The Grounding of the Story
Matt Dixon, professional triathlete. Adopted the mindset prevalent at the time - high work ethic, commitment and toughness. Components of performance such as recovery, strength and conditioning, and quality nutrition were mere afterthoughts, and undervalued (by Matt and many others chasing world class performance).
This is all despite Matt’s background as an elite swimmer, Division 1 swim coach and clinical physiologist.
The emergence of the methodology
Trying to adhere to a training program that included more than 30 weekly hours, all while failing to eat enough to fuel the training load, not embracing important recovery, and charging too hard in sessions designed to be easier and lower intensity.
His career ended in 2004, and in the following two years Matt had so much deep fatigue he couldn’t even exercise consistently, let alone train.
This left him directionless and struggling both mentally and physically.
Matt begins coaching athletes of all levels
While reflecting on his journey and reviewing the landscape of the sport at all levels, Matt saw so many struggling with similar challenges. He felt the approach to endurance sports was broken, with so many athletes fully committed and training hard yet existing in a fog of fatigue.
Matt believed there was a better way and committed to an approach central to the Purple Patch method for the next 15+ years, which we label the Pillars of Performance. Based on practices and habits that deliver sustained high performance from a robust platform of health, it has facilitated Matt coaching people to the highest level of performance.
ENDURANCE
STRENGTH
NUTRITION & FUELING
RECOVERYThe Purple Patch Mindset to High Performance
Below you will see a series of inspiring and exciting outcomes and results. We celebrated all the victories and are proud of our part we played in achieving them but we never directly chased outcomes and results with our athletes.
Our driving motivation and mindset was focused on the process of becoming. Each Pro committed to a long-term plan of development, chasing to be the best version of themselves and the best athlete they could become. But focusing on improving every day, whether that might mean how they handle setbacks, support another athlete, develop a tactic, or increase speed, we saw ongoing gains. By focusing on the journey, the results you see below took care of themselves. This is central to why we always remind athletes to embrace the journey. It is in the journey that the biggest rewards lie, and the best outcomes emerge from.
Cheers
Matt
The Early Years
In the initial two years off working with professional athletes, Matt focused solely on guiding each individual athlete; without much consideration of building a team. It didn’t take long to realize the benefits of developing a team approach, and the Purple Patch Pro Squad emerged.
The First Purple Patch Pro
After coaching her to the overall amateur title at the Hawaii IRONMAN, Tyler Stewart becomes the first Purple Patch Pro. In 2007 Tyler recorded 2nd place at IRONMAN Lake Placid, as well as multiple podiums in Half IRONMAN distances to kickstart the journey.
The Purple Patch Pro Squad forms...
with Matt taking on the development of young pros Lara Brown, Kelly Couch, James Cotter, Andrew Yoder and Matt Lieto. Positive results emerge, a performance culture develops, amplified by the fact that the methodology was vastly different than common mindsets and practices at the time.
While the Purple Patch Pro Squad focused less on total training hours, and more on hard work with integrated recovery over many months, others still viewed strength training and recovery as a waste of time and signs of weakness. The Purple Patch pro results begin to turn heads, as podiums and personal breakthroughs become the norm.
Individual Performances begin to shine
Chris Lieto joins Purple Patch after struggles at the prior IRONMAN World Championship events. Chris was brave enough to evolve ‘everything’ in his approach, despite Matt’s name being lesser known in the circles of well-known coaches. This included reducing total weekly training hours by ⅓, consuming an additional 1500 kcals daily, integrating consistent strength training, and embracing greater recovery blocks.
Chris’s training consistency improved; he experienced no injury setbacks and built confidence by feeling fit and fresh and able to elevate performance predictably.
Matt Lieto has a breakout performance at IRONMAN Canada, with a Top 3 finish while adopting a run-walk strategy on the run. His run split was under 3 hours, a first for Matt, and his fastest miles came between the 20-26th mile markers.
Meanwhile, Tyler Steward won her first IRONMAN at Coeur d’Alene, and Purple Patch Pros accumulated over a dozen wins and podiums across IRONMAN 70.3 events.
2nd Place Hawaii IRONMAN
World Championship
Chris Lieto’s has a breakout season with several IRONMAN 70.3 victories, running faster than ever before, but the culmination of the performance shift arrives with a magical 2nd Place at the Hawaii IRONMAN World Championships.
