Ironmanlife: Remembering Marc Surprenant

Kevin Mackinnon remembers a triathlon legend and has a follow up to last week's column on Luis Alvarez

The first time I met Marc Surprenant was at the Wilkes-Barre Triathlon in 1986. A week later I was going to be doing my first Ironman, the Bud Light Endurance in Cape Cod and, since he lived in Massachusetts, I asked he and his father Michael if they had any suggestions of where I might stay. Both couldn't have been nicer - they went out of their way to help me out.

A week later I spent much of the day chasing Surprenant over the Ironman distance. Friends and family were allowed to provide support to the athletes, so his dad drove along in their van, basically acting as a non-stop aid station. Marc was on his way to Hawaii six weeks after the Cape Cod event so, in essence, it was a long, truly catered, training day. (He boasted later that he actually gained weight during the day.) While they weren’t exactly forthcoming with aid along the course, Michael made sure to provide lots of encouragement to me throughout the day. Scott Molina would win the race, with Marc holding me off in the marathon to take second.

Later that year Marc would end up eighth in Kona. He was one of a group of us from the east who would regularly see each other at the races – Ken Glah, Mac Martin, Steve Fitch, Patrick Bateman were some of the others I remember from those good ol’ days – and who tried to make a go at the sport without making the big move to California, which was where much of the action in the sport was taking place during the second half of the 80s. In many ways, Marc embodied much of the California style – before becoming a triathlete he played water polo and swam at USC. It was no wonder that he would at one point be featured on the cover of Triathlete Magazine. Ken Glah might have had more enduring fame as one of the top pros from the east coast during that era, but Marc was every bit as big a player for many years.

I learned yesterday that Marc passed away earlier this week at 49. It was a sobering reminder of how fleeting life can be – even though he was only two years older than I was, he served as a short-term mentor as I was making my way into the sport. I’d like to think that along the way I helped a few athletes out the way he and his father did for me all those years ago.

Here’s the obituary that appeared on southcoasttoday.com

Marc M. Surprenant, of Osterville, passed away at the age of 49 on Tuesday, May 25, 2010.

He was born in New Bedford to Michael Surprenant and Cecile LaPointe in 1961. Marc spent most of his school years in Southern California where he was a star swimmer and water polo player, earning a scholarship to USC. As a young man, he returned to the East Coast where he helped popularize the triathlon movement in New England. He went on to compete in several world class-triathlons including the Hawaiian Ironman where he placed 8th in 1986. Additionally he finished 2nd place in the Ironman, New Zealand. At the height of his sports career he was featured on Channel 5's Chronicle and appeared on the cover of Tri-Athlete magazine.

A true renaissance man, Marc was also a talented artist whose paintings and murals have graced the walls of many establishments throughout the Cape and beyond. He will be remembered for his joie de vivre and his passionate love of music, art, family and the finer things in life.

Marc touched many lives and many hearts. He will be deeply missed by all who were fortunate enough to know him.
Marc is preceded in death by his father, Michael P. Surprenant. He is survived by his mother, Cecile LaPointe of Manzanita, OR; sisters, Keri Dempster of Rancho Cucamonga, CA and Nicole Wilson of Dover, NH; four nieces and a nephew; as well as numerous aunts and uncles.

Visiting hours will be in the John-Lawrence Funeral Home, 3778 Falmouth Rd., (Rte. 28), Marstons Mills, MA on Thursday, June 3, 2010, from 4-7PM. Services and burial will be at a later date.

A follow up from Luis Alvarez
It turns out I had a few of my facts wrong in my column last week on Luis Alvarez. Here’s an e-mail that Luis sent to clear those up. I apologize for the inaccuracies.

Dear Kevin:
I read your article few moments before IM Brazil start … Thank you so much because due to the article, I received many nice and encouraging e-mails.

By the way, two clarifications:
1) These, IM South Africa, and IM St. George are my 63 and 64 venues. Brasil is number 65, from which 24 events have been Inaugural.
2) Re. the Guinness record, I sent an application few years ago, sent all documentation, but their answer after waiting a long year, was that they could not recognize this record, as IT WILL NOT BE FEASIBLE TO BREAK (I believe they understood that there were no more Ironmans to count).

I am regathering all the information and documentation to demonstrate that I have broke this record several times. I always say that I have the WORLD RECORD.

Thank you again, and see you soon around the world.

You can reach Kevin Mackinnon at kevin@ironman.com

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