Ben Munguia

Ben Munguia, 26, lives in Austin, Texas, with his wife and dog. He swims with the Longhorn Masters. Munguia started swimming in 2009. After 25 yards of freestyle, he claims he was often “absolutely dead.” The process of learning to swim has been both fun and painful. As a child, he was only able to dog paddle and swim breaststroke across a pool.

As a triathlete, Munguia swims mostly for training purposes as opposed to fun or fitness, but he enjoys his time in the water. His coaches have provided him with great feedback and he is inspired by his lanemates but much to their displeasure, he has yet to compete in a meet. They’ve helped with flip turns and are trying to convince him to try dive starts. For him, swimming is a great way to relax and gather his thoughts.

He enjoys Go the Distance because he can see how he compares to others across the country. He also wants the prizes. Since he’s a rookie, he has no advice to offer, but will gladly accept some.

Munguia swims six or seven times a week; about 4000–5500 yards per practice. He enjoys workouts that flow so he is able to get into a rhythm. He has done some open water swimming, and wants to do more this year. His goal this year is to improve in the swim portion of the triathlon.

When he isn’t at his job in government relations, Munguia enjoys training for and competing in triathlons. He does a lot of running and biking in preparation for such. He and his wife enjoy checking out new restaurants, and he likes to spend time with his dog at the dog park.