Rachel Joyce commences her Purple Patch pro Squad career with a breakout 6th place finish, while Tyler Stewart caps a super event for the team with 10th at the Hawaii IRONMAN World Championships.
Chris finishes the season with a 2nd place at IRONMAN Arizona, kick-starting a flurry of wins and podiums across athletes that would extend the next decade
The Purple Patch Pro Squad expands with the addition of amateur athletes Meredith Kessler and Jesse Thomas, who evolve to compete in the professional field.
Meredith entered the pro field while maintaining her role at the Royal Bank of Canada - full-time work while chasing world-class performance - and quickly becoming a super example of achieving high personal performance within a time-starved life.
Her training approach required a healthy dose of pragmatism and led to the emergence of the Purple Patch saying, focusing on securing your ‘ best performance within the context of life.’
High Performance is Built on a Health Platform
The Purple Patch Pro Squad provided enduring lessons on achieving sustained high performance, and became the living laboratory for the ongoing evolution of the Purple Patch Methodology. Our parallel success of time-starved athletes, as well as countless C-Suite executives, emerged from the ability to put these lessons into context for the individual athlete, and adapt to suit their needs and situation. This was how the Purple Patch Methodology went on the serve such a broad range of athletes, from world class to those who just chased improved energy, health and performance in life and business.
Undisputed King of the Wildflower Triathlon
Racing on a borrowed bike (thanks to fellow Purple Patch Pro Matt Lieto), with no sponsored kit and now legendary cheap aviator glasses,Jesse Thomas ran through the field to the win. This initial victory kick-started his professional career, as well as a run of record-setting victories at this race. Six wins in a row have never been accomplished before, and over those victories, Jesse beath some of the best-known names in the sport of triathlon.
Rachel Joyce marches up the list of world-class athletes with an impressive 5th-place finish at the Hawaii IRONMAN World Championships. The Squad expands with the addition of Gina Crawford, Luke Bell, and Emma Kate Lidbury.
Podiums come flooding in over the year, led by Linsey Corbin’s victory at IRONMAN Couer d’Alene, followed by a 2nd place at IRONMAN Arizona; Meredith Kessler continues her time-starved approach with a dominant win at IRONMAN Canada as well as a strong 2nd place at IRONMAN St George. Other notable races with Chris Lieto 1st and Andrew Yoder 3rd at IRONMAN 70.3 Kansas, and Luke Bell claiming 2nd, with Matt Lieto 3rd at the Hawaii IRONMAN 70.3
Purple Patch Pros: Building Team over Individual
In most individual sports, success is defined individually. We built the success of the Purple Patch Pro Squad by incorporating a team approach. Each athlete had their own goals, stage of development, and program, but a unified methodology, mindset, and system of support and accountability united them. Following the development in the initial years, from 2010 onwards, we saw a performance culture emerge, creating bi-directional benefits. Individual performance levels raised the standards and performance levels of the whole team, but it flowed back the other way. Individual athletes gained from the team structure and support. In addition to all this, younger athletes benefited from accelerated learning, support and experience gained from the power of leadership and mentorship. A virtuous performance circle emerged and fed on itself - building belief and results.
Season of victories and podium finishes
A season-best haul of victories and podiums among the Purple Patch Pro Squad, with both male and female Purple Patch Pros enjoying equal success over the season.
A prime case study for the Purple Patch methodology for time-starved athletes
Amateur Sami Inkinen wins the over amateur IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship and IRONMAN IRONMAN World Championship while also leading Trulia (a tech company) toward going public, on a training regime of about 10 to 12 hour per week.
2011 Hawaii IRONMAN World Championships
Gina Crawford and Linsey Corbin lead the Purple Patch efforts at the 2011 Hawaii IRONMAN World Championships with 7th and 8th place, respectively.
IRONMAN 70.3 wins and podiums were in rich supply...
... with 18 recorded by the squad.
IRONMAN World Championships
Three in the Top 10 at the Hawaii IRONMAN World Championships with 7th, 9th, and 10th for Meredith Kessler, Gina Crawford, and Linsey Corbin, respectively.
IRONMAN 70.3
World Championships
Strong finishes for Purple Patch Pros at the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championships, with Tim Reed securing 5th place and Kevin Collington just one place behind with a strong 6th place finish.
Meredith Kessler and Kevin Collington become US Pro Champions. In the 70.3 distance, Meredith Kessler became US Pro Champion with a big win at the IRONMAN St George 70.3 Championships.
