Testimonials

8 March 2008

Hi Ollie,

Suse here, Chloe's SKM friend from Bendigo.

I just wanted to say thanks for your great coaching on the two saturday trialliance training sessions I attended. The impact it had on my swimming technique and how to properly mount and dismount my bicycle was well worth it. I have never loved swimming so much now that I can swim freestyle (nearly) tirelessly; had never realised how awkward I had made the task of getting on my bike for I don't know how many years (the only time I get on the old way now is when I have a hockey stick on the back), and the little tips for transition made the BRW triathlon just that extra bit more enjoyable. I have also become vaguely addicted to this whole triathlon gig and been convinced (without too much effort!) to do another one in Bendigo this weekend.

I have played in a range of sports and have had a mix of good and bad coaching experiences. You are definitely one of the good ones - giving simple effective instruction in a way that encourages people and saw us all walk away having more belief and confidence in ourselves than before. All with great patience and touch of humour. That is a great gift and makes a lasting and positive difference to the people you teach.

Thanks again, and all the best.

Suse

4 March 2008

Hi Ollie

I just wanted to write and say thank you and I appreciate all your help with my swimming over the last 6 weeks.  I struggled through the swim on Sunday, which proved to be the hardest part of the whole thing, but I managed to finish the Triathlon which I'm really pleased with.  I wouldnt have been able to do it without your help.  I was nervous before I started, but I had so much fun that I'm planning to do another one next year.  It was a great day.

I'm back at uni this week so I have to dedicate my spare time to the studies.  I'm hoping to come back and work on my stroke around October this year, after I've finished exams.  

Thanks again for all your help and I'll be in touch later in the year.

Karen  

3 March 2008

Hi Ollie

I joined your clinic to try to get a better understanding of what is involved in your sport, to take much of the uncertainty I had for the first time, and to assist me in achieving my objective of getting through the course in under an hour.  You delivered it in spades, as I managed to do it within 55 minutes, which exceeded my expectations. 

Many thanks for your sessions, and all the best.

regards
Rex 

13 February 2008

Hi Ollie,

Just writing to thank you for the helpful tips and advice last weekend..

It was my first go at a Tri and without a doubt your advice and comments made the day run far smoother than it would have had I been left to my own devices in regards to transition set up etc…

I finished 183 out of the entire field and was wrapped with getting into the top half of the finishers, if I had been able to shave 1min from each section I would have been top 100 so that’s something to aim for in the next one, which is looking to be the last one in St Kilda on March 30th…

Once again thank you for taking time out to help us newbies and for making my first attempt an enjoyable one

Cheers,

Brad Cook

13 February 2008

G'Day Ollie,

Hope you did recover as well as I did from Sunday. To be honest, I felt not worse as on a usual Wednesday after a hard Tuesday run session. I have recovered very well.
Although this was my 11th Triathlon, I made two bad beginner mistakes. First, I forgot to strap the Timing band to one of my ankles before the start. So I started without a Timing band! I realized this in T1, and because I was so confused then, I forget to take any Food and Power bars with me on the bike leg. I noticed this after 20 km on the bike, when I became very hungry. All I had was tree Gel's, but that wasn't very filling, so I was starving and thought about picking up stuff, which was dropped by other athletes, from the Road. I didn't do it though. Gudrun had managed to give me the Timing band during the last bike lap, so at least I was not disqualified at the end. Well, I guess such stuff happens, doesn't it?
It took me 5:52 h to finish (50 min swim, 2:55 h bike, 1:59 h run). I'm really happy with that, there is lots of room to improve.  I really liked it, that's for sure!

So thanks for providing such a good Training for me and everyone else! 
It just feels great to be part of Tri-Alliance, and this motivates me a lot during the races.
Thanks again for organising accommodation for me and Gudrun!

See you soon!

Cheers,
Stefan

5 February 2008

It’s now nearly one year since I attended the BRW beginner’s clinic with Ollie at Elwood. Having been drafted in to a triathlon team at the last minute, with a borrowed hybrid bike and no real athletic background to speak of everything was a new experience. The beginner’s sessions were great fun and gave so many useful tips for making the first race much less daunting and so many simple ways to save time during the race.

Race day came and was a fantastic experience and with more great support from the Tri-Alliance crew I was able to post a time that was far better than my initial expectations.

Things have changed quite a bit for me since this initial experience. At the time of the BRW, I was unfit and overweight and had enjoyed the beginner’s clinic and the race so much that I decided to stick with Tri-Alliance and move onto the social membership. My initial experiences with the clinic only got better as I started training with the main squad. With a fair dose of dedication on my part and the support of the Tri-Alliance team, I am now 20kg lighter, unbelievably fitter, producing times that I never thought possible for me and after upgrading to a personlised program, I am about to complete my first Half-Ironman and producing times that I never thought possible for me when I started out.

I therefore thoroughly recommend getting involved with triathlon through tri-alliance, although be warned, it is very addictive!

