The New Definition of Endurance
Jellyfish and a bee sting couldn’t stop Peloton CMO Megan Imbres (’04) from finishing third in her age group at an Ironman 70.3. In her words, she shares how she navigates endurance racing, executive leadership and family life.
With marketing roles at Apple, Netflix, Amazon and now as chief marketing officer of Peloton, Megan Imbres (’04, international business) is focused on telling powerful stories through her work. At Peloton, she’s found a home where her competitive spirit is aligned with the brand.
According to Imbres, that alignment is illustrated by Peloton’s “rock-solid” race support at her recent Ironman events. At the 2025 Ironman World Championship in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, she completed a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride and 26.2-mile marathon. In June, she took on the Ironman 70.3 Eagleman in Cambridge, Maryland, which covers half the distance, and finished third in her age group. This qualified her for the Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Nice, France, in September.
In her own words, Imbres describes challenging moments—think sea creatures and insects—during the Maryland competition and how commitment and resilience in her professional life translate to her competitive life.
THE IRONMAN 70.3 EAGLEMAN RACE IN MARYLAND WAS A MASTER CLASS IN TWO THINGS: RUTHLESS PRIORITIZATION AND MANAGING ABSOLUTE CHAOS.
Case in point: During the swim, I was stung by jellyfish. They were tiny jellyfish—nothing like the jellies in California—and I literally swam through a tangle of them. I was wearing a spring suit, and one stung me on my arm pretty badly the day before the race. I had to neutralize the venom with a soak in vinegar and take an antihistamine. On race day, I could feel more stings throughout the race. Some were worse than others, but I powered through—none were as bad as the day before. I heard that one woman actually swallowed a jellyfish during the race. She had to get airlifted to a hospital.
Then, during the 13.1-mile run, a bee flew directly into my mouth and stung me. I’ve been stung before while riding a bike, but a sting in my mouth was new. I was worried that I might swell up, but I only swelled a little. This race was a comedy of errors: It sounds like some Judd Apatow movie.
Stings aside, the biggest lesson from this race wasn’t about perfect execution. It was about choosing where to focus when everything is coming at you at once.
It was 80 degrees and 80% humidity—similar to Kona. There was a lot working against me, but for everyone else as well. When I trained for that Maryland heat, I turned the heat up to 81 degrees in my Los Angeles home and wore a sweatshirt during my Peloton classes for about 10 days straight. It was brutal.
We often hear about the mythical “perfect balance”—the idea that you can flawlessly crush a demanding executive career, be fully present as a parent, maintain a social life and train at an elite level. The biggest way I balance everything is by setting expectations across the board. It has served me well. My kids, who are ages 11 and 13, and I have conversations about how, for a month, I will be in a heavy training period, and that means I might have to order Shake Shack or use DoorDash more often than usual. And they actually don’t mind it.
As for work, I’ve been developing a new Peloton campaign with long days on set at video shoot locations around LA, planning Peloton events and traveling to New York headquarters—all while training and participating in races. It’s been a really rewarding and exciting journey.
In business, I think it’s extremely important to find laser focus. Similar to endurance sports, you have to stay focused with time and effort in order to reach the finish line.