University of Connecticut Athletics
Alumni Spotlight: Laura Marcoux
8/18/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Lacrosse
STORRS, Conn. – University of Connecticut lacrosse alumnae Laura Marcoux, formerly Eichert, completed her second Ironman triathlon on Aug. 7, 2016 to qualify for the Ironman World Championship held in Kona, Hawaii.
The Ironman consists of a 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bike ride, followed by a marathon (26.2 mile run). There is a 17-hour time limit, with most Ironman competitions beginning at 7 a.m. and ending at midnight. Marcoux completed her first Ironman in November of 2015, when she competed in Ironman Arizona.
“That first Ironman, which also happened to be my first marathon, was an overwhelming, in a good way, emotional experience,” Marcoux said, “I completely fell in love with the iron-distance.”
A 2010 UConn graduate, Marcoux said she got into triathlons the summer prior to her senior year at Connecticut as a way to stay in shape for lacrosse. She participated in the New Jersey State Triathlon, her first-ever triathlon, in the summer of 2009 in preparation for the upcoming season.
“I didn’t go into the race with any expectations, other than to just try something new, and I was completely surprised to find out that I came in second in my age group!” said Marcoux, “That performance turned out to be the perfect tipping point for me because even though I was ecstatic to come in second, I couldn’t help but feel like if I just trained a little bit harder, I could have come in first.”
Marcoux completed her second Ironman after competing in Ironman Boulder earlier this month, where she secured one of two spots in her age group at the Kona Ironman World Championship.
“Kona is to Ironman in the same way that Boston is to the marathon. It’s the iconic race of our sport because it is where the Ironman was conceived,” Marcoux said, “I could barely fill out my name on the form because my whole body was shaking, and there were a lot of tears from both me and my support crew.”
The Ironman originated in Kona in 1978 as a debate between swimmers, bikers, and runners to see who was the toughest. They combined the courses of the Waikiki Rough Water Swim, the Around-Oahu Bike Race, and the Honolulu Marathon and whoever finished first would be called “The Ironman.”
As Marcoux prepares for Kona, she explains that although lacrosse has little physical similarities to triathlon, being a member of the UConn women’s lacrosse team taught her to be disciplined in pursuit of her goals and how to remain physically and mentally consistent through the ups and downs of training.
The Laurel, Md. native said she thought the biggest difference between lacrosse and triathlon would be going from a team sport to an individual one, but she quickly realized that triathlon, especially Ironman, is impossible to do alone.
She praises her husband, Ryan, her mother in-law, her brother and sister, her mother and aunt as well as many friends, including fellow UConn lacrosse alum, Molly O’Brien for supporting her throughout her Ironman training.
“No matter what you go through during the race, running down the finisher shoot and hearing “You are an Ironman!” as you cross the finish line is the best feeling in the world.”
The Kona Ironman World Championship will take place on Oct. 8, 2016.
