Some Finish Lines Crossed. Many More Ahead.

Looking through our athletes’ race calendar recently, I was reminded just how long an endurance season really is!

For some athletes, the race they had been thinking about since winter has already come and gone.

Medals, memories and the joy of the journey to show.

Yet for other athletes, the most important weeks of their season are only just beginning. Some are recovering and reflecting. Some are building. Some are tapering. Some are already preparing for a second peak later in the year.

It’s one of the fascinating aspects of coaching a squad of athletes. At any given moment, dozens of journeys are unfolding simultaneously… but very differently.

One athlete may be celebrating the completion of a goal they’ve been pursuing for months, whilst another is only halfway through their preparation. One athlete may be planning their next challenge, whilst another is nervously counting down the days to their first start line.

Different Athletes, Different Stories

Looking through our race calendar, it’s immediately apparent just how many different stories are being written at the same time.

So far this year, our athletes have already raced at:

• Liverpool Half Marathon
• Wigan Half Marathon
• London Marathon
• Manchester Marathon
• Shakespeare Marathon
• West Lancs Spring Triathlon
• Southport Triathlon
• Fred Whitton Sportive
• Ironman Mallorca 70.3
• The ROC Wales
• Keswick Mountain Festival Swim
• Outlaw Half
• The Eliminator Swimrun
• Ironman Lanzarote
• Ironman Bolton 70.3
• The Gauntlet Middle Distance (France)
• Coast To Coast Sportive
• Chester Triathlon
• Ironman Austria

For some athletes, these were A-priority races that had been circled on the calendar for months. For others, they were stepping stones towards bigger goals later in the season.

And whilst those finish lines have now been crossed, many more still lie ahead.

Over the coming months, our athletes will be racing at:

• The Lakesman 70.3
• Ullswater 5k Swim
• Cholmondeley Castle Middle Distance
• Ironman Frankfurt
• Challenge Roth
• Epicman Middle Distance
• Backwaterman Swimrun
• Snowdonia Trail Marathon
• Ironman Swansea 70.3
• The Outlaw
• Outlaw Half
• Across Mersey Swim
• The Cowman Middle Distance
• Ironman Copenhagen
• Ironman Leeds
• Ironman Poznan 70.3
• Bala Triathlon
• Ironman Wales
• Ironman Barcelona
• Chester Marathon
• Berlin Marathon
• Ironman California
• Challenge Mallorca 70.3

That’s a big list of big races! However, what stands out to me isn’t any particular event. It’s the incredible variety of ambitions represented within that list.

Among these athletes are first-time triathletes and experienced Ironman competitors. Some are preparing for their first Ironman. Others are chasing marathon personal bests. Some are aiming for qualification places and ambitious performance goals. Others simply want to reach the finish line knowing they gave the process everything they had.

Different goals. Different abilities. Different experiences.

When people ask what coaching really looks like, this is probably the closest answer I can give.

It’s not one race. It’s not one training plan. And it’s not one type of athlete. It’s helping lots of different people pursue goals that matter to them, all at different stages of their journey.

Some of this year’s biggest moments have already happened – many more are still waiting. And we feel incredibly fortunate to be involved.

Good luck to everyone still building towards their next start line. We can’t wait to see what the rest of the season brings.

Bryan