February Athlete Spotlight - Meet Ian Ruiz-Esparza
- Sarah Plant
- Feb 24
- 3 min read
Meet this month's Athlete Spotlight -- Ian Ruiz-Esparza! Ian is coached by coach Mark and started triathlon after high school. He loves the consistency and discipline that triathlon brings to his life and does it to keep his inner child going! Even with the craziness that is triathlon training, Ian is a full-time student, intern, and will soon be going after a master's degree. Check out the Q & A with Ian:
Age: 21
Do you have a coach? Coach Mark!
Occupation: Currently finishing up a double major at UTSA in Cybersecurity and Information Systems while working as a Cybersecurity Analyst Intern at Frost Bank.
How long have you been swimming, cycling, running, and/or doing triathlons?
I started competitive swimming when I was 6 years old and transitioned over to triathlon once I graduated high school and started college at 18 years old. I’ve continued that journey until now and hopefully for many more years to come!
What aspects of training and/or racing do you enjoy most?
In regard to training, I just love it! I love the consistency and discipline it brings to my life, the small wins and improvements it brings, and the satisfaction I get out of it. Many people train in order to race, I on the other hand race in order to keep training. When it comes to racing, I love turning my brain off, letting my body take over to do what it knows needs to be done, and just enjoying the ride. I approach races as a challenge to have the most fun possible while going fast.
What has been your favorite training or racing event, and why?
I specifically love Olympic distance triathlons. For me, it’s the perfect test of speed and endurance and challenges an athlete physically, mentally, and emotionally all the while being incredibly fun. Captex 2025 was very memorable as it was my first one, I had been battling an injury in the lead up, but I still had the most fun during a race that I can remember. When training, absolutely nothing beats when I’m swimming while in the “zone”. That headspace where my mind is blank and nothing can faze me, I feel like I can just absolutely rip it in the pool all day long. It doesn’t happen too often, but when it does it’s awesome.
What is your favorite post-workout or race meal?
I’m a simple man; I love pizza and chocolate milk. Dominos panned pizza and Promised Land Midnight Chocolate Milk are my absolute favorites, I’m hungry just thinking about them!
What is one recent accomplishment you are proud of?
It hasn’t happened yet, but I will be graduating from college in May and starting my master's degree in the fall. It’s an accomplishment I’m really proud of because juggling school, work, family, triathlon, and spiritual activities is not easy but thanks to my family and friends I was able to do it.
What do you want to be when you grow up?
I want to be someone who never loses their inner child and lets them out every once in a while. I think it’s incredibly important to enjoy everything we do in life and find the fun in it.
What is something no one knows about you?
I didn’t really learn how to ride a bike until I was already in high school and it took me about a year to semi comfortably ride my TT bike. To say I’m bad at bike handling would be an understatement but I’m always working on it.
Why do you race/train?
I want to prove to myself that I can achieve anything I put my mind to, regardless of the adversity I face. I also want to prove that the enjoyment I feel from training and racing doesn’t have any correlation to times and results, it all comes from my love for simply being able to do what I enjoy.
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