From Restaurant to Race Course, Rocco DiSpirito Does Triathlon

He preached healthy eating on The Biggest Loser, transformed from a chef flab to a chef fab most likely thanks to a healthier diet and activity outside the kitchen, but until earlier this year I never pegged Rocco DiSpirito as a triathlete. There's no good answer as to why--chefs who run are featured in Runner's World all the time and a handful just completed the New York City Marathon--but it just happened. Forget the reality failure that was The Restaurant, DiSpirito has easily been putting energy into his next triathlon venture as proven by his updates to Twitter and requests for training suggestions. And this weekend the training comes to a close when he arrives at the start line at the fourth annual Foster Grant Ironman World Championships 70.3 in Clearwater, Fla.

On November 14, DiSpirito joins more than 1,500 athletes who qualified at 70.3 races spanning the globe by finishing near the top of their age groups. They'll all swim 1.2 miles, bike 56 miles and run 13.1 miles in less than seven and a half hours.

"I am thrilled to have this opportunity to compete in the Ironman World Championship 70.3 event," DiSpirito said in a press release. "I look forward to participating amongst some of the world's most talented athletes."

This isn't DiSpirito's first foray at the 70.3 distance, nor in triathlon as a whole. He last competed the 2007 St. Croix Ironman 70.3 as well as the 2007 Nautica Malibu Triathlon (J-Lo and Teri Hatcher have competed in this one in the past).

The accomplished chef and author not only stands out in the kitchen, but also as an athlete. DiSpirito's triathlon experience consists of participating in a variety of events including the 2007 St Croix Ironman 70.3 and the 2007 Nautica Malibu Triathlon, presented by Toyota. How he does it while managing his schedule as a chef is beyond me. One thing is for sure: those post-workout snacks are some tasty feasts.

Track DiSpirito's race progress as well as the other competitors at ironman.com. Posted by Kate