should be eating. I don't count the grams I'm eating of every different food group. I just don't do that, which triathletes generally do. What can I tell ya?"

 

What Samson is counting on when he competes in Hawaii is raising money for two charities: the Florida Marlins Community Foundation and the Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF).

 

Established in 1999, the non-profit Marlins Community Foundation has helped promote a number of youth-related programs.

 

"I know we make a difference in this community because I've seen it," Samson said. "I've gone on appearances and seen where the money goes and doing what it does."

 

Samson became aware of CAF while flipping through a magazine.

 

"There was a picture I saw of a triathlete with one leg," Samson said. "I just finished a workout where I had stopped because I was tired. I was leafing through the magazine and there was an advertisement for this foundation, and there was a person with one leg who completed the triathlon. It said, 'If you want to support this athlete, wear a bracelet that says 'challenge.' I immediately went online and bought the bracelet and have worn it every day since. It was over a year ago. I look at it during every workout and I wear it to races, I wear it to work."

 

Samson is confident he will raise more than $100,000 for each charity.

 

Before heading to Hawaii in October, Samson will compete in the Timberman Triathlon on Aug. 20 in New Hampshire. That event includes a 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike ride, and 13.1-mile run.

 

Once he completes the Timberman, Samson will be two months away from competing in Hawaii.

 

"I envision the finish line in every workout and becoming an Ironman," he said. "I always envision that I'm trying to raise the most money for charity that's been raised. I also envision the fact that no team president has either started or finished the Hawaiian Ironman."

 

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Thanks,good read.

Samson is goofy.

Is this triathlon only for people under 5 foot tall?

all this talent and a good movie critic too.

 

still hate the guy.

Still gotta admire his dedication....and its raising money for charity...always a great thing.

Still gotta admire his dedication....and its raising money for charity...always a great thing.

 

ya, this is great for him. It sounds like he is really into this. Maybe he can put some of the money towards te stadium too :mischief2 .