Energy Link Triathlon Coaching - Athlete Testimonials

"My name is Stephen Edwards a busy Executive who stumbled across Triathlon via a company sponsorship. I had not done any serious training for over 6 years but decided to give it a go. My first year saw me go from an enticer to doing my first Ironman. I finished ( survived) the Ironman but caught the bug and thought I can do better than the time I did. It was time to get serious, I didn’t know many people in the sport but was recommended to Energy Link and in particular Bruce Thomas. I was told that Energy Link provided great programs , good and friendly advice and to my eventual amazement all at a very fair price.

I met with Bruce and he interviewed me, goals, objectives, work commitments, up coming races etc. I found Bruce at that first meeting to be thorough and very likeable. He also seemed to know what he was doing and took time out to understand who I was and what I was trying to get out the sport. Bruce who I now know was a champion athlete which made that original meeting and the help he gave me all the more special as he treated me well and did not come across as some sort of arrogant, big headed athlete. He also had a great philosophy to racing and training that suited what I wanted to do. I was soon on an Energy Link program being monitored by Bruce and doing some sessions in person with him also. This really helped me and all the help and training culminating in me improving my Ironman time by over 1hour 29 minutes.

I attended the Jindabyne summer camp that Energy Link as I had heard about them and wanted to really train hard over my holiday break. I was a little apprehensive enrolling as I am an average athlete and thought I would be left behind. Bruce assured me I would be fine and when he outlined the make up of the camp and the people who were attending I decided to give it a go. When I arrived I was pleasantly surprised by the accommodation and organization that had gone into the camp. The Energy Link athletes were all great people even the ones that wanted to watch reruns of Bridget Jones Diary while the cricket was on. The camp was hard but Bruce had managed to create a great atmosphere and designed a program that had some fun, hard work and rest. He also ensured that all the athletes had some personal attention and that they were monitored and in the case of the swim session video taped. Bruce also had the knack of running very good handicapped events which provided great close racing.

I would recommend Bruce and Christina Thomas the Energy Link principals to anyone trying to get fit as they have a great out look on life and provide professional coaching as well as friendly training environments."

Stephen Edwards. Snap Printing CEO and long time team member.

"We have now been training with Bruce and Chris for three years, and what we have achieved in that time would simply not have been possible with out his support and guidance. We are two ordinary athletes who have to combine our training with busy day jobs with two children under 10 years old. Bruce has been able to develop programmes for us that allow us to both train and develop as athletes whilst balancing our home and work responsibilities - no easy task for any of us! We have also both attended several of the Noosa and Jindabyne training camps, which have been a cornerstone in our programmes, as well as a whole load of fun. In addition to over 50 triathlons a piece, we can both now claim the honour of Ironman status, and look forward to adding many more bits of bling to our collection!"

David Stewart & Sarah Green

"Christina and Bruce Thomas…what a team!! I can wholly say that they have been the engine of my journey in triathlon. I started 4 years ago as the true amateur – absolutely no idea! Christina quickly took me under her wing and over the past 4 years both Chris and Bruce have selflessly dedicated enormous amounts of time, patience, energy (literally), care, inspiration and advice to assist me in every tiny little aspect of my triathlon pursuits. Chris even takes the time to write my programs and maximize my training around my work schedule (a jumbled mess of full-time shift work) - I can’t arrange my life so how does she!? I have absolutely no hesitation in recommending Energy Link for anyone of any level who wants to achieve their triathlon dream. The opportunity to train under someone of Bruce’s status is truly inspirational and the incredible ability that both Bruce and Chris have in making the hardest gut-wrenching sessions fun is a mind-boggling experience in itself!

I have total confidence in the coaching prowess at team EnergyLink – I know that I will always get to the start line in my best physical condition. I want to thank you both for the fantastic memories of training and competing over the last 4 years as well as the ongoing dedicated support which always seems to be there at the critical moment - e.g. when you’re walking up the beach at Yeppoon, freaking out because you’re about to embark on your first Half-IM (thank God for Chrissie!). I can’t wait to discover what lies ahead!"

Ali Coyle

"This year, I’m training for my first ironman and I’ve got no idea what I’m doing! For that reason, it’s very reassuring to have a seasoned ironman like Lew Hartley as my coach. He’s done more iron distance races than I can count and for a newbie ironman like me it’s a real confidence booster to have someone with such a depth of knowledge preparing you for race day. Taking the plunge into long course triathlon is a fairly big decision and I wanted to make sure I did it right. Choosing the Energy Link team and Lew as my coach was definitely a great start! Lew is incredibly knowledgeable about all aspects of triathlon, including the latest training methods and the science around endurance sport.

