Lessons from Professional Triathletes
Working with professional athletes has been a central part of my coaching career over the last fifteen years. My experience helping athletes evolve to a world-class level has provided countless lessons and stories of inspiration. While I will never recommend amateur athletes emulate the life and approach of pros, their stories prove invaluable when we adapt the lessons and apply them to time-starved athletes. Think of the work with a world-class athlete as a living laboratory for high performance. Every pro athlete’s journey is a lesson in training methodology, performance evolution, and the human relationship side of coaching and education. I thought it would be fun to join the dots by reflecting on some of the many professional coaching relationships I’ve had over the years.
The proudest part of my coaching career is anchored in two key areas:
A balanced roster of highly successful male and female athletes
The long-term development of athletes’ careers over several years
These two areas have aided in my appreciation for gradual development (the journey, as I like to call it) and given me a broad perspective on the unique needs of individual athletes.
In a broader perspective, I am often asked what the common thread is among the most successful professional athletes I have led. If I had to choose a single trait, it would be their mindset and approach to stress and adversity. Rather than viewing stress as something to run away from, or try to avoid, those who achieve ongoing personal success lean into stress as an essential opportunity for growth. Stress is so often viewed as a negative, but the most successful elite athletes lean into it as an agent of change and evolution. You may spy this trend from the individual lessons I pull out below, and we will dig into the role of stress in the performance journey in upcoming pieces.
Below is a sample of some of the more successful Purple Patch professional athletes. The results are outlined while at Purple Patch.
Chris Lieto
2nd Hawaii IRONMAN World Championships, 2 x 2nd at IRONMAN 70.3 World Championships, Multiple time IRONMAN and IRONMAN 70.3 Champion
The biggest lessons: Change and risk-taking. It required incredible courage for Chris to evolve his approach and break through to new levels of performance. He was a true professional who embraced coaching and support to enable his hard work to pay dividends. Chris was a shining example of the importance of the supporting pillars of performance - nutrition, recovery, and strength work.
Sarah Piampiano
2 x Top 10 Hawaii IRONMAN World Championships, Multiple time IRONMAN and IRONMAN 70.3 Champion, 2nd Fastest American Female IRONMAN Finish
The biggest lessons: Commitment, resilience and adaptability. Sarah is living proof that it is possible to reach incredible heights through a massive passion for the journey and undying belief in your efforts. A warrior.
Linsey Corbin
1 x Podium IRONMAN 70.3 World Championships, Multiple time IRONMAN and IRONMAN 70.3 Champion
The biggest lessons: The power of the team. Linsey was a true triathlon professional before it was a prerequisite for success in the sport. She understood the value of surrounding herself with a team of experts. Her ‘never say die’ racing passion has seen her secure more great performances from situations that seemed dire than any other athlete I’ve met.
Tim Reed
IRONMAN 70.3 World Champion, Multiple time IRONMAN and IRONMAN 70.3 Champion
The biggest lessons: Get the fundamentals right. Tim was the original athlete from whom I coined the Purple Patch phrase ‘Nail the Basics.’ In addition, Tim showcased an inspirational big picture mindset of performance within the context of family and broader life, amplified by his strategy in racing. Tim was also a great example of the power of collaboration and the athlete’s role in a coaching relationship.
Laura Siddall
Multiple time IRONMAN and IRONMAN 70.3 Champion over an incredible career of longevity and sustained performance
The biggest lessons: Consistency and commitment. Laura developed from amateur to world-class, then built an impressive career at the pro level. She did it through the power of consistency and relentless commitment. She just kept getting better. Laura also showcased the ability of ongoing personal growth and education across all aspects of performance.
Sam Appleton
Multiple time Top 10 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championships, 14 x IRONMAN 70.3 Champion
The biggest lessons: Embrace adversity. Some of Sam’s best races came from less favorable lead-ups. His courage to race without the shackles of expectation or concern for the outcome enabled a massively successful career (so far). Sam is also the king of recovery, allowing his hard work to flourish.
Rachel Joyce
ITU Long Course World Champion, Multiple time IRONMAN and IRONMAN 70.3 Champion, 3 -Time Top 10 IRONMAN World Championships
The biggest lessons: Performance through adversity. This is a recurring theme, but some of Rachel’s best performances arrived amid less favorable phases of preparation. Her mental resilience and courage to focus on the simple act of racing allowed success to shine through.
Luke Bell
Multiple time IRONMAN and IRONMAN 70.3 Champion
The biggest lessons: Embrace change and don’t let age be a barrier. I coached Luke later in his professional career. He reminded me again of the need to be willing to evolve your approach to find another level of performance. What worked for Luke ten years prior was no longer appropriate. He dared to change his ways. Luke was also a great example of the importance of going really easy on easy days.
Jesse Thomas
6 Time WildFlower Champion, Multiple time IRONMAN and IRONMAN 70.3 Champion, 3rd Place Challenge Roth
The biggest lessons: Embrace the journey. I was lucky enough to coach Jesse from amateur and throughout his entire professional career. He’s a professional example of finding world-class performance within the confines of a time-starved life. His ability to focus solely on the key elements that yield his best performance allowed him to flourish consistently. He also always focused on his journey, not his competitors—a lesson for us all.
Meredith Kessler
Multiple time IRONMAN and IRONMAN 70.3 Champion, Top 10 Hawaii IRONMAN World Championships, US National Champion
The biggest lessons: Focus on the controllables. Meredith had an incredible capacity to focus on the key elements of individual performance when in situations of stress and adversity. The word tough doesn’t do her justice.
Sarah Cameto
Multiple time IRONMAN 70.3 Podiums
The biggest lessons: Moms can make great athletes! Sarah completed her first triathlon after having her second child and developed into a successful professional without ever compromising her dedication to parenthood. She showed that great performance could emerge even when starting a journey on the later side of life as a professional athlete.
Tyler Stewart
Multiple time IRONMAN and IRONMAN 70.3 Champion
The biggest lessons: Tough as nails. The first professional triathlete I coached, Tyler showcased a relentless and tough mindset to achieve high performance within the constraints of a time-starved life. We constantly had to make trade-offs in her journey, with training being an optimization challenge. Tyler provided numerous teachings for athletes trying to thrive within busy life schedules.
Rasmus Henning
Winner Dubai $200,000 challenge, Multiple time IRONMAN 70.3 Champion
The biggest lessons: The power of wisdom and athlete evolution. Rasmus was an inspiration to work with. Already a top performer in IRONMAN and a two-time Olympian, Rasmus was another example of the benefits of having the courage to evolve the approach in an athletes’ later years.