Another Big Year for our
Purple Patch Pro Athletes in IRONMAN
Published the Well Built Triathlete
Matt releases his first book for publication; The Well Built Triathlete. It quickly becomes one of the most popular books in triathlon, with its message of high performance built on a platform of health, as well as applied lessons in performance for amateur athletes, based in in the Purple Patch Methodology, as well as lessons from the Purple Patch Pro Squad
The CEO of Every Man Jack
Ritch Viola achieves the highly impressive double - winning the 40-44 Age Group at both the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championships and the IRONMAN Hawaii World Championships in the same season. Highly impressive for a time-starved CEO of Every Man Jack.
The epitome of the ‘time-starved’ athlete
All three Purple Patch amateurs who secured overall age group wins at the Hawaii IRONMAN World Championships with C-Suite executives, founders of many organizations or business owners. They represented the epitome of the ‘time-starved’ athlete, and showcase how great individual performance can emerge from a smart and pragmatic approach to training, sport and supporting habits.
In addition to our Amateur World Champions, more than 1000 time-starved amateur Purple Patch athletes have qualified to World Championship events.
Purple Patch athletes returns to
IRONMAN events
The IRONMAN Executive Challenge Program
Matt Dixon and Purple Patch begins leading the coaching of the IMXC (IRONMAN Executive Challenge) program, building on our reputation of effectiveness leading both world class athletes and market-making C-Level executives. Purple Patch helped more than 50 leading executives from major organizations qualify to world championship events over the following years.
Sarah Piampiano enjoys a huge personal breakthrough with a 7th-place finish at the Hawaii IRONMAN World Championships. She then claimed her first iRONMAN title a couple of months later with a victory at IRONMAN Western Australia.
High Performance never emerges without setbacks and adversity.
Sarah’s breakthrough performance at the World Championships, followed by her first IRONMAN victory, arrived following a serious setback just 18 months prior. Sarah endured a potentially career ending injury, breaking her femur (upper leg), and had to spend more than a year in rehabilitation.
They say it isn’t what happens to you that makes you a champion, but how you respond. Sarah leveraged the adversity to rebuild key elements of her technique, approach and mindset, forming the adversity into the catalyst to performance levels that were truly world-class.
Purple Patch Pro Squad team approach shines.
After seasons of development and refinement, the team-approach applied for individual performance begins to reach its peak level, with a season of unprecedented wins and podiums across the Squad. The support, trust and accountability established through the team approach drives individual results to an even greater level.
Holly Lawrence builds a strong platform
for her Pro career with three IRONMAN 70.3 wins and a 1st at the famed Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon.
A Purple Patch IRONMAN 70.3 World Champion
with Tim Reed being crowned IRONMAN 70.3 World Champion with a victory in his home country. Fellow countryman and Purple Patch Pro Sam Appleton enjoys a breakout 5th place finish in the same event.
Tim Reed not only became
World Champion this year
but he also won IRONMAN Australia and 3 more IRONMAN 70.3 events. Sam Appleton continued his development with another cluster of podiums and victories, including the overall championship in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Meredith Kessler marched on with two IRONMAN wins (New Zealand and Arizona), as well as two more IRONMAN 70.3 wins.
Jesse Thomas doesn’t bore of continuing his wins at Wildflower Triathlon, but his big win comes at IRONMAN Lanzarote, beating legend and then current World Champion Jan Frodeno along the way.
Mohamed Lahna wins...
against all odds, a bronze medal in PT Triathlon at the Rio Paralympic Games in Rio, Brazil. A huge breakthrough performance for this inspirational athlete.
Published the Fast Track Triathlete
Matt’s second book, the Fast Track Triathlete, focuses on developing high performance within the context of a busy life. Drawn from the lessons of concurrently working with world-class pros and time-starved executives and CEOs, the Fast Track Triathlete quickly becomes an important guide for athletes seeking to achieve sporting goals while retaining good health and high performance in work and life.
Purple Patch success
at the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship continues with an impressive 4th place finish for Sam Appleton, including the fastest bike split of the day. Sam also became Asia Pacific Champion, as well as claiming victories at IRONMAN 70.3 Racine, Santa Rosa, Eagleman, and Geelong
Sarah Piampiano continues her drive to world-class performance with a win at IRONMAN Argentina, as well as multiple IRONMAN 70.3 victories.