Lew does a great job “managing” me and knows when to tell me I’m doing well and when I just need to be told to harden up and get on with it! This is something I value greatly, as I do have a tendency to slack off at times! Something I value greatly is the amount of contact time Lew gives me (sometimes more than I want!). It gives him a chance to provide me with regular feedback about how I’m doing and through both his own observations and through analysis of my training data. It’s a real bonus to have a coach who’s so in touch with my progress and it means he’s quickly able to let me know what’s going right with my training and what needs work"

Ben Browne

"I've been working with Owain Matthews consistently for the last 3 months and in that short space of time, he has already helped me achieve a swim AND run personal best. In my 5 years of triathlon training, I hadn't really seen much improvement up until this season, when Owain began coaching me. Coach Waino is friendly, approachable and has a wealth of knowledge in the sport. He genuinely wants to help his athletes achieve their goals and always goes above and beyond normal coaching duties to help out his athletes. My training program is specific to me as an individual and I love that he accommodates my other work and training commitments without issue. My program is realistic; offer loads of variety and is always delivered in a professional manner. He also has a really good knack for explaining how to do particular drills. He is the master of technique and his personal approach to his athletes makes him a standout coach. I highly recommend Waino because of his ability to help you stay accountable to your training but also because he is one of the most humble human beings on the planet. I feel very privileged to be a part of the Energy Link team and look forward to working with Waino for many seasons to come."

Bel Fong 

"Lew Hartley took on a difficult challenge of coaching not only myself but 2 of my children, twins boy/girl that recently turned 18. All of us have different personalities and skill levels so that ruled out any copy and paste with the individual detailed programs Lew designed.  Lew is an intelligent, knowledgeable and thorough coach who has spent many more hours than stipulated and his level of attention to detail exceeded all my expectations. Lew having completed more than 10 ironman events has the insight and empathy to deal with the ups and downs every athlete goes through and the fact that he has overcome most of the challenges we have gone through instills a level of confidence that only comes with experience. I would not hesitate to recommend Lew as a coach to all comers as Lew has been successful with not only myself but my two vastly different children. As a parent it is sometimes difficult to let someone else into a position of trust in your child's life but Lew has only been an incredibly positive, upbeat and encouraging influence"

Glenn McPhee 

"I had my best week of triathlon training ever in Jindabyne in January with the energy link training camp. The beautiful scenery for cycling was combined with a great group of people and extraordinarily talented coaches. In spite of a large group of triathletes of varying ages and abilities the camp seemed geared to each individual’s requirements. Being older on the slower end of the spectrum I  was very motivated and excited by being facilitated to still do all the distances without it interfering with the speedier guys. While the area is divine for cycling I was impressed with the work on swimming and running as well – I certainly feel like I gained lots of useful information on my swimming that I am working on. I particularly enjoyed the catered meals, the food was nutritious, tasty and plentiful and the set up certainly facilitated the comradery of the group. I’m planning to return next year – it was well worth the trip from the top end.

Sarah, Darwin.

I must admit I was initially quite intimidated by Owain’s string of achievements and status as a top athlete, thinking he would struggle to take the goals of an average age groupie seriously.  I could not have been more wrong!  Owain takes goals very seriously, and has a professional and detailed approach.  I was impressed from the start when I realised he had actually paid attention and studied my profile to come up with the perfect plan.  He developed a targeted training plan taking lifestyle, schedule, race plan and weaknesses into account.  We had to work on improving my bike leg, since there was an obvious and huge margin for improvement.  Owain’s detailed and targeted sessions have already paid off after only a few months.

I love the detail session objectives as well as regular feedback through Training Peaks.  Let’s face it, most of us are pretty self motivated and driven, but it can be tough and lonely out there sometimes and a few words of encouragement and honest feedback goes a long way!

I am recovering from an injury while trying to maintain quality in training and Owain’s wisdom, patience and guidance has been invaluable.  He has worked out specific recovery exercises and with perseverance we will get over this hurdle too. He knows how to keep things interesting with detailed session objectives.I could not have asked for a more encouraging and supportive coach.

It’s fair enough to say I am in good hands, no longer intimidated by his own achievements, but benefiting from his approach and experience in training and racing.  I have learnt so much, and there is still so much more to learn.

Marie

“It has been a great experience collaborating with Lew. Genuinely passionate about running (and triathlon in general) and people’s capabilities and performance, down to earth and approachable, Lew took time to sit with me and discuss my goals and objectives for the season. He also considered my study, professional and other personal commitments prior to designing the training plan to get ready for Tokyo 2015.

Available when I had questions or started feeling bored/ tired, Lew was of a great support for pushing my own limits, boosting my confidence and sometimes to …get out of bed or out in the rain for a run! Always reminding me though to have fun and enjoy the running sessions. 

It has been an enjoyable training experience which led us to achieve a  decent time at Tokyo Marathon in 3hrs18. We have agreed to keep working together, prepare the next races and get ready for Tokyo and Osaka 2016! Stronger and faster…maybe;-)!

Nico