NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla. — Marlynne Stutzman is 25 years old and has spent the last few months training for her biggest challenge yet.
The New Port Richey woman will be competing in the Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii, on Saturday. The triathlon consists of a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride and a 26.2-mile run.
“Every week is different,” Marlynne said. “The first week is training for swimming. Yes, you do some biking and running during the week. The next week is focused on biking. The week after is focused on running.”
She has been competing in Special Olympics Florida events since she was 12. All of that hard work has led to this.
“Everybody calls me 'The Fish,'” she said. “I am usually the first one out of the water when I do a triathlon.”
These extreme races are nothing new for her. She completed the Boston Marathon in April and a triathlon in Slovakia in May.
“During the pandemic is when we saw the big change because there was nothing else to do,” her father, Tod Stutzman, said. “She said, ‘I’m going to go run six miles.’ Go for it.”
Marlynne was recently named Athlete of the Year for Special Olympics of Pasco County. Her fastest 5K race is 19 minutes; that’s six minutes per mile! But her life with autism also comes with doubters whom she wants to prove wrong.
“Special Olympics had built the confidence in me, telling me I can be an athlete and show me what I could do,” she said. “Show people who I am and fight my disability.”
She is sponsored by the 1% Better Foundation. It worked to create more opportunities for special needs athletes to compete in high-profile events.
"My motto is, I want to show autistic females and dyslexia females they can do this, too,” she said. “Find out what you are good at and keep doing it.”