Kevin Collington wins the Pan American 70.3 Championships and also wins IRONMAN Taiwan
Sam Appleton represented well
with a hugely well-raced 6th place at the ever more competitive IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship, as well as adding 3 more victories throughout the season at Geelong, Santa Rosa and Los Cabos 70.3 distance events.
Meredith Kessler voted the greatest female American triathlete of All Time
From a background in banking, commencing the sport at 29 years of age, Meredith Kessler gets voted the greatest American triathlete of all time with 11 IRONMAN wins, 23 IRONMAN 70.3 victories over a storied career.
Sarah Piampiano becomes the 2nd fastest Female American IRONMAN Triathlete ever...
with a superb title at IRONMAN Brazil. Meanwhile, Jesse Thomas caps his retirement from professional triathlon with a stunning podium at Challenge Roth, capped off with a 2-hour and 52-minute run leg.
An impressive year for Chelsea and Sam
From being on the verge of quitting the sport in frustration, Chelsea Sodaro joins Purple Patch and enjoys a breakout first season in her long course season. Chelsea secured 3 victories and 2 podiums across IRONMAN 70.3 events, followed by a 4th place finish at the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championships.
Sam Appleton had an equally impressive year with 3 wins,3 podiums, and a 6th place finish in the same championship event.
The Pillars of Performance
A shared foundation, applied in parallel to the performance journeys of elite pros and executives
has resulted in a refined approach and application of our methodology
Coach the Pros like CEOs; the CEOs like Pros
Throughout the entire journey with the Purple Patch Pro Squad, Matt Dixon remained committed to helping time-starved athletes not just achieve race goals but thrive in health and life. The lessons of the pro athlete journey were instrumental in developing the approach for time-starved athletes, but so was the experience of supporting and coaching C-Suite executives parallel to the professional athletes.
As we always say, ‘Coach the Pros like CEOs; the CEOs like Pros’. More than a decade of working in parallel with world-class professional triathletes and leaders and market makers in major corporations provides a unique perspective on developing high performance in sport and life.
Matt transitions to
the next chapter of
his coaching and performance leadership.
The shifting landscape of the pandemic years became a catalyst for Matt Dixon to shift his focus to leafing world-class athletes. He evolved toward a thought leadership role, and began to direct his expertise to greater focus on education and coaching time-starved athletes, C-Suite executives, and leadership teams.
The Grounding of the Story
Matt Dixon
Professional Triathlete. Adopted the mindset prevalent at the time - high work ethic, commitment and toughness. Components of performance such as recovery, strength and conditioning, and quality nutrition were mere afterthoughts, and undervalued (by Matt and many others chasing world class performance).
This is all despite Matt’s background as an elite swimmer, Division 1 swim coach and clinical physiologist
The emergence of the methodology
Trying to adhere to a training program that included more than 30 weekly hours, all while failing to eat enough to fuel the training load, not embracing important recovery, and charging too hard in sessions designed to be easier and lower intensity.
His career ended in 2004, and in the following two years Matt had so much deep fatigue he couldn’t even exercise consistently, let alone train.
This left him directionless and struggling both mentally and physically.
Matt begins coaching athletes of all levels.
While reflecting on his journey and reviewing the landscape of the sport at all levels, Matt saw so many struggling with similar challenges. He felt the approach to endurance sports was broken, with so many athletes fully committed and training hard yet existing in a fog of fatigue.
Matt believed there was a better way and committed to an approach central to the Purple Patch method for the next 15+ years, which we label the Pillars of Performance. Based on practices and habits that deliver sustained high performance from a robust platform of health, it has facilitated Matt coaching people to the highest level of performance.
The Purple Patch Mindset to High Performance
As you review below you will be a series of inspiring and exciting outcomes and results. We celebrated all the victories and are proud of our part we played in achieving them, but we never directly chased outcomes and results with our athletes. Our driving motivation and mindset was focused on the process of becoming. Each Pro committed to a long-term plan of development, chasing to be the best version of themselves and the best athlete they could become. But focusing on improving every day, whether that might mean how they handle setbacks, support another athlete, develop a tactic, or increase speed, we saw ongoing gains. By focusing on the journey, the results you see below took care of themselves. This is central to why we always remind athletes to embrace the journey. It is in the journey that the biggest rewards lie, and the best outcomes emerge from.
