What Makes Tri Training Harder's Athlete Network Special?
In this article, we explore Tri Training Harder’s community-driven approach and how building a supportive and inclusive athlete network fosters success. Featuring stories from Tri Training Harder community members, the article highlights how collaboration and shared knowledge positively impact athletes, emphasising the value of a collective, inclusive environment for athletes of all levels.
One of the areas we are most proud of within Tri Training Harder is our collective community and family feel. This culture is vital to us because triathlon for us has always been an inclusive and friendly sport. You may not think so as you start the open-water swim, but in general, it is. This approach underlines most of what we do. Most people do endurance sports as a hobby, and therefore, it should be fun and people should always feel safe when doing it.
For us, this was something we did, but we hadn’t realised how much this culture had filtered into all areas of our business until we received the following feedback that really blew us away:
“I don’t think I’d have stuck with triathlon if I had been coached by many of the companies I see around and the culture I have seen from their athletes.”
This was fantastic feedback, partly because of the positive impact we had had on this athlete but also because we know that a big part of this athlete’s experience was driven not only by the coaching and business approach of the athlete but also by the positivity and inclusiveness of the community and environment around them which was predominantly Tri Training Harder athletes. As any team-building course will tell you, culture is critical to success. However, it is also a feeling that happens rather than a more tangible thing. In organisations, culture is driven by the employees and leadership. However, in our case, to have our clients (athletes) also exhibit an inclusive and approachable style is a testament to the coaching team, who work really hard to ensure they create opportunities for all athletes and foster athletic development, no matter who.
We can see much of this unfolding through the network of athletes that this new athlete had started working around. They were cultivating a performance environment and support system of people who would help and support them rather than put them down. Ego and jealousy can often get in the way of athletes – yes, there is an element of being selfish, but actually, with the right balance and the right community, athletes can flourish in both. The peer group partly drives this, and it is encouraged by athletes who respect the boundaries of work, family and sport.
Our core philosophies as a coaching company are built around three core approaches: Safety, Fun and deliberate training. Often, people miss one of the safety parts as they focus on the impact of physical safety, usually covered in a classic risk assessment. Still, we also look at creating a psychologically and emotionally safe environment in which to train, be vulnerable, and, as a result, grow more as a person.
By nurturing an inclusive environment and recognising that everyone has a chance to grow, athletes can help each other grow even though they may all be super competitive. The irony is that by working with each other to make each other faster, they all gain and can get faster, too, as each person positively pushes the other and celebrates each other’s success. this is what makes our athlete network special, it is supportive, driven and competitive.
Philip is the founder of Tri Training Harder LLP. He’s a British Triathlon Level 3 coach, and has been coaching for over a decade and is involved with mentoring and developing other coaches.
Philip has coached athletes to European and World AG wins, elite racing, many Kona qualifications, IRONMAN podiums and AG wins.
Alongside the conventional development through many CPD courses, he has also been fortunate enough to work alongside experts in the fields of Physiotherapy, Strength and Conditioning, Nutrition, Psychology, Biomechanics, Sports Medicine. Putting this knowledge into practice he has worked with thousands of athletes to various degrees, from training camps in Portugal and around Europe, clinics in the UK and online coaching.
Visit Philip's
Coach profile
We’re here to help
Tri Training Harder are one of the leading Triathlon coaching providers in the UK, using our wealth of experience to unite scientific and technological research with already well-established and successful best practices, to create a formula for triathlon and endurance coaching that works.
The result is an honest, dynamic, yet simple new way of constructing an athlete’s training to allow them to reach their potential.
If you’re planning your next season, just starting out in the sport or are looking for extra guidance at the very top end of the field, we are here to help, and our coaches would be delighted to hear from you. You can contact us via the website, and one of the team will be in touch.