YOUR FINISH LINE: A CHAT WITH MARTA SÁNCHEZ
Marta Sánchez has become a marquee athlete with Quintana Roo in a short time, but she is increasingly asked by fans: why does she have a giraffe design on her bike and race apparel? The reason is one any athlete can appreciate: a sense of calm.
Sánchez is one of the most compelling new forces on the Ironman circuit: a proven winner, a fearless racer, and increasingly, a genuine threat to the IRONMAN World Championship crown. But she didn’t come from a short-course federation program that funded her progression. Her path has been anything but linear. The Spaniard went from synchronized swimmer to triathlete and, despite a break from the sport that almost ended her finish-line chase, realized her dream once the joys of long-distance racing were opened up to her.
Sánchez is a top contender at the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championships in Nice, France, this coming weekend, and at the Hawaii IRONMAN World Championships in Kona. When we chat, there’s a calm about her that belies how quickly her rise has come. We’re excited to cheer her on to the finish line there… and for so many to come.
The Call of Endurance Sport
Sport has always been part of Sánchez’s life. She began swimming at just three years old, and by six, she was immersed in synchronized swimming—a discipline that demands precision, endurance, and a quiet toughness. It shaped her early athletic identity. It was through swimming that she met her partner Arnau Pericas, a triathlete who opened the door to a new world. Sánchez stepped into triathlon as a junior, and almost immediately, she felt it: endurance called to her.
“My triathlon journey actually started in the swimming pool, a place I was familiar with, and everyone asked how I was swimming so fast, and said that I should try triathlon,” she recalled. “At the time I didn’t know what it was."
After promising results as a junior racing for Spain, Sánchez took her elite racing card for Spain as a pro, and chased the Olympic-distance dream. Then came the pandemic. Races vanished, and momentum toward her Olympic dream stalled. She finished fourth nationally in her pursuit of a spot on the pontoon in Paris in 2024—close, but not enough.
“I realized at that time I didn’t have the level for the Olympics,” she said plainly.
Heartbroken, she stepped away from the sport and began studying to become a firefighter. Triathlon, once the center of everything, became a hobby.
The Triumphant Comeback
She returned to racing national events, then Challenge Barcelona. Something clicked. At IRONMAN Cascais in 2023, it clicked again. These longer, non-drafting events were really fun, and she was showing more promise at longer distances rather than the shorter, fast-twitch racing. As the race distances got longer, she simply got better.
“Early on, everyone told me to try to be fast,” she recalled. “But I always felt more comfortable when the race got longer.”
In 2024, a win at IRONMAN 70.3 Pucón was followed by a career-defining performance at IRONMAN South Africa, with her first IRONMAN win. That race, Sánchez says, gave her a second chance, not just at results, but at belief.
“That’s when I decided to go all in,” she said. “One last time. Let’s see how far I can go.”
South Africa wasn’t just about the finish line. It was about the weeks leading up to it. Training in Kenya, Sánchez found herself surrounded by something she didn’t know she needed. Africa felt different. It was rawer, more honest. During long training rides, she’d see a giraffe running alongside the road. It was so fast, so strong, yet had a gracefulness that Sánchez was immediately drawn to. It became a part of her mindset.
“Because the giraffe is so tall, they have a completely different view of the world, a totally new perspective. The giraffe became a reminder,” she said with a smile. “It reminded me where I was. I mean, I was so lucky that I was doing sport in Africa, which I never wanted to take for granted. It also reminded me to not take things too seriously. You know Hakuna Matata? It was just that.” That image—quietly powerful, unhurried, yet unmistakably strong—stayed with her. And so did the confidence.
I Want My Revenge
Sánchez’ first Kona appearance came under less-than-ideal circumstances. Injured and uncertain, Sánchez arrived on the Big Island last year in 2024 with more questions than expectations. Still, she finished sixth.
“I didn’t even think I was capable of that,” she admitted, as the thought of what was possible germinated like a seed in her mind. “Everyone says it’s hard,” she said. “But I love when the mental part comes into play. When you ask yourself, ‘What am I doing here?’ And you remember—you chose this.” She left Kona already thinking about the return.
Since then, she’s hit all the big events, with top results all year: third at IRONMAN Texas North American Championships. Second at Challenge Salou. Second at IRONMAN Lake Placid. And nothing lower than sixth place all year. Now, she’s facing the best of middle-distance racing in Nice, and she's all-in for a great race in Nice—and Kona.
Sánchez has chosen her path carefully. With a targeted training block in the Spanish Sierra Nevada mountains (and a few hacks to get her V-PRi as light as possible) she has high hopes for her race in Nice.
For her, the Kona dream burns bright, too. Despite stepping off the course after running eight miles before a DNF due to injury in 2025, the run gave her just enough of a taste of what was possible. That the appearance was simply a testing opportunity. Being among the leaders off the bike, she knew she belonged. The fire was lit: she believed she could win.
“I want my revenge,” she said with a smile. “As an athlete, you always want to beat yourself. I missed that chance last year, but I’m super ready for it this time.” Still, she wears a sweet smile and that calm that matches her livery. “You know, way back then, as a kid who was doing synchronized swimming, I never would have dreamed of triathlon becoming my sport, and that this sport would become my career. That I would ever run a marathon after a 180k bike? It seemed so crazy, not so long ago. I’m still so lucky to be in this position.”
The finish line awaits, and the chase continues. We have our fingers crossed for a podium position this weekend or in October. She deserves nothing less.
