KONA Athletes
KONA Athletes
They applied. They were interviewed. They were selected.
Team In Training has limited highly coveted entries for the IRONMAN® World Championship. This race is normally by-qualification-only, but Team In Training has limited guaranteed entries for those ready to impact the mission of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society in a big way.
These athletes have completed an application and interview process and were selected by a committee amongst a number of submissions.
May we introduce our 2020 IRONMAN® World Championship teammates!
Meet Matthew Duffy - California Southland Chapter
Born and raised in Bergen County, New Jersey, Matthew Duffy grew up in a family of athletes. A second generation TNT participant, Matthew’s first endurance sports memory was at 5 years old, bringing his father water bottles and a fresh shirt as he trained for the TCS New York City Marathon. Matthew found purpose in his life through working out and made a career as a personal trainer. Running in his first TNT event, Rock ‘n’ Roll LA Half Marathon, in May of 2017 with his sister by his side, Matthew went on to complete IRONMAN® Canada & the TCS New York City Marathon, 24 years after his father had. Since then, he has continued to be an active member of the TNT community and his team, Team Duffy, has raised over $100K for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society to date!
Fundraising Page
Meet Brandon Uttich – Central California Chapter
Brandon joined Team In Training to train for the Rock ‘n’ Roll San Diego Marathon 7 years ago and has been hooked ever since. Year after year he has returned because of the friendships, the family, the healthy lifestyle, the mission and how fundraising makes a difference in defeating cancer. Brandon is proud to be on the team and of how his fundraising helps others, but what is most important to him is how Team In Training has impacted his family: "While I was training, my mom brought my boys to the park. My oldest Aidan was 8 at the time and instead of going to the monkey bars or swings, he kept running around the grass area. My mom asked Aidan why he was running and not playing, his answer "I’m training because when I grow up I want to help people like my daddy does." Brandon is ready to make his dreams come true by taking on the IRONMAN® World Championship!
Fundraising Page 
Meet Mike Peterson – Kentucky & Southern Indiana Chapter
An Iowa native, Mike Peterson is a father of four, a TNT alum, and an avid triathlete having completed over 50 triathlons in the past 10 years! Mike balances his family life, a full-time job and his endurance sports commitments with the support of his family and network of friends, who help to motivate him and spread the word about his fundraising efforts. Mike will be fundraising in memory of his life-long friend and mentor, Steve Nash, who passed away from leukemia. This 6x TNT alum, 4x TNT mentor & 2x TNT coach is ready to take the next step and face the IRONMAN® World Championship.
Fundraising Page 
Meet Peter Shankman – New York City Chapter
The New York Times has called Peter Shankman "a rockstar who knows everything about social media and then some." He is a 5x best-selling author, entrepreneur and corporate keynote speaker, focusing on customer service and the new and emerging customer and neurotatypical economy. Not only is he a successful businessman, he is a 2x IRONMAN® finisher, 15x IRONMAN® 70.3 finisher, and 25x marathon finisher. As his first Team In Training experience, Peter will be training for the IRONMAN® World Championship and using his social influence to reach his fundraising goal of $125,000!
Fundraising Page Are you our next IRONMAN World Champion Teammate?
This Fall we will be accepting applications for the IRONMAN® World Championship 2021. Fill out this form to be notified when the application process starts. In the meantime, keep an eye on this year’s Kona athletes and how they take on this challenge on our Team In Training Instagram feed.