Some couples settle down after they get married. Margaret and Peter Denton sped up.
The Punta Gorda-based parents of a young son (and a second baby on the way) met while loading a shuttle bus to the start of the Boston Marathon in 2012. The duo has built their world around fitness. When they’re not logging laps in the pool, chewing up miles on their bikes or sprinting down trails, they’re coaching athletes, building a sports apparel company and encouraging others to stay active.
Margaret’s social media gives some insight into the couple’s life together. You will see adorable videos on her Instagram account, @irongirlexperiment, of the couple running behind their 5-year-old, Gabriel, after he finishes a 1-mile race and inspiring clips of the 38-year-old sweating through runs in Florida’s 90-plus temperatures, repeating her mantra, “The hard is the good.”
Being active has been part of the Dentons’ fabric since childhood. Peter, who recently turned 40, grew up on the water (when he was 10, his family sailed from Maryland to Seattle through the Panama Canal), and he excelled at track and cross country in high school. Margaret comes from a family of elite athletes—one sibling played professional baseball, another semi-pro soccer and a third was her college softball team captain. Besides a brief stint playing tennis (she says she wasn’t very good), the Californian didn’t take up sports until after college, when a roommate suggested she couldn’t run a marathon. It’d be too hard, her friend advised. But, Margaret thrives in the challenge zone. After four months of training, she finished the 26.2-mile Las Vegas Marathon, sparking a love of endurance sports. She longed for the feeling of pushing her body as she flew through the miles.
The Dentons still find plenty of common ground through their competitive spirit and love of living life full throttle. Early on, they lived on an 83-foot-tall ship docked in California, where they’d leap into the ocean for open-water swims. When they moved to Washington state, Margaret commuted to work on two wheels and fell in love with cycling. Eleven years later, she feels strongest on a bike. “It’s my floater skill,” she says, referring to the edge she gains on her bike during races as she speeds past competitors.
In 2017, Margaret set a new goal: race a full Ironman triathlon—a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride and 26.2-mile run. “I bite things off in really big chunks,” she says. She taught herself proper swimming form watching YouTube videos and mastered tri bikes, learning to click her shoes in and out of the pedals to improve her efficiency and crouch over drop bars to capitalize on aerodynamics. That year, Margaret competed in Ironman Canada-Whistler. Despite competing on a heavy, entry-level bike and combating about 7,500 feet of climbing on the notoriously hilly course, she finished a respectable 18th in her age group. “It was magic,” she says. “I got all the finish line feels and magic of an Ironman.”
Margaret also felt fitter than ever after training in the three disciplines. Her enthusiasm spread to Peter, and the two participated in Ironman Louisville in 2019. Right after the race, they learned she was pregnant with Gabriel. Early parenthood slowed them down some—but not much. Two years later, Margaret placed in the top 10 in her age group at the Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Utah. Sponsorships with Bumbleride strollers, Pit Viper sunglasses and New Wave Swim Buoys started rolling in.
The couple’s athletic discipline translates into daily life, allowing them to deftly juggle myriad responsibilities and the hits that come with life. In 2022, the family relocated to Punta Gorda after Peter landed a new job as a firefighter. Within the year, Hurricane Ian walloped the region, destroying their home. Remodeling and repairs consumed resources and threw a kink in their racing plans.
But they kept going. While Peter has been focusing on his firefighting career, Margaret returned to the sport full force this year. She’s already done a half marathon and Olympic-distance triathlon and has a half-Ironman in the books for December—as she enters her third trimester. She’s eyeing half- and full-Ironmans for next year.
They make it a point to move daily. Peter focuses on running, cycling and CrossFit training, and spearfishing keeps the water lover (who can hold his breath for a whopping 5 minutes and 45 seconds) in competitive swim shape. Margaret trains about 20 hours a week, running 5 to 6 of those hours—often while pushing Gabriel in a stroller, sometimes with Peter pacing her. Cycling takes place mostly indoors on her stationary trainer.
As parents with full-time jobs and a new company on the rise (this fall, they launch Bomboom, a line of price-accessible triathlon kits and other athletic wear), the Dentons squeeze in most of their training separately, but they still run and swim together. Running with her husband—whose marathon personal record is 2 hours and 37 minutes—has made Margaret faster. Traveling to races on weekends strengthens their bond, too. “Whenever you’re really into something, it can get weird, so it’s good to connect with someone on the same level,” Peter says with a laugh.
Margaret balances her training with running her marketing business and working with about 10 athletes—including her 73-year-old father-in-law—through her online coaching service. She’s also launching the nonprofit Bombloom to help reduce barriers to entry for girls and women getting into athletics by providing gear. “Triathlon is an incredible way to get fit fast and have community and do something that’s fulfilling and incredibly motivating,” she says. Margaret wants to help other women focus on themselves—whether it’s the 11-year-old girl she met at the pool who couldn’t afford swim classes or moms like her looking for a healthy outlet. “[The demands of] motherhood, getting hit by a hurricane—all of these things that come against you in life—how do you push past those and maintain motivation to do the thing that brings you balance and joy?” Margaret poses. “Well, you have to have the tools.”
It’s a busy life, and finding balance isn’t always easy. “I have to constantly check my priorities,” Margaret says. “I find if I don’t prioritize triathlon, two things happen—training doesn’t get done and I’m crankier.” But, the payoff is huge. “It’s like one big date,” she says. “We’re always hanging out with each other.”
