12/18/09
ironguides mourns the passing of Marc Becker
It is with great sadness that ironguides confirms that its Founder and Head Coach, Marc Becker, died on November 25. His family has asked that their privacy be respected as they cope with their sudden loss. Also at the request of his family, and in keeping with Marc’s wishes, business partner Vinnie Santana will become Head Coach of ironguides effective immediately. It was Marc’s desire in the event of his passing that the business continue to operate as usual.
Category: ironguides
Posted by: editor
“We shall keep ironguides running in order to honor Marc,’’ said Vinnie. “All ironguides structures are unchanged, the coaches will continue to be certified and base their programs on The Method, as developed by Marc.”
The Method was designed to provide athletes of all levels with the skills, speed and aerobic capacity to excel, combined with the desire, courage, curiosity, sheer will and that elusive “it” that lies within.
Marc, an accomplished professional triathlete and cyclist while simultaneously working in the financial and IT sectors, became a certified Triathlon Canada coach in 1992 and founded ironguides in 1999.
As founder and head coach of ironguides, Marc sought to encourage novice and elite athletes to reach for their potential at the same time as balancing the demands of everyday life. He worked tirelessly on an integrated approach to training and racing.
Marc was articulate and highly professional. At times, he was a demanding coach and business partner, reflecting a focus on excellence. While Marc could be direct, it was always with the intent to inspire. He was known for his attention to detail, technical knowledge and his ability to help athletes focus on what was really important to succeed.
Among the many words he wrote were a series of articles on The Building Blocks of Success. The articles can be found on the ironguides website. Here is one excerpt:
“Determination is a resoluteness of purpose, a resolve to carry on without fear of failure until your objective has been reached. It’s ‘don’t weaken in the tough times’ and it’s the voice inside you that speaks up and drowns out the words of the naysayers around you. Unbridled determination is an irresistible force, wearing down good opponents who are nevertheless forced to confront their inequity in the face of your power of determination.”
Marc was twice a long-distance triathlon champion in Canada, had multiple sub-four hour Half Ironman finishes and multiple top-10 Ironman finishes, including a personal best time of 9:03 at the Ford Ironman World Championships in Hawaii.
Triathlon wasn’t Marc’s only athletic passion. He also was an accomplished amateur cyclist and embraced with enthusiasm the challenge of racing the mountains in France. Marc's palmares include a win at the 274-km long Ardechoise Velo Marathon in 2002 and multiple top-twenty finishes at the fabled Etape du Tour.
Marc divided his time between Europe and North America, most recently residing in Portugal.
***
As part of the ironguides’ succession plan, Vinnie has become head coach. Vinnie became a partner in the company and one of its coaches in March 2008 when there were just 20 athletes on the roster; today, there are more than 100 athletes following the advice of ironguides’ coaches.
Vinnie was the youngest professional triathlete at the 2007 Ford Ironman World Championships. He turned professional after winning his age group in his first Ironman in Brazil in 2004. Vinnie, who is a Type 1 diabetic, has several sub-nine hour finishes on his resume and a personal best of 8:50.
Born in Brazil, Vinnie now lives in Bangkok. Before joining ironguides, Vinnie raced for Team TBB.
“I would like to thank ironguides sponsors, friends, athletes, partners, coaches and staff for their continued support during this time,” Vinnie says.
Marc’s spirit remains as the foundation of ironguides’ principles and his advice and words of encouragement can be found on the ironguides website.
***
For any enquiries, questions or comments please contact me at vinnie@ironguides.net
Vinnie Santana, ironguides Head Coach
http://www.ironguides.net
* * * Your best is our business.™ * * *
The Method was designed to provide athletes of all levels with the skills, speed and aerobic capacity to excel, combined with the desire, courage, curiosity, sheer will and that elusive “it” that lies within.
Marc, an accomplished professional triathlete and cyclist while simultaneously working in the financial and IT sectors, became a certified Triathlon Canada coach in 1992 and founded ironguides in 1999. As founder and head coach of ironguides, Marc sought to encourage novice and elite athletes to reach for their potential at the same time as balancing the demands of everyday life. He worked tirelessly on an integrated approach to training and racing.
Marc was articulate and highly professional. At times, he was a demanding coach and business partner, reflecting a focus on excellence. While Marc could be direct, it was always with the intent to inspire. He was known for his attention to detail, technical knowledge and his ability to help athletes focus on what was really important to succeed.
Among the many words he wrote were a series of articles on The Building Blocks of Success. The articles can be found on the ironguides website. Here is one excerpt:
“Determination is a resoluteness of purpose, a resolve to carry on without fear of failure until your objective has been reached. It’s ‘don’t weaken in the tough times’ and it’s the voice inside you that speaks up and drowns out the words of the naysayers around you. Unbridled determination is an irresistible force, wearing down good opponents who are nevertheless forced to confront their inequity in the face of your power of determination.”
Marc was twice a long-distance triathlon champion in Canada, had multiple sub-four hour Half Ironman finishes and multiple top-10 Ironman finishes, including a personal best time of 9:03 at the Ford Ironman World Championships in Hawaii.
Triathlon wasn’t Marc’s only athletic passion. He also was an accomplished amateur cyclist and embraced with enthusiasm the challenge of racing the mountains in France. Marc's palmares include a win at the 274-km long Ardechoise Velo Marathon in 2002 and multiple top-twenty finishes at the fabled Etape du Tour.
Marc divided his time between Europe and North America, most recently residing in Portugal.
***
As part of the ironguides’ succession plan, Vinnie has become head coach. Vinnie became a partner in the company and one of its coaches in March 2008 when there were just 20 athletes on the roster; today, there are more than 100 athletes following the advice of ironguides’ coaches.
Vinnie was the youngest professional triathlete at the 2007 Ford Ironman World Championships. He turned professional after winning his age group in his first Ironman in Brazil in 2004. Vinnie, who is a Type 1 diabetic, has several sub-nine hour finishes on his resume and a personal best of 8:50.
Born in Brazil, Vinnie now lives in Bangkok. Before joining ironguides, Vinnie raced for Team TBB.
“I would like to thank ironguides sponsors, friends, athletes, partners, coaches and staff for their continued support during this time,” Vinnie says.
Marc’s spirit remains as the foundation of ironguides’ principles and his advice and words of encouragement can be found on the ironguides website.
***
For any enquiries, questions or comments please contact me at vinnie@ironguides.net
Vinnie Santana, ironguides Head Coach http://www.ironguides.net
* * * Your best is our business.™ * * *