Cynthia Steele PROGRAM MANAGER AND COACH

Cynthia did her first triathlon in 2013 when she turned 40 (after having three kids, so it’s never too late!), and was immediately hooked! She joined the DC Tri Club the next year to become a part of the community, learn more about the sport, and meet fun people who shared the same passion. Throughout her triathlon journey, she’s lost 50-60 pounds, completed one full IRONMAN so far (Lake Placid), 8 half iron distance races, many shorter races, and met an amazing community of triathletes in the process.

She took on the program management of the Off-Season Spin Program in 2020 after participating for two years in DC and MoCo OSP sessions, turning the program virtual when the pandemic hit to enable members to train “together” in our own pain caves.

Cynthia is an experienced running group leader and coach (RRCA certified), an Orangetheory Coach and fitness/cycling instructor at Life Time in Gaithersburg, Maryland. She also is certified in indoor cycling (Schwinn), AFAA/NASM Group Fitness Instructor, TRX, and more, merging her passion for leading group workouts with her love of fitness. She is also in progress with her USAT Level 1 Triathlon Coach Certification.

In her “day job”, Cynthia works in the performing arts, having managed orchestras for most of her career – so let her know if you have ever played an instrument! She is currently Vice President of Operations at the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.

She used to have a side hustle managing social media in the tri world for organizations such as the IRONMAN Foundation, USA Triathlon Foundation, RACE-MANIA Summit & Expo, and more, which was a ton of fun to experience races and events from the other side. She splits her time between Montgomery County with her three kids and living in Georgetown with her partner, and loves to travel the world for work and for fun.


Marc Neilson PROGRAM COACH

Marc is a certified Level 1 USA Cycling, USA Triathlon coach, plus has AFAA/NASM certification for indoor cycling and group fitness instruction. He began his cycling and triathlon journey at age 16 in the North Texas region, and later raced competitively as a member of The University of North Texas and American University cycling teams. Marc transitioned back into triathlon in his early thirties and never looked back. He is currently a member of Team USA and will compete at the Aquabike and Sprint Triathlon world championships in Spain and Germany this year. Marc also taught at Lifetime Fitness as an indoor cycling instructor for five years.

 

During his first two months with DC Tri, Marc achieved three podium finishes for the team and looks forward to working with the club’s amazing members. Professionally, Marc works in international relations and runs a corporate training consultancy. He currently lives in Montgomery County.

Raul Fainchtein PROGRAM COACH

Raul was a competitive swimmer in high school, active runner since 1979, active cyclist since 1984, and a triathlon participant since 2000. He has been a member of Team USA and qualified to participate in ITU World Championship Aquabike long course in Almere, Nederland in 2020 (cancelled) and 2021 and Ibiza Spain in 2023. A certified indoor cycling instructor since 2012, Raul has been consistently logging over 150-200 cycling miles/week between indoor and outdoor cycling. Professionally, Raul has a Ph.D. in physics working at Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory since 1987.