Two months ago, at at the TI Triathlon-Swim Camp at the National Triathlon Training Center in Clermont FL, I enjoyed the privilege of coaching alongside a very strong group of TI coaches–all of whom happened to be women. Not only was I the only male in the group, I was also the only coach lacking formal triathlon credentials.  Suzanne Atkinson, Celeste St. Pierre, Dinah Mistilis, and Tracey Baumann all boast some mix of certification as triathlon coaches, current direct coaching of multisport athletes (and swimmers), and/or experience participating in triathlon themselves.

Two other TI Coaches at that camp, Darbi Roberts and Kirsten Sass have the distinction of having achieved elite athlete status as triathletes. Between them, they made 2015 a banner year for TI coaches in multisport.

In November, Darbi improved her already-impressive Ironman personal record by 20 minutes to record a stunning 9:05. In our interview, Darbi shared that, though she races as a pro, she must balance her training with unusually demanding personal and professional pursuits, which include serving as a Dean at Columbia University, while concurrently pursuing a Doctorate in education at Columbia’s illustrious Teacher’s College. News Flash: Just this week, Darbi successfully defended her doctoral dissertation.

This week’s post features my chat with Kirsten Sass, who became the most decorated multisport athlete of all time. Kirsten–who is coached by Suzanne Atkinson–capped a fantastic racing year by adding the title of Overall Age Group World Champion in Olympic distance to a long list of USA national championships. And at year’s end, Triathlete Magazine honored her as both the Age Group Triathlete of the Year and Duathlete of the Year–so far as we can tell the first time one individual has ever won both honors.

Kirsten's smile says it all: World Champion

Kirsten’s smile says it all: World Champion!

Like Darbi, Kirsten has balanced rarefied athletic feats with a full life. As Kirsten says, her most important role is as a mom to Sebastian and AlyssaBella, shown below, following one of Kirsten’s USA titles, with husband Jeff Sass

Proud family with inspirational Mom

Kirsten’s Support Team

And Monday to Friday, Kirsten is a busy Physician Assistant at the McKenzie (TN) Family Medicine Center, founded by her dad Volker Winkler MD, a triathlete himself and a TI enthusiast for over 20 years.

Kirsten with nurses Gina Pinkston (L) and Marie Chappel (R)

Kirsten with nurses Gina Pinkston (L) and Marie Chappel (R)

As you’ll learn in the interview Kirsten has two great assets. First, an irrepressible positive attitude: After finishing last in her age group in her first triathlon, she thought, “Well, I have nowhere to go but up.” And second, TI techniques and practice principles, both of which she credits with helping her Achieve Flow as athlete, mother, and health professional.

Enjoy our chat.  It includes several clips of Kirsten and I ‘synch-swimming’ in the National Triathlon Center pool.

Both Kirsten and Darbi have enjoyed such success and happiness–in and beyond their sport–in part, by swimming better through smarter choices–not greater efforts. Learn more about this in our ebook Sneaky Speed: Smarter Choices in Triathlon Swimming available as a free download in our online store.

Learn the ultra-efficient techniques that helped both Kirsten and Darbi (and thousands of others) swim faster . . . easier . . . with our downloadable Complete Self-Coaching Toolkit.

Or join us for our next Triathlon Swim Camp May 11 to 13 in Key Biscayne FL.

May your laps be as happy as mine,

Terry Laughlin