The Early Years
After coaching her to the overall amateur title at the Hawaii IRONMAN, Tyler Stewart becomes the The first Purple Patch Pro. In 2007 Tyler recorded 2nd place at IRONMAN Lake Placid, as well as multiple podiums in Half IRONMAN distances to kickstart the journey.
The initial years focused on individual athletes and cemented a unified approach with personalized programming for each athlete. It didn’t take long to realize the power of a team spirit, despite triathlon being an individual sport, and Matt fostered cameraderie and edcuation to align the approach and mindset of the pros
The Purple Patch Pro Squad forms...
with Matt taking on the development of young pros Lara Brown, Kelly Couch, James Cotter, Andrew Yoder and Matt Lieto. Positive results emerge, a performance culture develops, amplified by the fact that the methodology was vastly different than common mindsets and practices at the time.
While the Purple Patch Pro Squad focused less on total training hours, and more on hard work with integrated recovery over many months, others still view strength training and recovery as a waste of time and signs of weakness. The Purple Patch pro results begin to turn heads, as podiums and personal breakthroughs become the norm.
Individual Performances begin to shine
Chris Lieto joins Purple Patch after struggles at the prior IRONMAN World Championship events. Chris was brave enough to evolve ‘everything’ in his approach, despite Matt’s name being lesser known in the circles of well-known coaches. This included reducing total weekly training hours by ⅓, consuming an additional 1500 kcals daily, integrating consistent strength training, and embracing greater recovery blocks.
Chris’s training consistency improved; he experienced no injury setbacks and built confidence by feeling fit and fresh and able to elevate performance predictably.
Matt Lieto has a breakout performance at IRONMAN Canada, with a Top 3 finish while adopting a run-walk strategy on the run. His run split was under 3 hours, a first for Matt, and his fastest miles came between the 20-26th mile markers.
Meanwhile, Tyler Steward won her first IRONMAN at Coeur d’Alene, and Purple Patch Pros accumulated over a dozen wins and podiums across IRONMAN 70.3 events.
2009
2nd Place Hawaii IRONMAN World Championship
Chris Lieto has a breakout season with several IRONMAN 70.3 victories, running faster than ever before, but the culmination of the performance shift arrives with a magical 2nd Place at the Hawaii IRONMAN World Championships.
Rachel Joyce commences her Purple Patch pro Squad career with a breakout 6th place finish, while Tyler Stewart caps a super event for the team with 10th at the Hawaii IRONMAN World Championships.
Chris finishes the season with a 2nd place at IRONMAN Arizona, kick-starting a flurry of wins and podiums across athletes that would extend the next decade
The Purple Patch Pro Squad expands with the addition of amateur athletes Meredith Kessler and Jesse Thomas, who evolve to compete in the professional field.
Meredith entered the pro field while maintaining her role at the Royal Bank of Canada - full-time work while chasing world-class performance - and quickly becoming a super example of achieving high personal performance within a time-starved life.
Her training approach required a healthy dose of pragmatism and led to the emergence of the Purple Patch saying, focusing on securing your ‘ best performance within the context of life.’
Purple Patch Pro Squad
The Purple Patch Pro Squad provided enduring lessons on achieving sustained high performance, and became the living laboratory for the ongoing evolution of the Purple Patch Methodology. Our parallel success of time-starved athletes, as well as countless C-Suite executives, emerged from the ability to put these lessons into context for the individual athlete, and adapt to suit their needs and situation. This was how the Purple Patch Methdology went on the serve such a broad range of athletes, from world class to those who just chased improved energy, health and performance in life and business.
Undisputed King of the Wildflower Triathlon
Racing on a borrowed bike (thanks to fellow PPF Pro Matt Lieto), with no sponsored kit and now legendary cheap aviator glasses, Jesse ran through the field to the win. This initial victory kick-started his professional career, as well as a run of record-setting victories at this race. Six wins in a row have never been accomplished before, and over those victories, Jesse beath some of the best-known names in the sport of triathlon.
Rachel Joyce marches up the list of world-class athletes with an impressive 5th-place finish at the Hawaii IRONMAN World Championships. The Squad expands with the addition of Gina Crawford, Luke Bell, and Emma Kate Lidbury.
