Head Coach | Director

Mark has a BSc in Sports Science and MSc in Applied Exercise Physiology and is a BTF Level 3 qualified coach. After a stint as a physiologist for GB Sailing, he moved into the world of triathlon in 2002 where he was the Physiologist for the British Olympic Triathlon Team until 2010, supporting and attending both the Athens and Beijing Olympics.

In 2010 Mark moved from the science and management world to coaching, taking over the post of Head Coach at Loughborough High-Performance Triathlon Centre. This was one of two centres around the UK that catered for athletes with Olympic ambitions.

In 2012 he coached Lucy Hall for the 2012 Olympics. During his time as a coach for the High-Performance Elite Programme, he guided Matt Sharp to a world U23 championship and Adam Bowden to numerous top 10 WTS finishes.

At the end of 2014 he left to pursue his own coaching business, Intelligent Triathlon Training. He now works with non-drafting Pro and AG group athletes, bringing a blend of higher-performance coaching, applied sports science and experience to benefit all athletes.

Every year since 2015 he has coached athletes to a place at the Ironman World Championships in Kona (and now Nice), and to Ironman 70.3 World Championships.

In order to maintain the quality of coaching, he maintains a relatively small cohort of athletes.

Outside of coaching, Mark continues to ride his bike with a focus on endurance gravel events, having completed the UK’s premier event, the Dirty Reiver, several times with a best time around 8 hours. Next up Unbound Gravel!

When not riding or coaching his time is devoted to his wife and two daughters.

Coach | Pro Triathlete

Sam entered the triathlon world relatively late at the grand old age of 21, debuting at Fritton Lake Olympic distance in June 2011. Before this, he had competed at an elite level in high-performance sailing.

Having spent so much of his time on the water certainly didn’t help him very much when it came to swimming in it!! However, like most people when they do their first triathlon - he was hooked!! After embarking on some training and some more Olympic distance races, he set his sights on qualifying for the GB ages group championships in Hyde Park in 2013. Racing on the same course as the greats at the London Olympics the year before was an incredibly inspiring experience and set him up for a new challenge - middle-distance racing.

After a season of middle distance and 70.3 racing, he qualified for the 2015 70.3 World Championships in Austria. In 2016 he started working with Intelligent Triathlon and Mark, who is still his coach to this day.

In April 2019 he made his Ironman debut at the North American Championships in Texas, finishing 8th with the second-fastest debut of all time by a British athlete with a time of 8 hours, 14 minutes and 16 seconds.

In 2023 having not raced properly for nearly three years he raced Ironman Hamburg finishing in a speedy 7h55m

His coaching approach looks to harness the metrics available with a personal relationship with his athletes. This allows him to discover what makes an athlete tick and, therefore, tailor sessions to best test their strengths and develop their weaknesses.

"Mark and I have enjoyed chewing over so many different ideas in how to adapt, approach and execute sessions so I am very excited to be working alongside him at Intelligent Triathlon Training".

At the end of 2023, Sam and his wife celebrated the birth of their first child, and now, as every experienced parent knows, life has definitely changed.

Lucija brings a wealth of knowledge and practical experience to her coaching. With a BSc in Sports Science and an MSc in Exercise Physiology, she has been a Performance Physiologist at Loughborough Sport since 2020. 

Her expertise spans from helping individuals complete their first sprint triathlon to guiding elite athletes towards European and World Championships. A highlight from her time as physiologist for the Loughborough Triathlon Performance Centre was being a key member of the interdisciplinary team that supported the Paris Olympic triathlon gold medalist Cassandre Beaugrand.

Lucija's personal background is in triathlon. She has competed since 2010 and represented the Croatian Triathlon Federation as a junior, which gives her a unique understanding of the challenges athletes face. After moving to Loughborough, she continued to compete for the university, juggling this alongside her studies, building her coaching experience, and doing a part-time job!

Her coaching journey includes leading swim and run sessions for the Loughborough Students triathlon squad and assisting with ITT’s swim sessions and swim school for the past three years.

What sets Lucija apart is her holistic approach. She combines her deep understanding of sports science with a genuine appreciation for the athlete’s journey, ensuring her coaching is personalised to each individual's needs. While science drives her methods, she believes the key to success is building strong relationships with athletes—understanding their athletic goals and the person behind them.  She is a fantastic people person and will take the time to get to know you and how to get the best out of you. She is a real team player who will leave no stone unturned in ensuring you get the best support.

This balance of scientific expertise and personal connection is why she’s an ideal fit for us at Intelligent Triathlon Training, working alongside Mark & Sam and bringing her own unique skill set to the fore. 

Whether you're new to triathlon or aiming for elite performance, Lucija will create a program tailored to you, blending cutting-edge science with compassionate, athlete-focused support.