Meet Our Team

Meet Kristen Thomas

“Strength does not come from what you can do. It comes from overcoming the things you once thought you could not do.” – Unknown

We all need help to succeed…

It seems it always takes someone else to help us get set and excel on the path to health and success. My athletic life began by my wonderful parents putting me on a swim team when I was just two years old. Luckily, I had coaches that were willing to work with me at such a young age. I was excited to learn and participate in the sport (and I still hold a swimming record in my hometown). Fast forward through many, many training sessions with guidance from several coaches…as I began college at Purdue University, it took friends to teach me about lifting weights and introduce me to the school’s water polo team. Playing water polo for a Big Ten team was something I never thought I could do. I was happier and healthier, mentally and physically, when I was challenged, active, and engaged with others. I fell off the exercise train when I took a corporate job and moved away from anyone I knew. I was unhappy, angry, and depressed without activity in my life. One day I was tired of being tired. I just started running one block at a time. I looked up a famous running coach from my hometown (Hal Higdon) because I had his wife as my 6th-grade teacher. Utilizing his plan, I trained for a half marathon and at that race discovered the wonderful group: Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training. With their help, I prepared for my first triathlon and then, through TNT, was provided the opportunity to mentor others that wanted to get into the sport. Once I started coaching with them, I knew I had found my passion for helping others achieve their goals. Triple Threat Tough and Sport Speed Lab were created out of that passion which still intensifies to this day. My life, especially professionally, is blessed because others have invested in me. I want to do the same and devote my time and energy in others. As iron sharpens iron, one man sharpens another (Proverbs 27:17).

My Coaching Philosophy

My passion as a coach resides in helping people achieve things they never thought possible. I take junior swimmers and refine their technique and strategy to help them win championships. I guide adults to help them succeed at crossing their first triathlon, and then Ironman, finish line. I teach people who were once afraid even to put their toe in a pool, how to swim laps and go on to enjoy open water swimming. I excel at assessing where clients are currently at and then coaching them on what they need to do to get to where they want to go. I teach my athletes that it takes two things to accomplish their goals: physiology and psychology. If they properly evolve both the body and the brain, they can attain anything they set out to do. It takes knowledge, planning, and commitment. It is my job to educate, guide, and motivate them through every step of the way.

“Always continue the climb. It is possible for you to do whatever you choose, if you first get to know who you are and are willing to work with a power that is greater than ourselves to do it.”
— Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Meet Tommy Johnson

Triathlon and endurance sports are all about the journey to your goal race. The journey is the destination.

Enjoying the journey…

I’ve always been a cyclist. I can’t remember ever not riding a bike. As a teenager, I rode to the swim club for fun and swim team workouts. In high school I rode to stay in shape during the summer for the upcoming football season. In college my bike was my transportation. After college I was able to afford my first ‘really nice bike’ – a Trek 2200. Club rides and races followed. Cycling continued to be my sport for maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Fast forward to 2004. I had just completed an MBA degree and was looking for a new challenge. I’m very goal oriented and having something to work towards brings me great satisfaction. “Get back into bike club rides and races,” I thought. I was surfing bike race websites and came across websites for triathlon races. “I already have the cycling background. I swam some in high school. All I have to do is add the running,” was my thinking. After my first race in Las Cruces, NM, I was hooked. Triathlon is now my “lifestyle”.

My Coaching Philosophy

My coaching philosophy is based on effective athlete/coach communication and athlete education. I believe effective coaching requires the athlete and coach to communicate on a very regular basis. I encourage my coached athletes to communicate via text, email, phone, video conference or face-to-face whenever needed. As your coach, it’s my job to know the science of training and use it appropriately to help you reach your goals. Effective athlete/coach communication adds context to the training plan and workout data. We aren’t pro athletes with unlimited time to train. We all have other commitments – families, children, work, school, etc. Together we’ll design a plan that takes into account your real life situation and that accomplishes your goals. Along the journey you will have an enjoyable and exhilarating experience training and racing.

Coaching since 2008

Meet Coach Denise

“If you never did, you should. These things are fun, and fun is good.” – Dr Seuss

Obstacles are meant to be overcome…

I became a coach because I love helping people reach their goals. My own athletic goals were interrupted by back problems and when I finally recovered from disc replacement surgery, I found out that I needed a total hip replacement. As I struggled with my own physical challenges, I considered giving up coaching, but my athletes told me that my struggles helped them overcome their own. Now I specialize in athletes that have their own special challenges like knee problems, injury recovery and medical complications.

My Coaching Philosophy

A coach is not only someone that provides training expertise but also someone that pushes you when you need it, encourages you when you run into challenges and, most importantly, believes in you before you believe in yourself.

