1st Place in his 1st Olympic distance Triathlon- Joseph Brittain, Rockstar Beginner Triathlete
Coaches Notes:
I am so impressed with Joseph and his triathlon journey over the last 8 weeks.
We met at the Ride on Ryan Sprint Triathlon in Savannah, Georgia, which, as you all know, is the race I am part of to honor the memory of my deceased boyfriend, Ryan Williams.
Every year we get beginner triathletes to cross the line, falling in love with triathlon just as much as Ryan did. This year, I offered a raffle for my eight-week beginner tri program, and Joseph won!
He did all the training, asking questions and showing up at the coach’s calls to reach his goal of an Olympic Distance Triathlon.
Not only did he complete it, but he got 1st in his age group!
WOO HOO! Ryan would be so proud as am I and Full Circle Coach Ollie Garcia, who is head coach for the beginner tri group program!
You are a Rockstar Triathlete, Joseph- I can’t wait to see what’s next for your triathlon journey!
What is your age?
29
What is your profession?:
Civil Engineer in Savannah, GA
Why did you choose FCC to help you on your triathlon/health and wellness journey?
I met Coach Erinne and Coach Ollie at the Ride on Ryan Sprint Triathlon in Savannah in May 2023. They were very easy to talk to and even gave me a few tips before the race. I had done a couple sprints, but I knew I wanted to complete my first Olympic triathlon ASAP. I jumped at the opportunity to be able to work with Coach Erinne and Coach Ollie when I saw Full Circle was offering an 8-week training program at the charity silent auction.
What is/ was your “A” race for this season?
Game on! St. Augustine Olympic Triathlon last week. Hopefully, I’ll set a new “A” race in stone soon.
What are your BIG goals?
I try to not get too far ahead of myself, but I certainly want to complete my first marathon and first half ironman soon.
Tell me about your successes so far!
I started taking my fitness journey seriously in January 2022. I was initially trying to lose weight and get in better shape for an upcoming ski trip. That is when I signed up for my first 5K race since high school. I really enjoyed the challenge and competition and have been progressively taking on bigger and bigger challenges ever since.
It’s been very rewarding to be able to surprise myself each step along the way so far. Losing 20 pounds (190 lbs to 170 lbs) is just icing on the cake so to speak.
What were some of your biggest improvements in performance for each of the following? Swim, Bike, Run, and Nutrition/Health.
Swim: In my first couple sprints, I would swap to breaststroke to get my heart rate down and sight. In my recent Olympic, I had better pacing / breathing, and swam in freestyle the whole time with no problem. My sighting is still a work in progress.
Bike: Thanks to the training plan and making the jump from a road bike to a triathlon bike. I went from an 18.7 mph pace in my Sprint race in May 2023 to a 21-mph pace in my Olympic race in July 2023.
Run: I’ve made significant improvements since 2022 in the 5K (24:32 to 19:55) and 10K (± 50 min to 42:02). I also completed my first Half Marathon in January 2023 (1 hour 38 minutes) and completed my longest run ever during a 3-hour timed race in April 2023 (21 miles).
Name 2 or 3 things that have made the biggest difference in your journey:
- Following the Training Plan. Spending as much time swimming and biking, as I did running.
- Asking questions. I’m not too ashamed to admit that I didn’t know I needed to be cleaning my bike chain regularly.
- Group Training / Accountability.
What excites you the most about being involved in running/triathlon?
Being relatively new to the sport, I am excited about continuing to make connections with other people with similar goals or taking on similar challenges. I’m also excited about continuing to progress in my fitness journey and hopefully continuing to be surprised by what I’m able to accomplish.
What would you say to another person who was on the fence about joining our training program?
It was great being able to ask questions and get suggestions from someone with a lot of experience in Triathlon and Coaching. Coach Erinne and Coach Ollie really challenged me and some of the workouts were harder than I was used to, but it gave me a lot of confidence to know that I was prepared on race day.
Do you want results like these? My 16-week Triathlon Transformation Training Program is designed to help you get faster for your next triathlon in less time than other training programs.
The Triathlon Transformation Program focuses on you as an individual; your form, technique, strength, fueling, and mindset. Through video analysis, metabolic testing, holistic lifestyle coaching, and a supportive community, you will achieve all your triathlon dreams and goals to get faster in less time.
If you want to show up confidently at the start of your next race — swimming, biking, and running past the competition, sprinting across the finish line with arms overhead, knowing you nailed it — then this program is for you.
Click here to apply for my 16-Week Triathlon Transformation Program.
Erinne Guthrie has been a USA Triathlon Level II Certified Coach since 1999 and Chief Motivating Officer at Full Circle Coaching, LLC since 2010. Creator of Triathlon Transformation. She has been training, racing, and coaching triathletes since 1997. She is also a CHEK Holistic Lifestyle Coach Level 3, USMS Master’s Swim Coach, Motivational Speaker, Metabolic Efficiency Specialist, Mom, Mermaid, and much more.
