I am dedicated to helping athletes achieve their goals, whether new PBs, new distances, event qualifications, mastering new skills or simply enjoying sport and staying fit and healthy.

With experience of coaching runners and triathletes across all age groups, I love inspiring people to outperform their expectations. This might be coaching someone to complete their first triathlon or taking them from a casual runner up to a marathon. 

In my work as a writer, I specialise in sports psychology and the many lessons we can draw from sport. I think having the right attitude is absolutely critical: wanting to improve, being motivated, seeing obstacles as challenges to be overcome, celebrating other people’s achievements, relishing competition, looking forward to physical tests, taking pleasure in the triathlon journey, setting yourself high standards, treating yourself well and paying attention to what your body is telling you.

This focus on an athlete’s mental and physical wellbeing is central to my coaching philosophy. Triathlon is about training and racing, but most of all it’s about health, in the widest sense of that word.

About me

I live in North London surrounded by four parks, three swimming pools and a reservoir, canals and cycleways leading to open countryside. In 2012 I discovered triathlon via the London Olympics and my ex-pro swimmer cousin James Parrack, who organises an annual race at his BEST Swim Training Centre in Mallorca. 

After that, triathlon became my greatest passion and pleasure, alongside my day job as a freelance writer and journalist. I have a daughter and three sons who have all raced with me, while wife Clare has become the world’s number one triathlon kit woman, race logistics, transport and accommodation expert, event photographer and nutritionist. Together we have travelled the world to train, race and coach.

Over the years I’ve worked with some of the highest-profile coaches in the world and been part of the Trisutto Group, training alongside professionals like Daniela Ryf. I’ve also trained with Chris McCormack and Lucy Charles-Barclay absorbing lessons from each of them. I love the way that triathlon has such a flat hierarchy: you can meet and train with your heroes, then watch them fly past you on race day! There are few other sports where this is possible.

For London-based runners and triathletes, I can show you the best places to train, the best cycle routes, and the best swim, bike and run events to enter. London might seem a daunting place to be a triathlete, but in fact it’s full of opportunity and unexpected delights. Over the years I have built up a network of athletes and friends of all abilities.

I’m very happy to coach remotely and offer my experience of training and racing in 20 countries on five continents, while studying the latest advances in coaching technology and psychological motivation.

Triathlon is the most exciting and rewarding sporting journey. Get in touch to see how I can help you.  

Email dn@davidnicholson.com or call 07802 834477

Links to my sports writing

1. Ten reasons to hire people who run - https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/10-reasons-hire-people-who-run-david-nicholson/

2. What sport has taught me about purposefulness - https://www.antal.com/blog/what-sport-has-taught-me-about-purposefulness

3. Think yourself fast - https://www.antal.com/blog/think-yourself-fast-

4. 5 ways to overcome barriers in sport and business - https://www.antal.com/blog/anything-is-possible-5-ways-to-overcome-barriers-in-sport-and-business

6. Read my race reports - https://davidnicholson.com/sport/

Personal Highlights

Ironman World Championship competitor 2022 

Ironman 70.3 World Championship competitor 2018 

Represented Great Britain at European Middle-Distance Championships

10-time Ironman finisher including Lanzarote, Wales, Nice, Cozumel, St George Utah, New Zealand and South Africa

Multiple age Group podiums at Middle Distance races

Top 10 British Age Group-ranked triathlete (out of 1,750)

Completed an ‘Everesting’ in 2020 (cycling the height of Everest in one continuous activity)

Author of ‘Think Like an Athlete: 57 Ways to Achieve Your Life Goals’

Sports motivation journalist for The Wall Street Journal

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In 2014 there was only one.

My goal is to join this exclusive group after I turn 60 on 23 July 2023.

It is the most ambitious and audacious target I've ever set myself. But I'm absolutely committed to it and convinced that I can achieve it.

Along the way, I will post regular updates on my progress, on my training sessions, diet, state of motivation, new ideas I've come across, my hopes and fears, triumphs and disasters.

