Before she started bodybuilding, Komlos weighed as much as 197 pounds (89 kg). Komlos started competing in provincial contests in 1993, and eventually won the middleweight class at the British Columbia Championships in 1997. Jerry Kindela, editor-in-chief of Flex, said, "Marianna's one of the most beautiful bodybuilders I've ever seen." (Wennerstrom, 2004)