Ironman coaching
I coach for donations, not for fees.
Every athlete I coach donates the equivalent of one Buffalo Bicycle a month to World Bicycle Relief, which puts bicycles under students, health workers and farmers in rural Africa. Nothing comes to me. It is how I pay back a sport that gave me more than I put in.
How I coach
I am an Ironman Certified Coach who came to this late and slowly. I was not a runner, I was not a swimmer, and I missed my first Ironman cut-off by twenty-six minutes at the age of fifty-one. Everything I know about getting an ordinary body to the end of an extraordinary day, I learned the hard way and in the right order.
That makes me the wrong coach for an athlete chasing a podium, and close to the right one for anybody who is afraid of the distance.
- The plan comes first. A written, periodised plan built around your real calendar, not an ideal one — because the work still has to happen on the weeks when the job explodes.
- Everything is measured. Sessions logged, performance tracked, highs and lows recorded. You cannot improve what you have not written down.
- Incremental gains. One per cent at a time, in the places it is actually available. Heat acclimation from five minutes to three hours and twenty at 105°F took six weeks.
- Preparation for the bad day. Nutrition, pacing, mechanical basics, and a rehearsed answer for the moment the plan stops working — because it will.
- Honesty. If your goal and your available hours do not agree, you will hear it early rather than three weeks out.
What a year actually costs
Nobody tells you the numbers before you enter. Here they are, from one of my own Ironman years:
| Swimming | 215,000 metres |
| Cycling | 3,300 miles |
| Running | 600 miles |
| Total training | 500+ hours |
| Race day | 2.4 mi swim · 112 mi bike · 26.2 mi run |
What coaching includes
- An initial conversation about your why, your history and your honest availability
- A written plan to your race date, reviewed and rebuilt as life interferes
- Weekly check-ins — by phone, video call, text or email, whichever suits the week
- Session-by-session feedback on what you log
- Race-week planning: travel, transition, nutrition, pacing and contingencies
- A debrief afterwards, whatever the result
In place of a fee: one Buffalo Bicycle a month — currently US$165 — donated to World Bicycle Relief. Over a season that is a handful of bicycles putting students, health workers and farmers within reach of a school, a clinic or a market. Give more if you want to and less if you need to; nothing comes to me either way. Donate to World Bicycle Relief →
From the athletes
I worked with Bill while training for multiple IRONMAN 70.3 races, and for IRONMAN Wisconsin. Completing an IRONMAN was a tremendous challenge, and I honestly don’t believe I would have been able to cross that finish line without Bill’s coaching, guidance and support.
What makes Bill such a fantastic coach is that he meets athletes where they are. Whether you are new to triathlon, preparing for your first 70.3, or working toward an IRONMAN, he takes the time to understand your abilities, your goals and your individual needs — and gives you the confidence to push yourself and accomplish things you may not have thought possible.
Dr. Mark Orszula · IRONMAN Wisconsin 2021Coach Bill was instrumental in helping me complete 70.3 and 140.6 distance Ironman triathlons. He built detailed, personalised training plans, balanced hard training with smart injury prevention, and made sure I knew exactly what to expect on race day.
He also gave me mental and moral support when training almost got the best of me. Thanks to him, I finished both races strong and have since been healthier for it.
Joseph Moughon · Ironman & marathon athlete
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Bill and I started working together in 2018, and little did I know I was in for a life-changing experience. At the time I had no triathlon background and a good amount of time on my hands, and the improvement we saw was exponential.
When I became deeply involved, Bill emphasised the idea of quality over quantity, and through ups and downs I truly began to understand it. Not only did my fitness improve, I also learned so much more about nutrition and fuelling strategies during a race.
Bill also helped me loads when it came to deciding what equipment I needed to buy, given whatever budget I had at the time. Everything we decided on together was a worthy investment that I used for many years afterward.
After completing ten 70.3s and two Ironman races — and many more local races — I consider myself lucky and thankful to have met this wonderful person, whom I genuinely look up to. We developed a lifelong bond; even though we are continents apart, he really made me feel like part of his family.
Rashed AlNaber · Founder & CEOSub11 Athletics
Afraid of the distance?
Good. That is the right starting condition, and it is the one I know best. Tell me what you have entered, or what you are thinking about entering.