Fusion Triathlon Coaching

09/06/2026

🏊🚴🏃 The fastest bike split doesn’t always win the race.

One of the biggest mistakes I see in long-course triathlon is athletes becoming obsessed with a single discipline—usually the bike.

Imagine Athlete A spends months chasing a sub-5-hour bike split. Race day arrives and they ride 5:02. Brilliant. But they pay for it later and shuffle their way to a 4:20 marathon.

Athlete B rides a more controlled 5:15 bike split. Nothing spectacular. No Strava glory. But they arrive in T2 ready to run and produce a strong 3:30 marathon.

Despite giving away 13 minutes on the bike, Athlete B gains 50 minutes on the run.

That’s the difference between racing the bike and racing the Ironman.

As I often tell my athletes:

“Bike for show, run for dough.”

The goal isn’t to be exceptional at one discipline and survive the others. The goal is to become a complete triathlete.

I want my athletes to feel as comfortable in the water as they do on the bike, and as confident on the run as they are in either.

The strongest Ironman performances rarely come from the athlete with the biggest strength. They come from the athlete with the fewest weaknesses.

Train the swim.
Develop the bike.
Respect the run.

Balance wins.

04/06/2026

IRONMAN Lanzarote. Done. ✅

Widely regarded as one of the toughest Ironman races on the planet, Lanzarote doesn’t hand out finishes — it demands them.

Andy is the definition of relentless.

For years, he’s put himself through the wringer in preparation for days like this. Early mornings. Long rides. Brutal sessions. Countless moments of suffering when most people would ease off.

Not Andy.

He never flinches. Never complains. Never looks for shortcuts.

He just gets on with it.

Again. And again. And again.

The result is more than a finish line. It’s the product of years of discipline, sacrifice, and an unwavering commitment to becoming the athlete he knew he could be.

It’s been a privilege to play a small part in that journey.

Today, his name is forged in fire.

IRONMAN Lanzarote Finisher. 💪🏻🔥

Relentless.

30/05/2026

A week has already passed since .francey completed the most difficult Ironman on the Planet in Lanzarote. An attritional day with extreme heat, never ending climbs and headwinds which would make you want to hide behind a wall.

An outstanding achievement and also an example of why it’s worth interacting with spectators and your fellow athletes on the race course… Mark encountered a random guy named Joey on the bike and exchanged a few words of encouragement. See the images for a transcript of how the conversation went. 🙌🏻😂

We’re in this together on the racecourse and sometimes you don’t know you need a wee lift until you get it!

One of my favourite Triathlon related stories 🙌🏻👊🏻💪🏻

25/05/2026

Race recaps are starting to sound very similar lately…

“Swim was rough.”“Bike legs weren’t there.”“Spent half the run in the portaloos.”“Didn’t hit my target time.”“Disappointing day.”

But here’s the thing…

Very few triathletes get the exact race day they imagined.

Conditions change.Nutrition goes wrong.Fitness doesn’t always show up perfectly.Pacing mistakes happen.Life stress catches up.Weather changes everything.

That’s racing.

What matters is how you respond.

Difficult swim?You adapted and kept moving forward 💪🏻

Bike legs not there?You pushed through adversity instead of giving up 💪🏻

Run fell apart?You finished and learned something valuable 💪🏻

Nutrition issues?That’s data. Learn, adapt, improve.

Not every race needs to be framed as failure because the clock didn’t match expectations.

And let’s be honest — were those expectations realistic in the first place?

Very few Athletes have the perfect day.Even in the pro ranks.

10 turn up ready to win. 9 miss out.

A race recap shouldn’t just be a list of excuses.It should be a reflection of resilience, lessons learned, and moments you’ll be proud to remember years from now.

Celebrate the small wins.Celebrate the grit.Make resilience cool.

Because finishing a hard triathlon on a difficult day is still something most people will never do 👊🏻

19/05/2026

At the pool teaching my son to swim today, I couldn’t help but watch the guy in the next lane.

Full paddles on. Thrashing himself up and down the pool. Breathing every two strokes. Arms windmilling. Kicking like he was trying to move the entire pool out of his way.

20 minutes later… he climbed out early, absolutely cooked.

And honestly, I see this all the time in swimming.

People confuse effort with progress.

The hardest workers in the pool are often the ones reinforcing bad habits at full speed.

If I could give that guy one piece of advice:

Slooooooow down.

Focus on technique.
Learn to breathe properly.
Finish your stroke.
Lengthen your stroke.
Glide.
Relax.

Because swimming isn’t about fighting the water. The best swimmers work with it.

Right now, he’s training himself to get tired — not training himself to become a better swimmer.

The basics aren’t glamorous. But they’re what make you fast.

14/05/2026

There is no easy route to improvement in endurance sport. Success is in the reps, the early mornings, the sessions you have to squeeze in when everyone else is sleeping.

Don’t quit on yourself.

Keep showing up.

13/05/2026

The hardest part of a big triathlon often isn’t the race itself.

It’s the waiting. ⏳

A couple of thousand athletes. Mass logistics and transition closing times. Wave starts. Holding areas. Standing around with your thoughts and a rapidly rising heart rate. 📈

You look around and see it everywhere;
First timers trying to hide their fear.
Veterans stoically acting like there are no nerves.
Contenders with eyes fixed firmly on the prize.

No one knows what kind of a day they’re about to have.

Will the legs fire?
Will the mind hold steady when things get difficult?

Nervous energy hangs thick in the air because all you really want to do… is get going.

And then it happens.

You hit the water.

The noise disappears.
The nerves evaporate.
Adrenaline initiates.
Muscle memory takes over.

Stroke by stroke, your body remembers everything your mind was doubting only minutes before.

Forward momentum replaces uncertainty.⏩

You see, stress was never the enemy.

Stress is fuel - if you learn how to use it. 💪🏻

07/05/2026

03/05/2026

I’m a huge fan of Lionel, his is the story of the underdog - which I think resonates with the majority of Triathletes.

I’d highly recommend spending 30 mins of your time watching and absorbing the content of his latest video - I’ve been having conversations with my athletes in the last 7 days about all of the topics covered, such as;
The need for consistency ✅
Not focusing on high expectations from isolated workouts ✅
Checking your ego at the door ✅
Training load management ✅
Not getting dragged in to someone else’s race or schedule ✅
Believing in the long term process ✅
Talking to a coach or friend if things start going a bit Pete Tong ✅

If you’re a Triathlete of any age or ability, you’ll get some nuggets on what to do vs what not to do from this video.

I hope Lionel stays on the path and gets the performance that he’s so desperate for. Gone are the days of winging it and gutting it out - the game has changed.

https://youtu.be/AmhiFIVa1MI?si=VL0LW8Hei1qZmAos

02/05/2026

Tomorrow, it’s Belfast’s time to shine. Our local marathon, not one of the ‘big ones’ but it’s our wee marathon so it’s obviously the best one!

Good luck to all who pin a number on, stick to your plan - stay hydrated, don’t go too deep, too early!

Most importantly…

Keep ‘er Lit! 🔥