The sub-3@60 Project gives senior runners a chance to swap stories and tips and encourage one another. It is part of the upsurge in enthusiasm for running among this age group, who are increasingly aware of the huge physical and mental health benefits of running, how it sharpens their reflexes and minds, safeguards them against multiple diseases and conditions, helps them to lose weight and stay young.

For sponsors, the Project provides an opportunity to connect with this growing demographic: seniors with disposable income, an active lifestyle, high standards, motivation and drive to achieve new goals.

A sponsorship package includes:

• blogs specifically written for sponsors' websites/social media feeds
• in-person or virtual presentations detailing the sub-3@60 journey and my background competing for Great Britain as an age group triathlete and in Ironman World Championships
• banner advertising on the sub-3@60 website
• inclusion in the sub-3@60 website content

Contact me at dn@davidnicholson.com or 07802 834477 for more details

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Sports complex Thanyapura sits a few km inland from the sea, bathed in morning mist before the swimmers, cyclists, runners, tennis players and yogis populate its spreading acres, with every facility they could wish for. It's an astonishing place.

We spent two weeks there, training with Australian triathlon champion Chris McCormack and an international bunch of athletes: Norwegians, Qataris, New Zealanders, fellow Brits… Chris would lead us out on bike rides through the rainforest, up the steep hills and through tiny villages, zipping past beaches, racing through paddy fields before coffee and smoothies by the sea.

There were two events: Laguna Phuket triathlon – a shortish race – then Challenge Phuket – a middle distance race with a tough bike course and fiercely hot run.

There's an idiosyncratic quirk to the swim course: you come out of the sea then dive straight into a lagoon for the second part of the race. Suddenly, you feel much heavier in the fresh water, without the buoyancy of the ocean salt.

In each race, I swam well, biked very well, then virtually collapsed on the run, staggering home in a muck sweat. But each time I quickly forgot the pain and came home with the loveliest memories of Phuket.

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Parco Nazionale del Golfo di Orosei is half-way up the east coast of Sardinia, a mad collection of jagged peaks, sweeping ridges, plunging canyons and dense forests. For a cyclist it’s a challenge and delight: 20km climbs give way to airy plateaux; divert from the main (but very quiet) roads and you’ll not see a car for a dozen miles; ride through woods of fragrant herbs and you’ll emerge up into the cobbled streets of towns like Orgosolo or Urzulei, their walls bedecked with murals of struggle and nobility.

To either side is the sparking Med, visible past the roadside cacti and bamboo, the spreading plains with their tiny hamlets and dry riverbeds. A constant breeze keeps you cool, except during the toughest climbs, when you’ll need as much water as you can carry.

On a 178km ride around this ferocious stony explosion, I climbed almost 3000m and saw no more than six or seven other cyclists. Definitely worth a look.

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Ironman 70.3 Turkey’s finish line is in the middle of a massive Disney-like theme park, resort and shopping mall known as the Land of Legends, complete with canals and lakes, bridges and fountains.

All around are some of Europe’s swishest golf courses along the Turkish Riviera, just to the east of Antalya.

The sea was warm and calm: ideal for a fast swim. I came out in 36 minutes.

The roads were flat and smooth, ideal for fast bike times. I finished in 2 hours 32 minutes, my best result for the distance by 5 minutes.

The run course wound through and around the resort and shopping mall, which was also good for fast times, as long as you could manage the searing heat.

I sped down the finish shoot in 5 hours 29 minutes total, a new personal best.

It was a lovely way to end a season in which I’d competed for Great Britain, finished two of the world’s hardest Ironman races (Lanzarote and Wales) and made my first podium – third place in Challenge Gran Canaria.

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Caressed by the Caribbean Sea, fringed by palms, blessed with golden beaches, Cozumel is Mexico’s treasure island, just a short hop from Playa del Carmen on the Yucatan Peninsula.

