Tony Otero     Tony Otero learned about pushing his body to its limit when he joined the Marines at age 17. The physical intensity he became accustomed to in sniper school planted the seed for competing in endurance events later in life.   Immediately after leaving the Marines, Tony spent some time as a competitive fighter. He won a couple of championships, including the U.S. Shidokan and the Sabaki Challenge. However, shortly after a knee injury took him out of competitive fighting, he worked with one of his former conditioning coaches to train for a triathlon. Since then, Tony has completed three Ironmans, 15 half Ironmans and countless sprint and Olympic distance events. His favorite distance is the Half Ironman or 70.3 races. “It's the perfect distance,” he said.   Tony’s athleticism is best showcased in multi-sport events. “If you single any of the events [of the triathlon] out, I’m pretty average,” he said. As a coach, he believes that kind of confidence comes from mastery of shorter workouts.   “The importance of having a coach is to develop confidence through a carefully structured plan,” he said. “By building confidence in specific workouts,” athletes can create a strong foundation for success in the full event.   One of Tony’s most rewarding moments as a coach came through the process of helping Cheryl, his coaching partner, attain her goal of competing in Kona. “Having an athlete come to me with an extreme goal and to work with her and see that happen,” he said, is the ultimate payback for the long hours invested in training.   Tony pushes his trainees hard—having managed a 70-hour-a-week work schedule while training for an Ironman himself, he expects a lot of his clients—but he also lives by the principle that “No matter how hard things get, in training as in life, it’ll get better.”