Rob Grummitt

14th of March 2007,

I am a “fun triathlete” and Ollie’s training has really helped me to achieve my goals. Training with Tri Alliance is very social. Plus, I’ve learned so much through the advice you get in the sessions, newsletters, on the website and so on. If you want to give triathlon a go, then I can only recommend training with Tri Alliance.

Gudrun (Goody) Lahm

Sarah Thorburn

26th of February 2007,

23rd of November 2006

Firstly thank you very much for all your help in preparing for the Tri on the weekend. The training you gave us was awesome not only was it educational but i had fun learning it also. I really enjoyed sunday and am looking forward to race two. I have even set myself a goal (not sure how realistic it is) to do the gatorade races 4 and 6. Although i will have to improve on heaps of things. Need to improve my swim and bike legs. And also run the right way out of transition next time Oops.

Cheers thanks again mate

Best Regards

Vincent Di Corleto

20th of November 2006

Sorry I can't make it to the last two sessions. Work has pulled me away to Queensland.

I just wanted to say a big thank you for your fantastic beginner clinic sessions.

I did my first triathlon on Sunday at Mordialloc (the mini- 300/8/2) and came 5th! I ranked 5 in the 30-39 age group and 5 in all the women over 18
(54 women in total).

Also - and this is where I think you should take all the credit - I came 25th in transition out of the 170 men and women competing.

I can't remember my transition time, but a more serious triathlete I know said it was "bloody quick" :)

If you want to see the fruits of your labour, the splits are located under Heather Marsh in the Start to Finish results page.

I am super keen to keep training with tri-alliance, especially since I think I can knock a couple more minutes off my time and maybe finish on the podium one day. (also-did this on my single speed bike. Moving to a geared bike for the next one:)

Thanks again to you and Amy - you are both great coaches.

Heather

21st of November 2006

23rd of November 2006

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21st of November 2006

Just wanted to say a massive thankyou, I’ve just checked my times on the website and my aim was to do it in under 35min, and I did it in 34.33 so I’m very happy, especially after going to the U2 concert the night before.

You should be very proud of yourself for doing such an amazing job with the whole crew who attended your training sessions, its by far the best $20 I’ve ever spent, and the most value for money, you could charge $100 and people would still be happy with the end result.  You were at all times friendly, professional and approachable, and with people like you in the sport triathlons can only go up.  I would highly recommend your club and training sessions to any of my friends interested in starting up.

Please pass on my thanks to Amy for her patience in answering every female query about what to wear and how to put our hair up, also to Dave who set the cans and kept us last wave of girls company yesterday at the waters edge when we could hardly contain our adrenalin.

Cheers,

Rhona.

20th of November 2006

Thanks again for the help over the last few weeks, I couldn't imagine going into a tri without having all that practice which just kicked in like second nature on the day. I've just signed up for the social membership because I'm determined to improve my times.

Cheers,
- Adam

I had a lot of fun doing this and learned heaps.  I basically only
started training when I found out I got into the City of Port Phillip program.  Back then, I couldn't even run 500m or swim 100m !!

So regardless of the time that I did, I'm just happy that I didn't have to walk to the finish line and that I improved so much over 1.5 months.
You guys were really supportive and made it fun.  Every coach was
professional, considerate and good humoured.  So thank you for your efforts over the past weeks.  I would definitely recommend
Tri-Alliance to my friends.

See you soon,
Ernie

Thanks for all the hard work you and your team put in over the last few weeks.  It has made me so much more confident of where my limits are and what I will be able to achieve.   I especially appreciated Rachel’s extra help with swimming.  Its been a really fantastic feeling to get involved in these sessions.

Unfortunately I could not take part in the Brooks Race, but am doing the BRW race and am quite sure I will do 100% better with all the tips I now know.

I plan to take a small break in training due to work being so busy and then intend to join Tri-Alliance as a Social member a few weeks after the BRW race.
  

Regards,

Penny Parker

I just wanted to let you guys know how much I enjoyed the summer triathlon program, sponsored by the City of Port Phillip.
All of the Tri-Alliance Crew were fantastic – extremely encouraging and helpful from the very first session all the way through to crossing the finish line at the Brooks Tri.
In the past five weeks I have stopped smoking, lost 5 kilos, become extremely active, completed two mini triathlons (Protiviti and Brooks) and I feel great!
I want to commend your team and the City of Port Phillip on such a great initiative in encouraging people to be active and to challenge themselves in new areas.  I certainly plan on continuing with my training and have already registered for my next mini Tri!
Hope to see you at training soon,

Kind Regards,

Karen

Just want to add my thanks and appreciation to all the others.  I haven't had so much fun for ages, and I must admit I was beginning to think I was getting too old to enjoy such a sport!  Even the swim was okay!
I feel great today & no sore spots - I obviously didn't go hard enough!  Now for the BRW, I will know how far I can stretch myself.
I am seriously thinking of giving up my gym membership & taking up the Age Groupie membership - I know I can improve so much on the bike & run.....  Is it too late for someone about to turn 50?????
Anyway - thanks again!  We all had a ball & now I am hooked.