Podiums come flooding in over the year, led by Linsey Corbin’s victory at IRONMAN Couer d’Alene, followed by a 2nd place at IRONMAN Arizona; Meredith Kessler continues her time-starved approach with a dominant win at IRONMAN Canada as well as a strong 2nd place at IRONMAN St George. Other notable races with Chris Lieto 1st and Andrew Yoder 3rd at IRONMAN 70.3 Kansas, and Luke Bell claiming 2nd, with Matt Lieto 3rd at the Hawaii IRONMAN 70.3
Purple Patch Pros: Building Team over Individual
The Purple Patch Pro Squad provided enduring lessons on achieving sustained high performance, and became the living laboratory for the ongoing evolution of the Purple Patch Methodology. Our parallel success of time-starved athletes, as well as countless C-Suite executives, emerged from the ability to put these lessons into context for the individual athlete, and adapt to suit their needs and situation. This was how the Purple Patch Methdology went on the serve such a broad range of athletes, from world class to those who just chased improved energy, health and performance in life and business.
Season of victories and podium finishes
A season-best haul of victories and podiums among the Purple Patch Pro Squad, with both male and female Purple Patch Pros enjoying equal success over the season.
A prime case study for the Purple Patch methodology for time-starved athletes
Amateur Sami Inkinen wins the over amateur IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship and IRONMAN IRONMAN World Championship while also leading Trulia (a tech company) toward going public, on a training regime of about 10 to 12 hour per week.
2011 Hawaii IRONMAN World Championships
Gina Crawford and Linsey Corbin lead the Purple Patch efforts at the 2011 Hawaii IRONMAN World Championships with 7th and 8th place, respectively.
2012IRONMAN 70.3 wins and podiums were in rich supply...
... with 18 recorded by the squad.
2013
IRONMAN World Championships
Three in the Top 10 at the Hawaii IRONMAN World Championships with 7th, 9th, and 10th for Meredith Kessler, Gina Crawford, and Linsey Corbin, respectively.
2013
IRONMAN 70.3
World Championships
Strong finishes for Purple Patch Pros at the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championships, with Tim Reed securing 5th place and Kevin Collington just one place behind with a strong 6th place finish.
Meredith Kessler and Kevin Collington become US Pro Champions. In the 70.3 distance, Meredith Kessler became US Pro Champion with a big win at the IRONMAN St George 70.3 Championships.
2013
Another Big Year for our Purple Patch Pro Athletes in IRONMAN
Published the Well Built Triathlete
Matt releases his first book for publication; The Well Built Triathlete. It quickly becomes one of the most popular books in triathlon, with its message of high performance built on a platform of health, as well as applied lessons in performance for amateur athletes, based in in the Purple Patch Methodology, as well as lessons from the Purple Patch Pro Squad
2014
The CEO of Every Man Jack
Ritch Viola achieves the highly impressive double - winning the 40-44 Age Group at both the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championships and the IRONMAN Hawaii World Championships in the same season. Highly impressive for a time-starved CEO of Every Man Jack.
The epitome of the ‘time-
starved’ athlete
All three Purple Patch amateurs who secured overall age group wins at the Hawaii IRONMAN World Championships with C-Suite executives, founders of many organizations or business owners. They represented the epitome of the ‘time-starved’ athlete, and showcase how great individual performance can emerge from a smart and pragmatic approach to training, sport and supporting habits. In addition to our Amateur World Champions, more than 1000 time-starved amateur Purple Patch athletes have qualified to World Championship events.
Purple Patch athletes returns to IRONMAN
events
2014
The IRONMAN Executive Challenge Program
Matt Dixon and Purple Patch begins leading the coaching of the IMXC (IRONMAN Executive Challenge) program, building on our reputation of effectiveness leading both world class athletes and market-making C-Level executives. Purple Patch helped more than 50 leading executives from major organizations qualify to world championship events over the following years.
Sarah Piampiano enjoys a huge personal breakthrough with a 7th-place finish at the Hawaii IRONMAN World Championships. She then claimed her first iRONMAN title a couple of months later with a victory at IRONMAN Western Australia.
High Performance never emerges without setbacks and adversity.
Sarah’s breakthrough performance at the World Championships, followed by her first IRONMAN victory, arrived following a serious setback just 18 months prior. Sarah endured a potentially career ending injury, breaking her femur (upper leg), and had to spend more than a year in rehabilitation. They say it isn’t what happens to you that makes you a champion, but how you respond. Sarah leveraged the adversity to rebuild key elements of her technique, approach and mindset, forming the adversity into the catalyst to performance levels that were truly world-class.
Purple Patch Pro Squad team approach shines.
