Coaches

Tony Moran - CLub Head Coach

Hi, I am Tony Moran - I have completed British Triathlon's High Performing Coaches Programme (Level 3 Coach) and am Head Coach of TriBB. I helped to establish TriBB as a club back in 2016 and have been coaching at the club since then. I am responsible for the quality of the coaching in the club and formulating the coaching plan for the year to help all our members realise their potential. I work with the other coaches in the club and am the link in to the committee from the coaching team.  I mostly coach the adult sessions but also help out with the juniors from time to time. My values as a coach are to learn and share, to make triathlon accessible and enjoyable and to make the athlete experience the best it can be.  My aim is to create a welcoming environment in the club that supports members whilst challenging them to improve.

Outside coaching I continue to participate in triathlon and still enjoy participating in endurance events of many kinds.

 

Claire Higgins - Level 2 Coach

Hi, I am Claire and started my coaching journey in November 2017  when I completed my Level 1.  I began coaching at TriBB assisting with the adult swim sessions and in early 2019, I also started to coach the junior squad in swim, bike and run.  More recently I completed the Level 2 Coaching Programme.  My focus is on novice athletes to show them that anything is possible whatever your background or ability.  For me it's about having fun and enjoying what you do. 

I came into triathlon late in life, at the age of 40.  I couldn't swim, had not been on a bike since I was a kid and definately did not have the stamina to run.  However, fast forward 5 years and I have completed numerous sprint triathlons, olympic distance duathlons and triathlons and last year my first half distance triathlon.

 

Simon Price-Jones - Level 2 Coach/Club Chair

Like many Age-groupers, I came to triathlon later in life and after several years as a runner and with a vision of triathletes as square jawed, super-humans – A vision I quickly found out that was completely wrong.

A challenge from a work colleague led to me signing up to a sprint triathlon despite not being able to swim more than one length of front crawl and not owning a bike. Around this time, TriBB had just been established and I joined almost from the start, improving my swim fitness, technique and endurance and just after my 40th birthday I completed a sprint distance triathlon with an open water swim and on a borrowed bike. The feeling of crossing the finishing line as a triathlete was incredible and I was hooked. Moving up from sprint distance, to Olympic, Half Iron  and finally Full Iron distance I found a friendly welcoming crowd that encouraged everybody regardless of ability.

All this was helped by being a member of TriBB – The coaching, the encouragement, the clubmates and the dreaded question that you simply can’t say no to “Do you fancy doing…..?”

Having taken so much from the club, I found that I wanted to begin to give something back and am currently Club Chair as well as being a Level 2 Group Coach.

I’m finding that helping others undertake their own journey into the sport of triathlon is (almost) as rewarding as completing that first race.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gareth Shepherd - Level 2 Coach

Hi-  I am Gareth and began my Triathlon coaching journey in 2020 with TriBB after joining the club in 2017 just get back Swim training properly; returning to my roots as an Age Group Swimmer in my teens. 

After being encouraged by Head Coach Tony Moran and fellow swimmers to try my hand I completed my first GoTri in 2018 and then, in short, I caught the bug.

Having trained to, competed in and been Coached to a high level in other Sports I thought it was time to give something back and help others improve where I could in both the Open Age and Junior camps.

I'm passionate about improving people's swimming technique, and getting over their "fear" of the swim part of a triathlon. 

I'm also a big advocate of S&C specific to a sport and the benefits it can yield to ladies and gents, both young and old to improve performance and help folks avoid injuries and am qualified with the BTF to deliver Triathlon related S&C Sessions.

I am currently studying for my Level 2(Diploma) Coaching Qualification to add to my Level 2 Status as well as being Lead Coach for our TriBB Junior Section.

 

Becca Ellis - Foundation Coach

I started triathlon in 2017, partly inspired by watching all the elite triathletes we're lucky to have here in Leeds. I'd also recently broken my foot and thought that cycling and swimming were probably better for recovery than just running. I started with a few Go Tri events, which is where I discovered Bramley Baths and Tri BB. Having been a regular at sessions since 2019, I wanted to become a coach to give something back to the club community that had made me feel so welcome. I mainly coach the juniors, and my background as a special educational needs teacher means I am passionate about including all children and young people in our sessions.