April 29th 2010
Open Water Sessions launched at Holme Pierrepont

Absolute Triathlon Coaching in Nottingham will be holding a series of coached open water sessions at the National Watersports Centre starting on Friday April 30th. The sessions will be coached by the current ITU Age Group World Champion Nick Dunn and leading Level 3 Coach Steve Lloyd and will take place weekly until September.

This will be the first time that regular open water swimming at Holme Pierrepont has been made available to triathletes outside of Absolutes’ Nottingham based club and the decision was in response to the increased demand for training sessions in the build up to new race the ‘Outlaw’ and the infamous National Relays.

Steve Lloyd commented “We will be providing high quality open water swim coaching to triathletes across the East Midlands and beyond and we can cater for all abilities and all distances. Whether you are looking to take part in your first open water race this season, want to increase your confidence or are an experienced triathlete looking to make improvements theses sessions are a great place to start”.

As well as boasting one of the best open water venues in the area Holme Pierrepont also has plenty of off road running trails and offers the opportunity to do some serious transition practice, over the course of the summer Absolute will also be running various additional sessions including bike handing skills and race preparation.

To attend the sessions there is a one off registration fee of £10, the first session in free and subsequent sessions are £6. Included in the price is coaching, parking, changing rooms and showers, there is also a bar on site serving drinks and snacks. Most sessions will take place on a Friday evening 6.30 pm – 7.30 pm with some exceptions, pre-registration is essential and for more information please contact Jayne Lloyd on 0115 9607912.

April 12 2010
Top Triathlete joins Absolute Triathlon Coaching

The 2009 ITU Age Group World Champion Nick Dunn has joined East Midlands based coaching company Absolute Triathlon. Nick will work alongside established Level 3 Coach Steve Lloyd to develop and grow the business over the next 12 months extending their range of services to triathletes in the area and beyond.

As the sport continues to grow owner Steve Lloyd has seen a big increase in the demand for triathlon coaching and when looking to extend the Absolute team Nick was first choice. Steve said “As well as being a good friend I have worked with Nick on several occasions and have been amazed at his skill both as a coach and athlete. His passion & energy for the sport is contagious and our athletes will benefit from his technical knowledge, his positive attitude as well as his experience of competing at such a high level. I am really looking forward to our partnership.”

Absolute Triathlon Coaching launched in 2004 and owner Steve Lloyd re-located to Nottingham just over two years ago. The company offer personalised training programmes, swim session analysis and workshops plus local athletes are able to join the triathlon club that Steve launched in 2009 in Bestwood, Nottingham.

Nick commented “I am really excited about this opportunity, I love working with people and sharing what I have learnt over the years and Steve and I have the same coaching philosophy. I feel that coaching is about understanding the athlete and working with them to provide a programme that reflects their lifestyle and personal goals, I get a real buzz from helping people achieve their own triathlon related ambitions whether it’s completing their first event or looking to qualify for a specific race.”

Nick, 28, has recently been voted the British Triathlon Federation’s (BTF) Age Group Triathlete of the Year 2009 but as well as being a successful athlete he has also been a popular personal trainer and sports coach in Nottingham for a number of years. He has recently completed his Level 2 BTF coaching award and will be working towards his Level 3 in the near future; Nick also has a Sports Science degree and is a qualified sports massage therapist and Level 3 Personal Trainer.

29.12.09 Steve Lloyd appointed West Midlands Regional Head Coach

Age group triathlete and Level 3 Tri Coach Steve Lloyd has been appointed Regional Head Coach for the British Triathlon Federation (BTF) in the West Midlands.

Steve will be working alongside the West Midlands committee to lead a Regional Academy capable of developing athletes from local and regional programmes to become national and internationally recognised athletes in line with the BTF National Development Strategy. As well as monthly academy days, athletes will also benefit from on-going coaching and continuous monitoring.

Steve said “I am really looking forward to helping those talented athletes in the West Midlands to build on their potential and give them opportunities to experience top quality coaching from inside and outside the sport with a view to producing athletes capable of being accepted on to the World Class Programme. I also hope that through nurturing these young athletes that they are all given the opportunity to reach their potential and be the best they are capable of and to be proud to be a part of the West Midlands Regional Academy.”

The West Midlands region consists of six counties comprising of, Birmingham, Black Country, Greater Warwickshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire and Worcester & Hereford. There are over 25 clubs based in the region providing quality coaching for competitive and recreational triathletes and there is a strong emphasis to encourage all abilities. The region has a very effective and active committee currently chaired by Rob Robson.

Steve commented “It is really great to be working with such a dynamic team in the West Midlands, I hope to bring my skills, experience and to make the academy the performance focus of the entire region that junior triathletes strive to be a part of. I have previously assisted at the Academy and it’s a huge honour to be back developing new and existing talent as well as working with the high number of quality club coaches throughout the region.”

Steve has been involved in sport and coaching for over 16 years and has run his own Triathlon Coaching business, Absolute Triathlon for 6 years. He is also Head Coach and Chairman for Nottingham based Absolute Triathlon Club launched in 2009 which now boasts over 100 members including just under 40 juniors.

Great results for Absolute Triathlon clients at the Mazda London Triathlon

Chloe Barton finished 6th in the Youth race in her first London Triathlon
only 1:30 behind second place in a time of 40:48

Absolute had 3 athletes racing Olympic Distance, all had great times for their first race or new PB's:

Louise finally broke the 2 hour 30 minute barrier with a time of
2:26:03 finishing 3rd in her age group.

Jon did a fantastic time of 2:23:00 in his first Olympic Distance race finishing 14th in his age group

Andrew (only started doing triathlon in April this year) completed the race in 2:29:28 - when he started working with us his goal was sub 3 hours. 

Previous results:

Lucinda completed the Bourton 10k in a new PB of 52:51. This is a stepping stone to the new tri season where she will be aiming for PB's across Sprint and Olympic distance races

Duncan completed the Clumber Duathlon on Saturday 7th March which is a qualifier for the World Championships, Concord USA 2009. Duncan finished 5th overall in his age group only 6 minutes behind the winner and based on selection looks to have qualified at the first of the 3 races which means he can relax and use the next 2 races to sharpen his racing

Chloe who is with the West Midlands academy raced at the Burntwood aquathon Sunday March 8th and came 10th overall, 3rd overall female and 1st in the Youth category. In her first full season Chloe is looking to make an impact this year and should continue to improve as the year goes on.

Open Water Training Sessions, Worcester

If you’re looking to compete in your first open water Triathlon or simply want to improve your confidence Runaround Sports in Worcester are running two open water training sessions on Saturday August 8th 2009 between 8 and 10.00 am.

The sessions will be coached by Steve Lloyd from Absolute Triathlon Coaching who will prepare and guide participants through all the aspects of open water swimming including: -

• Mass starts
• Drafting
• Open Water Turns
• Sight & navigate in open water
• Building confidence
• Advice on Wetsuits

These skills are vital for the extra demands of open water swimming and the session will be split into 2 groups, each having an hours coaching with an additional hour in the water to practice, the cost is £9.50 per person. Training will take place in the lake at Top Barn Farm, Worcester and there are plenty of other facilities to keep you occupied during the rest of the day including running and bike trails, a brand new coffee shop and Runaround’s specialist running & triathlon shop.

Spaces are limited and booking is essential, please contact Runaround Sports on 01905 622288 or e-mail sales@runaroundsports.co.uk