Antony Mascovich remembers the uncomfortable moments all too well from years of carrying more than 370 pounds on his 6-foot-2 frame: The times he was unable to conceal himself in games of hide and seek with his nieces; his difficulty simply keeping pace with his two pet pooches at the dog park; his request for a seatbelt extender each time he flew.
“Whenever I walked down the aisle to find my seat, you could sense what people were thinking — ‘I hope that guy doesn’t sit next to me,’” said Mascovich, 41, on a recent morning by the Vinoy Park waterfront.
After losing weight only to gain it back several times, Mascovich, who played football and wrestled in high school at 215 pounds, decided to take a new step in his weight-loss journey. It led him first to BayCare’s St. Anthony’s Hospital in 2022 for gastric sleeve surgery and now, to his second straight year competing in the St. Anthony’s Triathlon. The 43rd year of the multi-sport event is April 24–26.
When I did the race the first time in 2025, I thought about trying the Meek and Mighty event. But I really wanted to challenge myself, so I signed up for the Sprint,” Mascovich said. “I didn’t care about my time — I just wanted to finish. And it was such an amazing feeling when I did. I’m approaching this year the same way, but now I’m doing the Olympic event.”
In 2017, Mascovich transferred to the Tampa Bay area with a national aerospace company working in operations and supply chain and initially shed his extra weight. But he ballooned back up to 373 pounds during the COVID shutdown. The turning point came four years ago when he became determined to make a change. “I just didn’t want to live like I had been, always worrying about my weight,” he said.
He researched surgery options and chose St. Anthony’s Hospital, with the procedure performed by Kevin Huguet, MD, a bariatric surgeon and co-medical director of the St. Anthony’s Hospital Heartburn and Swallowing Center. Mascovich had to take various tests over several months to demonstrate he was a good candidate who wouldn’t simply fall back on past habits. He met all the criteria, underwent surgery and was discharged home the next day.
“Gradually the weight began to come off,” he said. “I remember I was at a clothing store and feeling frustrated that what they had didn’t fit me right. And then the salesperson said, ‘Oh, you need the slim fit.’ I had never really thought of myself as a slim person, so that was a pretty cool moment.”
