Russell Cox: Ironman Athlete and Coach
Contact Russell
Interested in my coaching or my writing? Have a question about training, racing or a particular post?
Get in touch by one of the following means:
Coach
Combining a clear knowledge of training principles with experience training and racing to a high level, I help athletes set and work towards their goals. Plans are practical, progress is tested and race execution is practised. My athletes race knowing they have the fitness and ability to perform their best.
Athlete
I'm an elite age-group athlete placing on the podium in major Ironman races, racing at the Ironman World Championship twice and regularly representing Great Britain as an age-grouper at ITU Long Distance World Championships. I continue to look for ways to push myself further and raise my performance to the next level.
Writer
I have a passion for endurance sports and I enjoy sharing my knowledge through writing. This blog has transformed into a medium to share my point of view on the endurance sports and training. My writing can also be found on other websites such as Endurance Corner and Triathlete Europe.
History
I avoided sport throughout my teens, preferring to hide what little ability I had. University introduced me to the internet and when I should have been studying Biology I lurked in computer rooms. I never made it as a biologist, but a career in IT beckoned. Days were spent in front of a screen; exercise was a coffee run. My waistline expanded as rapidly as my knowledge of obscure films, comics, and science fiction literature.
Pre-2001
In my twenties, overweight and unfit I realised if I didn't do something my thirties wouldn't look good. I started what would become a tradition of 'all-or-nothing' adopting a strict diet and hitting the gym. I was clueless. I made mistakes: I ate too little and trained too hard. But I was determined; despite injury and exhaustion I didn't give up.
2001
Exercise was addictive. A year on I was fitter, lighter and training more than ever; I was ready to move to the treadmill! It took a year to start running, but only a month to be hooked. Soon I was outdoors, no longer confined to a basement gym. Still clueless.
2002
Everything was fine until a friend suggested entering a race. Realising I knew nothing about how to really train I turned to online programs. I attempted to be structured, but mostly just ran whenever I could. A 10K was run: I loved it. Shortly after I entered a half-marathon...
2003
I got a coach. I entered a marathon. I tried a triathlon. With each step my ambitions increased. Training was planned: I had a schedule. Exercise dominated the time between sleep, work and food. I liked going long and inevitably I gravitated towards the Ironman. My first race, in Austria, was amazing and horrible. I was hooked.
2004-2008
Five years after I first raced I quit my job, flew to the Gold Coast and began a gap year of travel, racing and training. I was focussed: I wanted to become a better Ironman triathlete, qualify for Kona and place in my age group. Training harder, striving for better results; progress was slow, but signs of improvement were there.
2008
I chased Ironman World Championship slots around the world only to qualify back in the UK. I'd cut it fine: two months till Hawaii and four Ironmans in my legs. Getting there was half the battle - I threw myself back into training, because it has to be your A game at Kona. The hard work paid off: on October 10th, 2009, I crossed the finish line in 9:47, the third British age-grouper.
2009
One year wasn't enough. I migrated south again, this time to New Zealand. I'd completed Kona and now I wanted to compete. The season was going well, capped with a strong performance at the ITU Long Distance Worlds. Then disaster - injury stopped me from running. I fought hard and completed my second Hawaii in a respectable 10:00:08. Not what I wanted, but I knew I'd be back.
2010
Time for change. I took my knowledge and experience in triathlon and endurance racing to turn my hobby into a career. Coaching: helping others improve their fitness and achieve their goals. Writing: sharing my views on training and racing for triathlon. And still training: continuing to test my limits. The age group podium in Hawaii is my ultimate Ironman goal.
2011 Onwards