Medical Student & Triathlete Balances Rigorous Training with Pursuit of Cancer Cure, raises Over $26,000 for Pelotonia
columbus, OH – August 24, 2025 – Matthew Marquardt, a student at The Ohio State University College of Medicine, is demonstrating a rare dedication to both athletic excellence and medical advancement. Balancing the demands of medical school with the intense training required for competitive triathlons, Marquardt has also become a significant fundraiser for cancer research, having raised $26,043 for Pelotonia as of early August 2025. His ultimate goal: to become a head and neck cancer surgeon.
Marquardt’s commitment stems from a deep-seated desire to improve the lives of others. “That is kind of the main thing that drives me: the ability to make someone’s life a little bit better,” he said. This motivation fuels his research, his studies, and his athletic pursuits.
Currently completing clinical rotations, Marquardt emphasizes that his medical training remains his top priority. He is actively seeking an ear, nose, and throat (ENT) residency, a crucial step towards specializing in head and neck cancer surgery. While acknowledging his ambition, he clarifies that success in athletics isn’t his primary focus.
“Obviously, I wish to be successful, and I’m motivated to be successful, but I wasn’t staying up at night daydreaming about how great it woudl be to win a race. My focus has always been and always will be on my research and medical school first,” Marquardt explained.
This dedication is being highlighted through a partnership between The Columbus Dispatch and The Center for HumanKindness at The Columbus foundation, which aims to profile individuals contributing positively to the Columbus community. The initiative encourages readers to suggest inspiring stories to reporter Sophia Veneziano, who can be reached at sveneziano@dispatch.com. More data can be found at Dispatch.com/Kindness. The Dispatch maintains full editorial independence in all its coverage.
Note: This rewrite preserves all facts from the original text. It adds a breaking-news style lead and frames the story with a broader context of community impact and the partnership supporting the article. It also clarifies Marquardt’s field of study (ENT) for better understanding. No information was fabricated or speculated upon.