At some exotic race locations, I’m torn between sport and leisure. Why not sit by the pool and order a cocktail?

Somehow Cozumel was different. Riding on its flat, smooth roads was sheer pleasure. Swimming in its crystal waters could not have been nicer. Even running along its hot, busy streets, lit by the day-glow shirts of American tourists, was invigorating.

After a couple of weeks on the island in preparation, I was absolutely in the mood for the race. I had the best feeling about it.

Diving into the sea from a jetty, I sped northwards along the coast, swept along by an unseen current. I knew it existed, but couldn’t feel a difference. What was different was my time: 1 hour 3 minutes – way faster than my regular swim. I leapt out of the water with a big smile and sprinted into transition.

Whoosh! Off I rode on the first of three laps of the island, overtaking competitors by the dozen, feeling a brief gust as former Ironman World Champion Sebastian Kienle breezed past at 50kmph. The ride was like one long video game, like the opening credits of Star Wars, stars and planets fizzing past.

On the run I set off like a greyhound and carried on at high speed for the first 20km, only slowing as my glucose reserves depleted and the heat began to eat into my bones. I’d promised my son Raffy that I’d finish in under 12 hours – could it really happen?

Spurred on by coke, coffee, gels and adrenaline, I raced down the promenade for the last time and finished in 11 hours 49 minutes and 59 seconds – a personal best by 53 minutes.

Cozumel ma corazon.

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Oman is a natural candidate for this kind of glasnost, having emerged under the leadership of the late Sultan Qaboos bin Said from an insular backwater to an engaging, outward-looking, progressive semi-democracy.

Ironman 70.3 Oman had its first edition in 2019 and here we were, lining up on the beachfront for number two, just as Covid began its devastating global rampage. We chatted nervously with a friend from Singapore about the situation over there – before any cases had been reported in Europe.

I had a fantastic swim, best-ever time, in the calm gulf waters, then raced through the streets of Muscat on my new Cervelo P3X, reaching 36kmph on the flat, which was a thrill. After some challenging hills and sweeping descents through the desert, we took to the baking streets of the city for the 21km run. Despite modelling myself on pro triathlete Lionel Sanders, complete with handlebar moustache, I faded towards the end of the run. Still ended up with an OK finish time of 5 hours 40 minutes.

Loved the race, loved the place, loved meeting people like Kimberley and Ken Dittrich from Abu Dhabi – she’s a triathlete and he’s a senior hospital consultant – and Clare Louise and Sean Farrell – she’s one of the strongest women triathletes and he’s an ex-soldier and rugby player who is the personification of endurance.

We all sat on cushions for the celebration dinner, eating spectacularly good food, grateful that the sport we love so much had come to this enchanting spot.

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The bike hasn’t turned up, but here’s what’s happened since that awful day. My insurers Yellow Jersey were amazingly helpful: once they had the police report, they immediately offered to pay the full amount of the bike, plus extras like bags and ripped bike jersey and shorts. Then the shop where I bought the Scott – J’s Cycle Shack in Epworth, Lincolnshire - offered to sell me another Scott Plasma, with an upgraded frame, for the original price.

So within a week I had a brand new bike, in time to fly to Nuremburg in Germany for Challenge Roth, which I raced yesterday. It wasn’t a quick time, which could be due to a touch of PTSD. Or maybe it was the lack of Kona qualification or AWA points on offer! Anyway, I was pleased just to be on the course, riding this lovely bike, in the sunshine, with my wife Clare supporting and providing ‘special needs’ on the run – one of the quirks of this event.

God it’s a crazy circus! More than 4,000 competitors, 250,000 spectators, transitions and car parks and registrations spread all over Bavaria. Stunning, epic atmosphere for the race itself, so worth doing once in your life.

