ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — One of the largest Olympic distance triathlons returned to St. Petersburg this weekend.

The St. Anthony’s Triathlon celebrated its 43rd anniversary downtown.

What You Need To Know

The St. Anthony’s Triathlon celebrated its 43rd anniversary in St. Petersburg

Antony Mascovich did the Olympic triathlon; last year he did the sprint triathlon

Mascovich weighed more than 370lbs, but after a bariatric surgery, and a change in diet, he now weighs 210lbs

Mascovich said his new weight has unlocked new parts of life 

People from all over participated in the sporting event.

Antony Mascovich had seen the triathlon and thought it might be fun to complete one day. At the time, he wasn’t in shape; he weighed more than 370lbs.

“It felt like a lot of the world was closed off, (not) being able to fly on a plane normally without a belt extender, or chase my dogs or my nieces around, playing, things like that,” said Antony Mascovich, an athlete in the Olympic triathlon.

But that changed in April 2022, when Mascovich got bariatric surgery at BayCare St. Anthony’s Hospital. Post surgery, he said he had to re-learn how to eat and exercise. By 2025, he had worked himself up to the St. Anthony’s Sprint Triathlon.

He now weighs 210lbs and is doing the longer Olympic triathlon.

“This is kind of like a symbol of a lot of the world that was closed off to me is now kind of unlocked,” he said.

He took in his new athletic opportunity with nearly 3,000 other athletes. There were people of all skill levels from nearly every state and even other countries.

“This is a great community event. It helps represent our healthy initiatives that BayCare likes to promote. It is a wonderful event for beginners, people of all demographics,” said Patrick McGee, Triathlon Race Director with BayCare Health Systems.

Mascovich is not stopping now and has even bigger plans for next year.

“When I was a kid, my dad did triathlons and this year he’s had some heart issues. He had surgery a couple days ago in Arizona. We’re talking about maybe him doing it next year with me,” Mascovich said.

Not only has his appearance changed, but his life has been totally transformed.