After seasons of development and refinement, the team-approach applied for individual performance begins to reach its peak level, with a season of unprecedented wins and podiums across the Squad. The support, trust and accountability established through the team approach drives individual results to an even greater level.
2016Holly Lawrence builds a strong platform
for her Pro career with three IRONMAN 70.3 wins and a 1st at the famed Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon.
2016
A high day out at the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championships
with Tim Reed being crowned IRONMAN 70.3 World Champion with a victory in his home country. Fellow countryman and Purple Patch Pro Sam Appleton enjoys a breakout 5th place finish in the same event.
Tim Reed not only became
World Champion this year
but he also won IRONMAN Australia and 3 more IRONMAN 70.3 events. Sam Appleton continued his development with another cluster of podiums and victories, including the overall championship in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Meredith Kessler marched on with two IRONMAN wins (New Zealand and Arizona), as well as two more IRONMAN 70.3 wins.
Jesse Thomas doesn’t bore of continuing his wins at Wildflower Triathlon, but his big win comes at IRONMAN Lanzarote, beating legend and then current World Champion Jan Frodeno along the way.
Mohamed Lahna wins...
against all odds, a bronze medal in PT Triathlon at the Rio Paralympic Games in Rio, Brazil. A huge breakthrough performance for this inspirational athlete.
Published the Fast Track Triathlete
Matt’s second book, the Fast Track Triathlete, focuses on developing high performance within the context of a busy life. Drawn from the lessons of concurrently working with world-class pros and time-starved executives and CEOs, the Fast Track Triathlete quickly becomes an important guide for athletes seeking to achieve sporting goals while retaining good health and high performance in work and life.
Purple Patch success
at the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship continues with an impressive 4th place finish for Sam Appleton, including the fastest bike split of the day. Sam also became Asia Pacific Champion, as well as claiming victories at IRONMAN 70.3 Racine, Santa Rosa, Eagleman, and Geelong
Sarah Piampiano continues her drive to world-class performance with a win at IRONMAN Argentina, as well as multiple IRONMAN 70.3 victories.
Kevin Collington wins the Pan American 70.3 Championships and also wins IRONMAN Taiwan
2018
Sam Appleton represented well
with a hugely well-raced 6th place at the ever more competitive IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship, as well as adding 3 more victories throughout the season at Geelong, Santa Rosa and Los Cabos 70.3 distance events.
2018
Meredith Kessler voted the greatest female American triathlete of All Time
From a background in banking, commencing the sport at 29 years of age, Meredith Kessler gets voted the greatest American triathlete of all time with 11 IRONMAN wins, 23 IRONMAN 70.3 victories over a storied career.
Sarah Piampiano becomes the 2nd fastest Female American IRONMAN Triathlete ever...
with a superb title at IRONMAN Brazil. Meanwhile, Jesse Thomas caps his retirement from professional triathlon with a stunning podium at Challenge Roth, capped off with a 2-hour and 42-minute run leg.
An impressive year for Chelsea and Sam
Chelsea Sodaro marks a breakout year as a Purple Patch Pro with 3 victories and 2 podiums in IRONMAN 70.3 races, followed by a 4th place finish at the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championships in Nice, France.
Sam Appleton had an equally impressive year with 3 wins,3 podiums, and a 6th place finish in the same championship event.
The Pillars of Performance
A shared foundation, applied in parallel to the performance journeys of elite pros and executives
has resulted in a refined approach and application of our methodology
The Purple Patch Mindset to High Performance
As you review below you will be a series of inspiring and exciting outcomes and results. We celebrated all the victories and are proud of our part we played in achieving them, but we never directly chased outcomes and results with our athletes. Our driving motivation and mindset was focused on the process of becoming. Each Pro committed to a long-term plan of development, chasing to be the best version of themselves and the best athlete they could become. But focusing on improving every day, whether that might mean how they handle setbacks, support another athlete, develop a tactic, or increase speed, we saw ongoing gains. By focusing on the journey, the results you see below took care of themselves. This is central to why we always remind athletes to embrace the journey. It is in the journey that the biggest rewards lie, and the best outcomes emerge from. CheersMatt
Matt transitions to the next chapter of his coaching and performance leadership.
The shifting landscape of the pandemic years became a catalyst for Matt Dixon to shift his focus to leafing world-class athletes. He evolved toward a thought leadership role, and began to direct his expertise to greater focus on education and coaching time-starved athletes, C-Suite executives, and leadership teams.
