PORT ST. LUCIE PEOPLE
The Triathlete
Triathlete Michelle Tovar crossed the continental
U.S. on the saddle of a bicycle; twice
swam, rode and ran a combined 140.6 miles
in an Ironman triathlon; and trained others to
do the same, all while raising a family right here
in Port St. Lucie.
Tovar has been active ever since she received her
first tennis racquet and lessons at age 11. She played
all the way through high school on the Florida Junior
Circuit, ran track and cross-country and competed on
the swim team.
She played rugby at Florida Atlantic Univerity and
swam for two years at Indian River Community
College, which is where she met her husband, Andres.
The pool deck became a special place for them, not
only because it was where they met but because it
was also where they exchanged their wedding vows.
But it was after college that her love affair with
endurance sports developed.
When she graduated, her first job was at Motorola
in the fitness facility. She joined a cycling group and
agreed to participate in a triathlon with some of her
co-workers and her husband, and after that it was
only endurance sports for Tovar. “We were hooked,”
she said.
She and Andres often compete together and even
30 PortStLucieMagazine.com
Alisha McDarris
Michelle Tovar of Port St. Lucie has competed twice in the Florida Ironman triathlon and participated in Ride Across America, but is taking a break from
her intense training to focus on her family and help others become the athletes they’ve always wanted to be.
>>
BY Alisha McDarris
/PortStLucieMagazine.com