If Lara Trump, President Donald Trump’s daughter-in-law, isn’t the toughest member of America’s first family there’s little doubt she is certainly the fittest.
The 35-year-old wife of Eric Trump and mother of newborn son Luke finished the grueling Las Olas Triathlon in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in 2 hours and 8 minutes in often brutal conditions.
The Trump clan’s Iron Lady came in 5th in her category, women between 35 and 39, and 196th overall after a 0.31-mile swim in the rough Atlantic Ocean, 21-mile bike race in the street of the South Florida city and 6.2-mile run along the beach.
Unrecognized among the 1,200 participants, Lara was trailed by a Secret Service agent who walked the beach as she swam, another who biked behind her and yet another who ran alongside of her.
Lara Trump, 35, finished the Las Olas Triathalon in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Sunday morning with her family watching
She finished fifth in her division for the Las Olas Triathlon. Her division is women between the ages of 35 and 39
Lara’s husband, Eric Trump, and their son, Luke, cheered her from the sidelines. They arrived 55 minutes after the race started
The triathlon included a 21-mile bike race. Lara is pictured in the black and pink cycling suit, running shoes and highlighter-yellow bicycle helmet
The former Inside Edition producer looked less winded than the men who shadowed her in spurts when she passed the finish line, 136 minutes after the mass start.
There’s a good reason for that, she tells DailyMail.com in an exclusive interview, even if early winds then the heat wreaked havoc on some participants.
‘Exercise helps me maintain my sanity,’ says Lara, ‘and it’s a little more important now than ever. It’s a great stress reliever.
‘It’s an incredible feeling to finish one of these races. And I just love training for it.’
The most brutal part of the Sunday dawn competition, Lara said, was the swim. The 74.3-degree seas were so rough and infested with jelly fish that the water leg of the triathlon was shortened to one third of the regulation 0.9 mile.
‘It was either shortening the swim or not having a swim at all,’ said one of the organizers.
After the race, Lara posed with her son and posted the picture on her Instagram account
Supportive family: Eric was in charge of Luke on Sunday morning while Lara raced. He wore blue Nike running shoes, blue shorts and a gray jacket
Lara greeted her family after she finished the race. She completed the triathlon in two hours and sixteen minutes
Lara cooled down from her two-hour race by visiting with the family. She had Secret Service agents trailing her during the entirety of the race
Pictured is Lara retrieving her bike after she completed the triathlon in Fort Lauderdale, Florida
The athletes hit the six-foot waves at 7:24 a.m. and headed south against the currents alongside the giant freighters moored nearby.
The surf actually made dozens of participants seasick, but Lara looked fresh as a songbird when she emerged from the beach and rushed to her bike for the second leg of the race.
‘I feel great,’ she said as she took off her wetsuit and adjusted her neon-colored helmet. ‘It was a little rough in the water, but it feels good.’
Jelly fish?
‘I wouldn’t know, I don’t feel a thing,’ said Lara, who worked as an online producer and fundraiser during her father-in-law’s presidential campaign.
The demanding race included a 21-mile bike ride after the swimming portion of the race
The 35-year-old said in an exclusive interview with Dailymail.com that exercising helped keep her sane. She was pregnant with her son during the same triathlon last year
The mother-of-one started the race in the Atlantic Ocean for a 0.31-mile swim along the coast
She then had to quickly take off her swim suit to get ready for cycling portion of the race
Wearing No. 110, Lara hopped on her custom-made Guru bicycle – which costs $2,000 to $10,000 depending on the model – and vanished into the streets that once welcomed the biggest college spring break parties in the world.
During her 55-minute ride, husband Eric Trump arrived with their first-born son, six-month-old Luke, in a carriage.
‘This is her thing,’ Eric told DailyMail.com about Lara’s love for triathlons. ‘She loves marathons and triathlons. She’s done the New York City marathon a bunch of times and she does a couple of triathlons a year. It’s like a way of life for her. It’s her passion.’
So much so, Donald Jr. and Ivanka’s brother pointed out, his wife was in her first trimester of pregnancy with Luke when she ran the same event last year.
‘You actually ran a triathlon already,’ Eric told his son while leaning into the carriage. ‘You ran with your mommy.’
A chubby baby who looks like grandfather Donald, the little one squinted as the sun started to shine brighter.
Eric said he supports his wife of four years by showing up at the finish line but has never trained with her.
‘I’m into skiing and golf,’ said the 34-year-old, who wore shorts and polo shirt to blend into the crowd.
Daddy duty: Eric Trump arrived to the race after the first 55 minutes with their six-month-old son Luke. While he supports his wife’s exercise habits, he said he more into golf and skiing
Eric joked that Luke has already run a triathlon because Lara was pregnant with him during her race last year
He said the family is staying a Mar-a-Lago and Lara got up at 4:30 a.m. to get to the race on time. He came after breakfast.
Lara ran across the finish lines moments later in her multicolored onesie, ending her third Las Olas Triathlon in a row.
‘I love this event because I love swimming in the ocean in Florida,’ she said, pointing her that the swim leg of the event is her worst while running and biking are her best. ‘It feels like I’m at Mar-a-Lago (the president’s private club and de facto Winter White House, one hour north).’
She was asked if, like last year, she competed pregnant again Sunday. She smiled and said she isn’t with child – even if social media pundits blasted her last year for participating to the event while expecting the baby.
‘Oh well, those people should see my son now. He’s perfectly healthy and big.
‘It was awesome to see Eric here with my parents here,’ Lara added. ‘The families of triathletes know how hard we train. It means a lot to me to see them.’
In 2016, Lara finished 196 overall in 2 hours and 28 minutes.
Last year, she finished 322 overall in a time of 2 hours and 50 minutes.