John Newsom
Triathlon & Ironman Coach

My first experience of triathlons was as a part of a team triathlon at the age of 15. From this initial experience I went on to win my first NZ Junior triathlon title at age 17 and moved through the representative ranks competing at World Championship and Word Cup level then on to Ironman success.

From my first day in the sport I have been surrounded by the best athletes and coaches in the world. This has helped me develop as an athlete and as a coach. Over time it became very clear that every athlete develops in different ways. If you give two athletes the same program one may improve 25% the other may only improve 10%. It is for this reason that I prefer to only offer personalised coaching. I limit the number of online athletes I work with to a maximum of 20.

The coaches that have had the biggest influence on me have been Dr John Hellemans who guided me as a young athlete to international success and more recently Gordo Byrn who has highlighted to me what is possible by complete and total devotion to the sport. Some of the athletes I have trained with over the years include World Champions such as Bevan Docherty, Debbie Nelson, Jenny Rose; Olympians Craig Watson & Ben Bright and Ironman legend Scott Molina just to name a few. These athletes all train in different ways but there are some underlying themes such as desire, determination and commitment.

As an athlete I spent considerable time in Europe racing on various circuits as well as frequent racing in Asia. I have coached at the Hong Kong Sports Institute working with the national team and I now manage the New Zealand Multisport & Triathlon Centre, organise and manage Epic Camp with Scott Molina & Gordo Byrn (www.epiccamp.com) and coach full time. I am also involved in the High Performance Program with the New Zealand Triathlon Association.

My coaching philosophy is to keep aspects of training relatively simple and not over complicate training schedules. To get a good understanding of the basic principles of success read 'The Six C's of Endurance Success'.

I have an excellent knowledge base to offer athletes and if I am asked a question I don't know the answer to I have the resources at the NZMTC to get the answer. I am happy working with athletes of all abilities and training for any distance. All you need is a deep desire to reach your goals.

I also believe I am able to offer a balanced view on training for those who have other commitments (work, family, social life etc). I have a wife and young child, my own business, a considerably amount of voluntary work, a social life and a garden that needs tending to - plus I like to train (Read "From retirement to top 10 at IMNZ" to get an understanding as to how I make this work for me personally).

For recent athlete results (click here) and testimonials (click here)

To listen to what John has to say check out his weekly podcast ironmantalk.com

Coaching credetials
- Certified NZ Level One Coach
- Involved in the New Zealand High Performance Coaching Program
- Coached at the Hong Kong Sports Institute
- Full time coach with the New Zealand Multisport & Triathlon Centre

Ongoing Education
- Triathlon Coaching Conferences with the NZ High Performance Coaching Programme
- Coaching conferences with the Academy Canterbury Coach Development programme
- Working alongside other international coaches on various training camps

Some career highlights:
- Challenge Wanaka 2007(Iron Distance) 3rd 9:06
- Ironman New Zealand 2005 10th Overall 9hrs 4min
- Completed Epic Camp Australia with Gordo Byrn & Scott Molina www.epiccamp.com
- 3rd Japan International Long Distance Triathlon 2001
- Multiple wins on Asian Cup Circuit 1998 - 2000
- 2nd Laguna Phuket Triathlon, Thailand 1999
- 1st Geradmere Triathlon, France 1999
- 1st Strasbourg International Triathlon, France 1999
- 3rd New Zealand Elite Champs 1998