The Athlete

The Athlete behind My Endurance Life

Hi, my name is Momo. (🇩🇪 🇺🇸 🇧🇬)

Besides being an endurance coach, I am also a passionate athlete myself. My endurance journey started back in 2012 with a sprint distance triathlon. Over the years I have completed multiple half and full-distance triathlons, a dozen Obstacle Course Races (OCR), and a couple of self-organized challenges.

I deeply believe that we humans are capable of so much more. And the physical aspect is my field of choice to explore.

Athletic Accomplishments

  • 1X Kona Finisher 2022
  • 6X Ironman Finisher, PB 9:43
  • 3x Ironman 70.3 Finisher
  • 8x Tough Mudder Finisher
  • 2x Iron Viking
  • 3x Marathon, PB 2:54
  • 3x Ultramarathon

Fun facts

  • In my bucket list: Norseman Triathlon
  • Favorite race: Ironman Slovenia
  • Favorite color: green 💚
  • Guilty pleasure: carbo-loading even if not needed

Jul 2023 | 100km Trail race

Starting midnight on Sunday this is the largest 100km race in Bulgaria. This is my second time doing a 100km race – finish time 14:11h.

Duathlon in 2024 (100km bike + 100km run)?

AlmiraMan триатлон на средна дистанция

Mai 2023 | Almiraman Greece

Only my second solo half-distance triathlon – Almiraman. Last time it was 5:49h, this time with much better performance – 4:15h! 

🏊‍♀️ 0:30 | 🚲 2:17 | 🏃‍♂️ 1:24

Oct 2022 | Ironman Hawaii

This is it! I have successfully completed the Ironman World Championship! With weather like nothing I have dealt with before, a Sub 11 hours is something I am very proud of!

🏊‍♀️ 1:06 | 🚲 5:30 | 🏃‍♂️ 4:12

Sep 2022 | Ironman Italy

An Ironman Italy was my first full-distance event for 2022, and another Sub 10h performance! And I had my first puncture ever in a race. Total time 9:57:32.

🏊‍♀️ 0:59 | 🚲 5:16 | 🏃‍♂️ 3:29

Oct 2021 | 1800km Bike Trip

Being on my bucket list for quite some time I decided to tackle another challenge – take a 1800km+ bike trip from Stuttgart(🇩🇪) to Ruse(🇧🇬). 11 days of solo riding through rain, sun, and darkness.

Aug 2021 | Ironman Frankfurt

Finishing Ironman Frankfurt European Champion with a time of 9:42:06 I qualified for the World Championship in Kona, Hawaii. This was a dream in the making for the last 10 years.

🏊‍♀️ 1:00 | 🚲 5:08 | 🏃‍♂️ 3:24

Nov 2020 | First 100 miler

Another milestone is achieved by finishing 100 miles (160km) in a single go. Most races were postponed or canceled, so the next best thing is to do one self-organized. After 28h of going, I can proudly say that I have done a 100 miler!

Sep 2020 | Full distance triathlon

Most Ironman events in 2020 were canceled. So a self-organized full-distance triathlon took place. Supported by my crew I did the full distance in 11:17:25h in Essen(GER).

Apr 2020 | 2x 250 km for a cause

My brother and I decided to give back to the workers on the front line of the pandemic. Due to lock-down, we did a 12h stationary bike ride. Watch the full stream here. 🚲

Overall 1440€ was raised for charity.

Mar 2020 | 4 x 4 x 48 Run

The first lock-down in Germany and my brother and I decided it was a good time for a “mindset” test. Aspired by David Goggins we did a challenge where we run 4 miles(6,5km) every 4 hours for 48 hours.

Oct 2019 | 3rd marathon | PB 3:32

The third time doing a standalone marathon and a personal best – 03:32:07. 

Still had no idea about nutrition before and during a marathon.

Aug 2021 | Ironman Copenhagen

My second official full-distance Ironman in Copenhagen, Denmark. My preparation for this event was maybe 60-70 hours total of unstructured training. Race-day nutrition was 4 energy bars and a bottle of water. Overall time – 10:39:23

Oct 2018 | 100 km in 24h Franfurt

The first time I go for more than 42.2km in a single go. Starting at 4 PM, it was a looooong night and an even longer day after that. With a dozen of blisters the size of a coin each, it was a hell of an experience. 

Sep 2018 | Ironman Ironman 70.3 Relay

This is the first time I enter a triathlon relay. Together with my father in the water, my brother on the run, and me on the bike it was a family vacation to remember!

Sep 2018 | 8th Thoguh Mudder

Conquering the full distance at Tough Mudder for 8th time. Every time with different team members is a new and awesome experience. 

June 2018 | Iron Viking

How about running a marathon distance Obstacle Course Race(OCR)?

Iron Viking is considered to be one of the toughest marathons in the world. Did this for a second time together with my brother.

Sep 2017 | Trail Route Kom-Emine

Another tick on the bucket list – doing the long-distance trail route from the western point of the Balkan mountain (peak Kom) to the Black Sea (Cape Emine). Known as Kom-Emine it stretches for more than 650km and took my father, brother, and me 18 days to complete.

Aug 2017 | First time Ironman

The inaugural Ironman Hamburg was also my first time going for a full-distance triathlon. This was a 10-year dream in the making. Having my family by the sidelines to cheer me on was the best I could wish after finishing in 12:03.

Oct 2016 | First marathon

My first time officially going for the legendary 42.2km distance. Starting with no idea about nutrition, running form, training, or equipment. My mind was just focused on finishing the distance. Overall time was 4:27:50.

Aug 2016 | First Ironman 70.3

The first time going for half distance in a triathlon. Having my family around to cheer me on made a huge difference. Yet some lessons were learned – for example having a couple of beers on the night before the event is probably not the best tactic… 🙄

Finish time: 5:49:35

July 2016 | First Olympic distance

After 4x sprint distance it was time to ramp up the distance. My first Olympic distance event was in Tübingen, Germany. I just remember the gastric distress that I had the next day after swimming in the Neckar river… 

Sep 2012 | First triathlon

My first triathlon started more like a joke. Having no idea what I am getting myself into I said “Sure, sign me up!” after a friend told me about it! With a wrong-size bike, over-pacing in the pool, and running in basketball shorts were just part of the stories that I now remember with a smile. 😊