Meet our April Athlete Spotlight, Tony Forinash! Tony joined Paragon Training in late 2019. He's known as being relentlessly positive and somehow crushing long bike rides on half a bar of nutrition. Tony gets the training miles in. Every week. This past month, he averaged over 138 miles on the bike per week. He's also logged a total of 17 IRONMAN and IRONMAN 70.3 races into the books in the last 10 years. Keep it rollin', Tony!
Age: 42
Occupation: CPA, former auditor, currently working in Risk Management
How long have you been swimming, cycling, running, and/or doing triathlons? I’ve been running since I was 6. My parents would take us on 10k Volkmarchs (hikes, usually on trails) every weekend. But instead of walking them, I would run ahead to the aid station and see if they had hot soup or hot tea and then run back and tell my family. At the end, we would get finishers' medals (aid stations, finisher medals, sound familiar??). We hung all the medals on a red velvet tapestry thing and when I was 12 years old, I counted over 200. I did my first Olympic triathlon in 2002, the Y100 Boerne tri. It was a swim, run, bike format. I panicked on the swim, went too hard on the run, blew up on the bike, and was last in my age group. I was instantly hooked.
What aspects of triathlon do you enjoy most? The community aspect of it. While it’s an individual competition, there’s a sense of community during training and at each race felt by everyone, but especially if you’re part of a great team (like Paragon!). I love chit chatting with complete strangers about the course, weather, gear, training…and to see they’re just as excited as I am about this sport (maybe a little crazy like me too!). I also like the creativity side of triathlon, like trying different training regiments and/or intensities and seeing how my body responds. Fitness has always been kinda a moving target so it keeps it interesting knowing what worked at one time may not work again the same way.
What has been your favorite training or racing event, and why? I love the weekend long ride. There’s just something special about getting up at 4am, drinking coffee, and being on the road before sunup…meeting up with Brad, Carlos, and Aldo (and anyone else who wants to join) and heading north to open roads, cattle guards, deep conversations on spandex, and the occasional bike selfie. I think I may have a little bit of a rep for doing so many long bike rides...I just really enjoy riding my bike.
What is your favorite post-workout or race meal? Without a doubt, brisket steak burger and Stone IPA beer. But if I don't feel like grilling out (very rare) then BBQ chicken pizza from Papa John's or MOD pizza (with extra olives ; ) ).
What is one recent accomplishment you are proud of? I’m most proud of my family. My two sons (William 12, Caleb 10) and daughter (Adeline 6 going on 16) are awesome. I love watching them experience life and many successes so far. My wife, Courtney, is my rock. She’s been my biggest supporter in triathlon since the beginning, which is a long time (God bless her, lol). I love doing life with her and the kids, and all the memories we're making.
What do you want to be when you grow up? I would love to open an all-in-one bike/coffee/beer/CPA advisory shop and faith-based ministry in Colorado, or somewhere in the mountains. I’m not sure how that operating model would work, but it sounds like fun : ).
What is something no one knows about you? I enjoy camping, fishing, and going to the shooting range. I also enjoy reading every night. Some of my favorite series are Jack Reacher (by Lee Child) and John Milton (by Mark Dawson). I’m currently reading whatever my kids are reading (Hunger Games and Percy Jackson series) so we can talk and share thoughts about it.