Cheers

Tonita Heard

In 2005 Ollie and the guys at Tri-Alliance did such a great job of coaching our 22 teams from Melbourne and Geelong giving them the confidence to complete the triathlon.   The service delivered to us was such good value and the support offered all the way right up to the pre-race registration & on the day was fantastic - I would highly recommend their coaching services to anyone. Melissa Leonard Environmental Advisor The Shell Company of Australia Limited

I first joined Tri-Alliance to lose the extra kilos I had gained with the birth of my first child. It quickly became apparent that Tri-Alliance offered me so much more than just getting back into physical shape. I immediately became part of a friendly, diverse and supportive group which supported and encouraged me to make the daily training sessions. These sessions not only provided me with the fitness requirements I sought, but also some "me time" away from the demands of the family and a "stress release" from the pressures of my own small business. Nearly 4 years later I am proud to say I am still part of the Tri-Alliance group, with goals that continually change as do my needs and aspirations, but yet which continues to offer me both the coaching and team support on a day to day basis I love so much.

Loreena Bloomfield

I am not sure whether this is a testimonial or just my first big thank you for organising such a great club for us all to be a part of. I can only speak on behalf of myself and possibly Rachel, but after the tri in Elwood I am astounded at how I have improved in the short time that I have been a member. Not only did I manage to get on my bike with my shoes already in the pedals, I managed to get my shoes on my feet and ride the full 20km! I also managed to run the 5km being about to counteract the on-set of a stitch and complete the run in the time that I had set for myself. For the whole race I set myself a 1 hour 20 target and I managed 1 hour 14 and.................and probably the most impressive thing................I have only fallen of my bike once since I signed up!I have along way to go, mentally I need to be able to manage myself better, but I personally feel that I have grown in confidence since I joined.
Thanks.

Nikki

Hi Ollie,

I just want to thank you so much for all of your encouragement and support. You make training and learning really enjoyable. Whilst driving home last night, I could not believe that I finally made "the jump" on to my bike! and then of course taking my feet out of my shoes to dismount. I know these are fairly basic skills and it comes down to confidence and practice but knowing you are there to help is very much appreciated.

My motivation has finally returned after Shepparton and Race 1 at St Kilda. I lost some enthusiasm for training and felt tired all the time but now ready to get back to enjoying it all. I am not sure that my fitness for the Elwood race will be great but I will get out there and have some fun anyway.

Thanks once again Ollie.

Michelle O'Toole

I have been training with Tri alliance for approximately 12 months now having come to the sport after being encouraged by work colleagues to compete in the BRW corporate event. My perception of the sport prior to becoming involved in it was that in it is that it would be very intimidating and that one had to have super athletic prowess to be a "triathlete".

I was very lucky to have "won" some training with Tri-Alliance after completing my second triathlon which has been a catalyst for my having accomplished more than I ever imagined would be possible. Last season I competed in the Gatorade series and was then encouraged by Ollie to complete my first Olympic distance event at Geelong. I am always elated at completing a triathlon (as I have not come from an athletic background) but finishing the Geelong event also had the added bonus of my being awarded points that allowed me to qualify to compete and represent Australia in the World Age Group Championships in Hawaii. In October this year I had the wonderful experience of wearing the "green & gold" and competing in beautiful surrounds with athletes from all over the world. Words can't begin to describe the feeling of crossing the line and representing your country. Recently I competed in the first Gatorade series this year with the aim of doing a PB over last year's race however I exceeded my own expectations with a 3rd place and my first sporting medal ever!

The "formula" at Tri-Alliance is hard to describe, there is of course the training and the programs but it is much more than that. There is a positive culture amongst the coaches and athletes at Tri-Alliance that gives you confidence, the ability and the belief in yourself to make it happen. The serious side is balanced with fun, generosity and friendship. I recall that before joining I was somewhat intimidated however from day 1, I was welcomed and encouraged by the "group" and I have never looked back. My fitness, health, (body-shape), confidence and ability have improved significantly over the 12 months, I have a great life / work balance and a very positive outlook, I have met wonderful people and made great friends. I achieved goals beyond getting fit and finishing short course races. I really love the environment of being at training and around the sport, not to mention the well earned coffee afterwards. I'm proud of the fact that I can now call myself a "triathlete" without looking over my shoulder and I'm looking forward to this season and the next and....
knowing that goals I once thought impossible are now possible with the right training and positive encouragement.

Susan Scott

I'd just like to say thanks for your assistance with the icebreaker sessions in the lead up to last sunday. definately a big help!
you may recall that i mentioned to you on sunday morning that i had no butterflies or nervous energy. i put it down to what I learnt at your sessions. I may have been underdone physically (after a month of no training to beat the flu and only just over a week of acutal training before sunday), but mentally I was fine thanks to being confident in gear and personal preparation, not to mention having a pretty good idea of what to expect.
I certainly didn't expect to finish in the top 200 as a first timer.

Thanks again,

Simon.

You must be pretty happy with the turnout from yesterday, it was great to see so many people from our squad there and all kitted up. You've created an awesome environment for training with fantastic people as members - you must be very proud and l tell you what, l'm so happy to be a part of it!!

Cheers,
Hayles