Brazilian born - Italian by heart -  Marcello Duarte (a.k.a. Marshmallow) was raised in Rio de Janeiro and schooled in Venice, Italy. As a kid, he had way too much energy and always (really, ALWAYS) got into trouble. Marcello managed to sit still long enough to get through school and obtain a degree in Business Administration. After a few years he finally gave it all up and went sailing. - Well, he also took some time to get an ISSA (International Sports Sciences Assoc.) Personal Trainer Certification and a C.H.E.K. Institute Biomechanics Certification.

​

SAILLING

A sailor since childhood, Marcello turned professional and eventually found himself crewing on board some of the finest racing boats in the world and in races. Here are some of the most relevant ones -

1989- 1992 America's Cup Challenge (Il Moro di Venizia)

1993 - 1996 Sayonara Max Boat

1994 - 1995 America’s Cup Challenge (America One) 

1995 TAG Heuer Team  (New Zealand)

1997-1998 Around the World Sailing Race (EF Language Whitbread)

1999-2002 Around the World Sailing Race (Playstation Catamaran / Steve Fossett)

2000 America One

2001-2002 Around the World Sailing Race (Illbruck Volvo)

​

After a while, sailing started to feel like a job, so Marcello eased his way out and into a new sport: Adventure Racing. 

​

ADVENTURE RACING

While on Team Balance Bar and Team Sierra Design (1992 - 2007) he completed in top-level races like Primal Quest, Solomon Extreme and Eco Challenge.
He regularly helped the R&D departments from his team sponsors with testing and retesting equipments. Some of this sponsors were Balance Bar, Sierra Design Ultimate Direction, Zoot Sports, and SUUNTO.

​

Marcello no longer competes but he can still be found on the road or in the water doing crazy workouts "just for fun". Mary, his adorable wife, sometimes joins him - only when he uses his super slow "Mary pace".

​​

FAMILY & CALIFORNIA

Marcello lives in San Diego, California. Whenever he can, he also spends time with his local Italian nephews. You may not realize it but this crazy - Brazilian is actually very Italian. San Diego has a very large and very close-knit Italian community and Marcello can often be found among them - Mary too. She has never eaten so much pasta in her life.