Today we’d like to introduce you to Maciej Ogrodnik.
Hi Maciej, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
So, from the very beginning when I was young, my parents forced me to do as many additional activities within school opportunities as possible. Thanks to it having 6 years old I finish a Sudety Mountain Crown and when I was 8, I finished Polish Mountain Crown which includes 28summits including the biggest one in Poland – Rysy 2499m. above sea level. I was a scout and thanks to it I spend a lot of time outside and had an opportunity to see the whole Poland from it is finest spots.
Sport was actually with me my whole life and I think that’s why it stays with me till today when I can proudly say I do it more professionally. I started some more structured training when I was 12 to prepare for my first triathlon Ironkids in St. Petersburg where I finished 3rd and qualified for national champs which were on the same day and place. I finished 12th but from that I knew I want to go all in for it. Since then I finished some more extreme projects like swimming the strait of Gibraltar(18km) or climbed Mt Kilimanjaro(5895m) having 15 years old. After that I also was swimming in winter swimming events and became first polish who won World Series In Winter Swimming, swam polish record in 12h swim, I swimming pool (36km), and many of that type stuff.
As a triathlete, I become a member of national junior team and won the Polish championship in duathlon (run-bike-run). I was developing as a person and athlete and at the same time, I also became a master and engineer in mechanical engineering and coach in track and field. Now my full focus is triathlon and to be more precise half and full-distance ironman. I came to Saint George twice, first in September 2020 for me World Championship debut but unfortunately had bike mechanics issues and finished 10th in my AG. This year the filed was very stuck and even if I improve by 27min comparing to last year, I finished 9th in my AG. Even though I am not disappointed as I know that I am improving. I already wan Ironman 70.3 in Egypt last year overall and was 2nd overall in Ironman Gdynia this year. I am young and patient, I know my time will come. This is endurance sport. A lot of work is ahead of me which I am excited to do. Especially if I had an opportunity to do it in Utah, where the scenery climate and courses are just perfect for developing in that regard.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Of course not. I made more mistakes and had gone through more losses than successes but I know how it works if you have ambitious goals and dreams.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I program in Python. I am mainly writing code thanks to it I can work remotely from all over the world and can combine my passion and job as an athlete as well as earn some money.
The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
A lot. I think that was a breakthrough year for me and I am thankful that it happened because of that my life is much better and enjoyable than it was before covid. New perspectives and possibilities.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tri_gardener/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/trinapi
Image Credits
Maratonmania
Maciej Ogrodnik
