Posted: September 15, 2005

Triathlon: Couples That Run and Play Together, Stay Together

By Dan Stone

You’ve heard of the common phrase ‘loves knows no distance’. Well, in the case of Matt White & his fiancée Lea Ann Whittrock, love knew an exact distance: swimming one mile, biking 22 and running 6.2. On Sunday, September 11, White & Whittrock said ‘I do’ immediately after crossing the finishing line of the 20th anniversary Reston Virginia Triathlon.

White, who is CEO of White & Partners, a Herndon, Virginia-based advertising agency, beat Whittrock by two minutes, Whittrock placed and finished third in her age group. White says they are pretty equal when it comes to who places first.

“We love doing these races together,” he says. “We have done over a dozen in the last two years and getting married at the end of this triathlon just seemed like a natural fit.”

Though they had 100 of their closest friends and family in attendance, their guests weren’t the only ones excited about their nuptials. The Reston Triathlon organizers put White & Whittrock’s wedding announcement in the registration bag and added wedding cake as part of the post-race food.

What’s next for the couple? White says they will honeymoon at Tides Water Inn in Virginia and then continue to train for the Richmond, Virginia triathlon in October. Afterall, if theirs is a love that knows no distance, neither should their appetite for triathlons.