23-Year-Old Brookline Athlete Heading To Ironman Triathlons

BROOKLINE, MA — A 23-year-old Brookline resident is heading to two Ironman 70.3 Triathlons this fall in Atlantic City, New Jersey and Laconia, New Hampshire.

Aaronn Gu, who was named top male athlete in the Olympic Distance race at the 14th annual Boston Triathlon in August, has consistently podiumed at local triathlon races since last year, including the Hyannis Triathlon and Patriot Half.

Gu, who grew up in China and went to college and graduate school at Boston University, has been running since elementary school and got into swimming and cycling when he came across BU’s triathlon team at an activity fair.

“I thought, 'oh this is fun, I haven’t ran competitively for a long time and might as well get back into it.' Swimming and cycling are easily accessible for me and I just wanted to be better at aerobics and get back into the thrill of competing again. Over the course of my 6 years at BU, I made progress and was able to get better placement each year.”

During his time at BU, Gu was the triathlon team president for two years, overseeing recruiting and fundraising activities.

“On one hand, it gave me leadership skills, but also being young people come on the team and get better motivated even more,” he said.

A Mass General physical therapist, Gu said he won’t give up his career for triathlons, but does want to pursue the sport at a competitive, elite level and obtain his professional license.

“That license would allow me to line up with the best in the world,” Gu said. I'm sure it will be a humbling experience for me as well, because those guys do it for a living. It’s a very rewarding thought.”

Gu said he is grateful for his supportive family and is proud to be one of the only Chinese people competing in triathlons.

“We don't see a lot of asian people or Chinese people racing and I feel pretty proud to represent my ethnicity,” he said.

To learn more about Ironman Triathlons, click here. More information on BU’s triathlon team can be found here.