Announcing The ironSquad
The ironSquad brings to the Age Group demographic what various professional squads have enjoyed for years: A squad of athletes trained by a single coach, backed by a collection of high calibre, professional sponsor products and services.
Team Coach
Marc Becker of ironguides, a multiple top ten IM finisher, twice top-fifty at the Hawaii Ironman; member of the 1992 Canadian men's ITU world champion elite team; two-time Canadian long course champion; and a certified Triathlon Canada coach since 1992. Marc brings an in-depth, first-hand experience of what it means to balance the needs of full-time work and "real life" responsibilities with the uncompromising demands of athletic performance.
Marc founded ironguides in 1999 with the aim of making simple, effective training methods available to accomplished and new triathletes. The ironSquad makes Marc's highly successful and unique approach accessible to a larger group of athletes.
Team Management
Felipe Bastos is ironguides' "resident pro" and Team Manager of The ironSquad. Based in Birmingham, Alabama, Felipe has been a professional triathlete since age 19, when he moved from Brazil to the US. As a coach with ironguides.net he focuses on newcomers to the sport with an emphasis on sprint and Olympic distance races. He is currently preparing for law school starting in the fall of 2008 and in the meantime is working on moving his top end speed to the Ironman circuit. Learn more about Felipe at felipebastos.com.
The ironSquad
Designed to appeal to high performance Age Group athletes focusing on the Ironman distance, for a monthly coaching fee each member of the ironSquad receives the attentive, unique coaching approach that Marc is known for, as well as access to sponsor products and discounts, ironguides race apparel and product, and discounted access to ironguides training camps.
Athlete selection to the ironSquad is based on a mix of criteria including but not limited to the athlete's results. ironSquad athletes are high performance athletes such as previous AG podium getters coached in recent seasons by ironguides, including Kristine Rotan (3rd in AG, IM Florida), Sara Nelson (AG winner, IM Arizona, IM Lake Placid), Josh Friedman (2005 North American Age Group Ironman Champion), Tim Legge (2005 North American Clydesdale Ironman Champion), Wendie Kellington (AG winner, IM Lanzarote), Lisa James (4th Overall, AG Winner, IM Wisconsin), Jennifer Potts (3rd Overall, IM France), Rachael Beck (AG winner, top-twenty IM France, Irish National Duathlon Champion, Irish National Long Distance Champion), John Fisher (AG winner, top-twenty IM France), and many others.
ironSquad athletes are also selected for their ability to overcome significant hurdles as athlete and individual. We also base our selection on an athlete's willingness to promote our sponsors and their ability to provide a flexible racing schedule so that we can maximize sponsor exposure on the triathlon circuit. We show preferred selection to athletes who for one reason or another enjoy a higher profile of awareness in their community and the sport of triathlon. And finally, athletes that show great reservoirs of courage, untapped ability or an ability to market themselves will also receive a strong welcome to the ironSquad.
Only in its infancy, the ironSquad already includes an impressive roster of athletes: Rachel Ross, second amateur overall at Ironman Hawaii 2007; Christopher Martin, 4th overall at the US AG National Championships 2007; Francois Modave, 9:26 Personal Best IM time; Rachael Beck, 2006 Irish National Long Distance Champion and AG winner at IM France; John Fisher, top-twenty and AG winner at IM France 2005; Lisa James, 4th overall at IM Wisconsin 2005; Wil Yamamoto, a 9:30 Ironman Hawaii front-runner in the age group ranks; and DJ Toman, National Coach of the Taiwan Triathlon Team.
ironSquad athletes are currently registered in IM's throughout the year and will be racing somewhere nearly every weekend of the 2008 season, beginning in March 2008. ironSquad and ironguides athletes will be represented at the following Ironman races in 2008: IM Arizona, IM Brazil, IM Lanzarote, IM France, IM Germany, IM Austria, IM Wisconsin, IM Canada, IM Hawaii, IM Florida, the Roth Quelle Challenge IM distance race, as well as many of the 70.3 events, the AG world championships, and various other IM races currently under discussion.
The ironSquad has signed contracts or is in negotiation with a list of high quality, committed sponsors including Rudy Project, Yankz, First Endurance, Brad King's Ultimate Protein, Ultima Immuno Care, Nineteen Wetsuits, Choose Energy lifestyle management, and Trisports.com triathlon merchandise website. The ironSquad is proud to be associated with such a high calibre collection of sponsors, who receive:
- A single point of contact for a platform that covers an entire squad of athletes (the ironSquad), all high performance, working AG athletes -- and not just a single athlete
- Exclusivity to their product category
- Mention by logo and word in "The eKick", ironguides' newsletter to athletes and the broader fitness community
- Logos on race wear and training gear for the squad and for all ironguides personal coaching clients
- And much more, depending on their choice of our three sponsorship tiers: Diamond, Gold, and Silver, each suiting differing sponsor criteria and pricing objectives
More information
Athletes wishing to apply to The ironSquad should send an email to felipe@ironguides.net with a list of recent race results, 2008 season schedule and objectives, a brief biography and any additional interesting or noteworthy achievements for which they are known.
The ironSquad is still finalizing its list of sponsors for the 2008 season. If you are a sponsor interested in partnering with The ironSquad, please send an email to felipe@ironguides.net to request the ironSquad Partnership Proposal.