Jeanni Metzler

Nickname: Jeans

Home Base: Longmont, CO

Birthday: February 17

Jeanni Metzler is a multiple 70.3 champion whose best-result
to date is finishing runner-up in the 2021 Ironman 70.3 World
Championship against a world-class field in St. George.

Born and raised in South Africa, a cousin introduced Jeanni to
road cycling when she was 17 and she quickly fell in with the local triathlon group in Johannesburg and in love with swim, bike and run.

Progressing quickly, Jeanni gained an understanding of what it takes to be a successful amateur triathlete by winning her age-group first 70.3 race in Buffalo City, East London in 2011. The following year, aged 20, she made the decision to turn professional and with little but the support of her family to fall back on, travelled to the US to try and forge a successful triathlon career.

After a tough couple of years the breakthrough came in 2015 when she won Ironman 70.3 Austin thanks to a storming run that would soon become her trademark attribute. Defending that title the following year, 2017 saw four more 70.3 wins at Liuzhou, Monterrey, Boulder and Los Cabos, as well as a first top-10 in the 70.3 World Championship in Chattanooga.

Success in her adopted home of Boulder followed, along with emotional returns to South Africa where she repeated the age-
group victory from Buffalo City in the pro ranks and placed seventh in the 2018 70.3 World Championship at Port Elizabeth.

Jeanni successfully stepped up to the full distance in 2019 with third at Ironman Texas, and even a pandemic has not been able to stop the string of podiums that followed culminating in a brilliant day back at the 70.3 Worlds in 2021, where it took a career-best performance from Lucy Charles-Barclay to get the better of her.

Always crediting her family - and particularly her mum - for enabling her to follow her dream, Jeanni says: “I grew up looking up to her; she was a great runner and is a very strong woman. I now want to
get the very best out of myself, and I am in pursuit of my potential.”

Highlights

Left South Africa when I was 21 to pursue triathlon and made it my career

Married my husband Justin Metzler

12 x 70.3 Wins

2nd place at the 70.3 World Championship 2021

Q & A

Favorite way to cross-train: I enjoy hiking/ slower running in the beautiful mountains here in Colorado, its one of my happy places. I recently learnt how to skate ski, it’s also a good workout and you get to be outside in nature.
If you have an extra day every week, how would you spend it? I would spend it with my handsome husband, Justin and my dog Milli. We would probably go for a hike and defiantly go get a coffee at one of our favorite local coffee spots. I also love spending time with horses at the Believe Ranch & Rescue where I volunteer whenever I can.
Favorite workout: I love doing run workouts, something like 800m or 1km reps :)
Inspiration/mantra when things get tough: 'Whatever you‘re facing, there is always a way. And you have everything inside you to find and follow it' -Siri Lindley
Best book you’ve read recently: Bravey by Alexi Pappas

Why Speed Hound?

Recovery is very important to me. As a professional athlete I try to do everything possible to get ready for the next workout and be ready for the next race. I try to sit in the PRO recovery system every night before bed and use the PRO percussion gun every morning to activate my muscles before training.