Alex

I became one of Simon’s ‘athletes’ back in October 2022 having signed up for Ironman 70.3 Weymouth on a bit of a whim. I’d done a few sprint triathlons and decided that a half-IM would be a ‘fun’ step up. However, with this decision came a need for some structure, discipline, and accountability, none of which I had… but all of which Simon provided.

The program that Simon created for me was completely tailored to my needs and focussed on addressing areas where I needed to improve but also helped me to grow my strength areas. Of course, life happens and things need to flex from time to time, which Simon will always accommodate.. this isn’t something that you’d get with a ‘one size fits all’ plan, and is the reason why the 1-1 element is so valuable, in my opinion.

Simon built my knowledge around fuelling and hydration and instilled a confidence in me that I didn’t know I had. My mindset shift from “I’m not sure I can do this” to “I’m going to do this” came fairly early on, and was a huge boost.

From training camps in Mallorca to having Simon join me on a recce of the Weymouth bike course, the tailored nature of Simon’s coaching style delivers results, especially when I was able to take nearly 25 minutes off my Weymouth bike course PB on race day itself!

I’ve since gone on to complete a full Ironman in Austria, meeting my goal of going under 12 hours. I’d only dreamed of being an Ironman before, but Simon’s coaching knowledge and belief in me have helped me achieve what once felt unobtainable.

The entire VPCC community is absolutely brilliant, and to anybody considering it, I cannot recommend it highly enough. Thanks for everything!

Alex Collyer