My Message to You

“If you never did, you should. These things are fun, and fun is good.” – Dr Seuss
“Happiness is pushing your limits and watching them back down.” – New Balance ad
“Be not afraid of going slowly; be afraid only of standing still.” – Chinese proverb

Coaching since 2013

Meet Becky Kaye

“Be Strong in Your Resolve, Deal Only with What IS and avoid Wondering What If!” – Unknown

I have had an active, energetic mind my whole life. At the same time, I’ve struggled always wondering if, or when, my body would match! From a young age, I was overweight, and I carried this with me for years. I made critical life decisions based on it — deciding to follow a career path of graphic design rather than a more active job of teaching and coaching. I played sports, coached sports, both adult and youth, all while still maintaining an unhealthy weight.

In 1995, tired of making choices in my life based on fear or limitations, I decided to change my lifestyle, ultimately my whole life. Over the next 4 years, I lost 108 pounds. As my overall physical, as well as my self-confidence, dramatically improved, I realized my current career and lifestyle were not making me happy. Because I wanted to instruct, coach, help others reach healthy goals as well as be more be active personally, I chose a new career and a new lifestyle.

I went back to school to become a Physical Therapist and signed up for my first endurance cycling event, a 350-mile ride over four days. I was hooked! Then in 2002 after participating in my first Americas Most Beautiful Bike Ride in Lake Tahoe with Team in Training (TNT), I began a path to becoming a Coach. Through the TNT program, I completed my beginner and advanced cycling certifications and went on to coach several teams in subsequent years. Being a coach for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society TNT program has been one of the most gratifying experiences in my life. I met amazing people of all athletic abilities and felt honored to help them achieve their fitness and cycling goals. In 2013, with the help of an amazing triathlon coach and friend (who just happens to be Coach Kristen) I began participating in triathlons, completing my first one, River Cities Triathlon, at the age of 50! Little did I know that my real journey had just begun.

My Coaching Philosophy

Don’t focus so hard on the goal that you forget to enjoy the journey, that you forget to tell yourself how great you are for all the many perhaps seemingly small accomplishments along the way.

So often we focus perhaps too much on reaching the end goal, sometimes paying little or no attention to the process, to the journey along the way. We all have obstacles that can interfere with achieving our goal, yet it is these very challenges, these things to overcome that can often be the most gratifying part of the journey and ultimately make us stronger.

Over the years, I have coached and trained a wide variety of athletes, some who didn’t even actually consider themselves athletes when they started. The skills I have gained being a coach since 2006 and a physical therapist since 1997, provide me unique knowledge and experience that I bring to cycle coaching, bike fits, and for the Postural Stability programming. My job is to listen, to observe, to encourage, and to help you reach your fitness goals, enjoying all the small accomplishments along the way.

Coaching since 2006

Meet Coach Bryce

“The obstacle in the path becomes the path. Never forget, within every obstacle is an opportunity to improve our condition.” -Ryan Holiday

Finding Your Own Path

We often view fitness as a linear path, when in reality that path has many twists and turns along the way. It involves a process of finding out what works and what doesn’t for each individual. What you enjoy and what you absolutely hate. What makes you feel good and what feels more like a chore.

My personal fitness journey and my path within the fitness industry is no different. I struggled with my weight and body dysmorphia for the better part of 25+ years. Growing up, I was always the “funny fat kid” who hid my insecurities through humor. I did get lucky in being a generally natural athlete who didn’t have to try too hard to pick up new sports. But this ultimately left me with a false narrative that I didn’t need to put in the hard work when it came to my fitness. Oh boy, I was wrong.

I am now a certified personal trainer, Certified USA TRI coach and someone who completed his first Tri (on a rented bike), ran in various Spartan races, tackled 100-mile bike rides, and even competed in the Hyrox world championships. I’m always looking for a new race and a new challenge to tackle. My health and fitness journey has taken some unexpected twists and turns along the way, but I am excited to see where this path leads and hopeful that many more will come along for the ride.

My Coaching Philosophy

I firmly believe that we are a product of where we invest our time, energy, and effort. My coaching style involves assessing where my athletes currently are and where they ultimately want to be. We then develop a plan to make small, attainable adjustments within their lives to ensure that their habits are supporting the lifestyle they want to live. This is my philosophy for all my athletes, from brand new athletes to endurance athletes hoping to podium in their next race – we focus on the small adjustments that lead to big results over time. Through positive encouragement, support, and sometimes tough love, I teach my athletes to trust in the process and enjoy the journey.

Coaching since 2018