A 240-pound Matt Lieto, far right, poses with his mother, Connie Lieto, third from left, brother Chris Lieto and sister-in-law Karis Lieto after Chris finished the Ironman World Championship Triathlon in Hawaii in 1998. Inspired by his brother's effort, Matt lost 70 pounds and competed in his first triathlon less than a year later.

Matt Lieto was tired of being overweight. And eight years ago, as he watched his older brother Chris compete in the Ironman Hawaii Triathlon, he was inspired – to go skateboarding.

Lieto (pronounced: Lee-ET-o) lost 70 pounds in a most unconventional way, by grinding on skatepark halfpipes and bowls on his board in Flagstaff, Ariz., where he was attending college at Northern Arizona University.

He says he spent five hours per day in the park, changed his diet, and in about five months went from a hefty 240 pounds on his 6-foot-2-inch frame to a lean 170.

Soon thereafter, he competed in his first triathlon and finished in the top 10 in his age division.

”Seeing my brother compete and do well (in Hawaii), I thought I’d stop trying to be a fat ass and do something else,” says Lieto, 28. ”I had no intentions of becoming a professional triathlete. I’m definitely not where I thought I’d be seven years ago.”

Lieto – who moved to Bend from Danville, Calif., a year and a half ago – is one of the favorites in today’s Pacific Crest Weekend Sports Festival half-iron distance triathlon, which includes a 1.2-mile swim in Wickiup Reservoir, a 58-mile bike on Cascade Lakes Highway and a 13.1-mile run around Sunriver.

Lieto won the event last year. He went pro two years ago, when he competed in the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii – a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride and a 26.2-mile run – but he dropped out due to intestinal problems.

More recently, after suffering a stress fracture in his right leg in April, Lieto took to bike racing and won the Category 3 division of the Willamette Valley Stage Race in Eugene and the elite division of the Table Rock Road Race in Medford.

Lieto says he likes his chances of winning today, although the stress fracture still makes running troublesome.

”I’ll be gutting it out, but I’m not too worried,” he says.

After starting out in triathlon seven years ago, Lieto set a goal to make the top five in the nation in his age group within two years. He made it to No. 4, but by then he says he was upset that he wasn’t first.

He continued to train hard and eventually turned pro – and he has never gained the weight back.

In July, Lieto will compete in the Vineman Half Ironman in Northern California, a qualifier for the Half-Iron World Championships in November in Florida. He also plans to compete in the Ironman Canada in Penticton, British Columbia, with brother Chris in late August.

Lieto says he was overweight since he was about 10 years old. He played water polo in high school in Danville, but he says that overall he probably was not physically active enough, and his metabolism was significantly lower than it is now.

”Buoyancy (from body fat) helps in water polo,” Lieto jokes.

Now, Lieto says, he eats far more than he ever ate when he was overweight. He says he consumes 4,000 to 5,000 calories per day, but he trains about 25 hours per week, running four to five hours, cycling 200 to 300 miles and swimming about 15,000 meters.

As his athletic career blossomed, Lieto says, he realized he could be a role model for those who are overweight.

”The reason I decided to do triathlon for a living as a professional is to inspire other people and show them a fat kid can do Ironman, and do it well,” he says. ”I have personal goals, too, but it’s more just to inspire and show people that have something holding them back that if they go for it, they can do it.”

Between prize winnings, sponsors and working at Bend Bike ‘N Sport, Lieto says he makes enough money ”to pay the bills.”

He hopes he can earn some more cash today at Pacific Crest, where the winner of the half-iron triathlon will take home $1,000.

The race poses a steep challenge to competitors, who will gain nearly 2,000 feet of elevation in the first 40 miles of the bike ride from Wickiup Reservoir to Mount Bachelor via Cascade Lakes Highway.

But Lieto is relishing the chance to compete in a local race.

”I like the local vibe,” he says. ”In California, everybody’s stressed out. Here, everybody’s out to have a good time.”

Matt’s other older brother, Paul, who lives in Bend, is also planning to compete in today’s triathlon. Paul recalls the day that Matt came home from college and he could barely recognize his younger brother.

”It definitely was weird,” Paul says. ”It wasn’t gradual. He went to college, and one day he came home and he was super skinny. It was definitely a shock. I think my parents were concerned. But he took up triathlon, and that’s how he’s maintained it and continued from there.

”He’s an inspiration for anybody that wants to pursue anything. He put his work in to get there.”

Despite losing weight, Lieto has not lost his jovial character, joking that he may gain the weight back.

”I tell people I’m definitely going to be fat again,” he says. ”Because you’re jolly when you’re fat. But in reality, no. I’ll always have an active lifestyle for sure.”