Axios Columbus
October 09, 2026
1 big thing: 🏊 OSU's Ironman hopeful
An Ohio native hopes to win one of the world's most grueling sporting events this weekend — before returning to Columbus to finish becoming a doctor.
Why it matters: Matthew Marquardt is seeking to become the first American man since 2002 to win the Ironman World Championship, being held Saturday in Kona, Hawai'i.
The intrigue: The 28-year-old isn't just a professional Ironman athlete.
- The Cincinnati native is also a Princeton graduate, third-year medical student and cancer researcher at Ohio State who's planning his post-doctoral residency.
- He rides with the initials of cancer patients he knows written on his bike.
What they're saying: It's a lot to juggle at once, but the very focused Marquardt finds balance in having two passions that "can be kind of all-consuming."
- "The combination of the two has actually been incredibly beneficial to me," he tells Axios.
- "It's given me greater purpose in what I do with triathlon, where my goal is to be the best athlete possible, but also to inspire others."
How it works: An Ironman race is a version of a triathlon — an outrageous version.
- An official Olympic triathlon is a 32-mile race consisting of a .93-mile swim, a 24.8-mile bike ride and a 6.2-mile run.
- A full-distance Ironman triathlon is a 140.6-mile race with a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride and a full 26.2-mile marathon.
Yes, really: Ironman athletes do all of these back-to-back-to-back in one day.
- The very best professionals finish in around 8 hours.
- Last year, even the winner of the men's 75-79 age group finished in 13 hours and 35 minutes.
Flashback: Marquardt's path to Ironman was a winding one.
- He was a state champion swimmer at Cincinnati's Seven Hills High School before qualifying for Olympic trials and swimming at Princeton.
- When his senior season was canceled because of COVID, "for the first time in my life, winter break was free and I could do pretty much whatever I wanted."
On a whim, he filled that time with a cross-country bike ride from San Diego to Jacksonville in 20 days, averaging over 100 miles daily and raising money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
- Afterward, he signed up for his first Ironman with the intention of doing just one to stay in shape.
Six years later, Marquardt has become a legitimate contender.
- He's made several podiums and won three races in the last 18 months.
- Triathlete Magazine counts him among the dark horses at the World Championship.
The last word: "Everyone always underestimates me because of the fact that I'm also a med student," he says.
- "I'm perfectly comfortable not being one of the 'favorites.'"
2. Local blogger on trial over explicit Shrek image
Ohio political blogger D.J. Byrnes remains on trial today for texting a state senator an explicit image of the cartoon character Shrek.
Why it matters: The case has attracted national attention from free speech advocates who argue that even vulgar criticism of elected officials is protected by the First Amendment.
Catch up quick: Byrnes is the Columbus-based provocateur and publisher of "The Rooster," a Substack newsletter known for its trenchant and often irreverent coverage of Ohio politics.
- He has pleaded not guilty to a misdemeanor charge of telecommunications harassment and rejected multiple plea deals.
Flashback: The case stems from a May 6 text exchange between Byrnes and state Sen. Jerry Cirino (R-Kirtland) — "Young Mussolini," in Rooster patois.
- Prosecutors say Byrnes sent a nude image of Shrek and taunted Cirino over his failed bid for the Ohio Senate presidency.
- Cirino contacted Kirtland's police chief two days later requesting charges. Byrnes was arrested June 1 at the Ohio Statehouse and spent 23 hours in a Columbus jail.
⚖️ Inside the room: After two-and-a-half hours of jury selection yesterday at Willoughby Municipal Court, the prosecution — represented by Kirtland law director Matthew Lallo — called two witnesses: Cirino and Kirtland detective Jake Scott, who filed the police report.
- Cirino called the Shrek image "offensive" and "pornographic," and characterized it as "the last straw" after an accumulation of criticism and vitriol he'd received while in office.
The other side: Byrnes' attorneys sought to illustrate the image's political context.
- Byrnes' attorneys said that while the Rooster uses humor, satire and even mockery in its personality-driven brand of journalism, his texts were nevertheless political speech directed at a politician, not criminal harassment.
3. 🌰 Nutshells: Your local news roundup
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