Rudy Von Berg has been chasing his father’s legacy for much of his life, and this weekend, the Von Berg family will look to make its mark on the world triathlon stage.
Rodolphe Von Berg Sr., 60, and 23-year-old Rodolphe Von Berg Jr. – the two Rudys – will contend for top spots in their respective divisions Sunday morning at the Ironman 70.3 World Championships in Chattanooga. Von Berg Jr. is a heralded professional triathlete with Maverick Multisport Team, and his father is the defending world champion in the 60-64 age group at Ironman 70.3 and Ironman.
Growing up as an active athlete in Belgium – he once passed up a chance to compete in the Winter Olympics to train as a paratrooper in the Belgian armed forces – Von Berg Sr. discovered triathlons while in college. After taking time off to start a career and family, the elder Von Berg returned to the sport at the age of 40 and quickly began competing in Ironman races and earning age-group championships.
He holds eight world triathlon titles at various distances, and he is one of only two age-group competitors to have won world titles in three different categories.
“Early on, we had trips to Kona (Hawaii) for the Ironman worlds when I was 5 years old, 9 and 13,” Rudy Jr. said in a recent phone interview from his home in Colorado. “I think that kind of shaped my passion for the sport. And when I was pretty young, I started swimming, biking and running, and I’ve been doing it ever since.”