As for the three guys who assaulted me and took the bike: I don’t wish them dead, although it would certainly be good if they were caught and punished. More than that, I feel sad that we have such depths of deprivation that criminality like this can breed. Maybe it was foolish of me to ride a very expensive bike through such an area. In our Ironman bubble, we can feel insulated from the troubled reality of our neighbours. Having black friends and living in a very mixed area, I’ve always felt at ease with all races, so being attacked by these men was a challenge to my colour-blindness.

It made me want to coach young kids, particularly from poor communities. I’m sometimes embarrassed by how racially exclusive Ironman is. Even Ironman South Africa, the only full distance race on the continent, was more than 95 per cent white when we did it earlier this year. If we could encourage more racial inclusivity, that would be so positive.

Those guys on the towpath in Tottenham would make great triathletes. They had prepared for their transition meticulously, pushing me not into the river but against a boat, right next to an escape route. The one who punched me was extremely accurate and effective, he wasn’t swinging wildly but picking me off, under my helmet, with great skill. Then, of course, they rode away at high speed! These talents shouldn’t go to waste.

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Undeterred, the organisers of this year’s Ironman African Championship pressed ahead with the event on Sunday, sending 2,000 athletes into the Bay dressed in black neoprene, closely resembling the Great White’s favourite prey – the seal.

As far as we know, the shark was a DNS (Did Not Start), and all competitors made it out alive. The sea was unusually calm, the water relatively warm and a golden sunrise bathed the beach and pier as we headed into the Indian Ocean.

It was one of my favourite Ironman swims: clear enough to draft other swimmers, with the warm sun above my right arm and easy sighting. I came out of the 3,800m swim in 1 hour 16 minutes, five minutes better than my normal time, bang on 2 minutes per 100m.

Out on the 180km bike course, we had a light tailwind for the first 45km, making for rapid progress. It’s a stunning ride, taking you along a rugged, rocky, surf-fringed coastline, through nature reserves and pine forests to the tiny village of Seaview, where you turn around and come back.

The two-loop bike means you return to Port Elizabeth and then head out again, having battled the wind coming back, which was freshening with each passing hour. I made the half-way mark in 2 hours 45, on schedule for a 5.30 split, enjoying the challenge, feeling strong and fast.

This carried on pretty much through to the end of the bike leg, except that the wind on the second loop was noticeably fiercer, the heat was rising and the rattling road became more uncomfortable. Ended up on 5 hours 47, relieved that I hadn’t joined the dozen or so people struggling by the roadside with punctures or other mechanicals. This turned out to be the 14th-fastest time in my age group of 97 athletes.

A quick back and shoulder rub with sunscreen from one of the many volunteers and we were out on the run course – four loops of Marine Drive, running along the front of Port Elizabeth’s upmarket Summerstrand.

Basically flat, with thousands of enthused, vocal, friendly spectators, it’s a lovely course. I started off at an easy pace of 6 minutes per km, aiming to hold this for the whole race. For a while, all went well. Armed with a water bottle, I could hydrate between aid stations. The leading pros were just finishing, so there was great excitement that a local guy from Port Elizabeth – Kyle Buckingham - won the men’s race.

Rappers improvised songs about the competitors, smoke from barbeques (‘braai’) drifted across the route, families sat and picnicked, cheerleaders danced, groups of men offered beer and champagne to the runners and there was a joyous, festive feel to the whole event.

The stress of the bike and the blazing African sun started to tell on my legs after about an hour. The perennial IM runner’s doubts welled up: ‘Can I really finish this?’ ‘Am I going to collapse?’ ‘Why the hell am I putting myself through this agony?!’ But they were always replaced by a surge of confidence and well-being as I spotted wife Clare, had a shot of coffee, or thought of my training mates and coach Rafal, who was also out racing with his wife Alicja.

With about three km to go, I thought: “I’ve just swum 3.8km in the gorgeous Indian Ocean, cycled 180km through the African bush and run 39km under the searing African sun. What a privilege and adventure!” So I jogged on to the red carpet for a 5 hour marathon split where Clare was waiting to present my medal, happy to have escaped the Great White shark, emerged shaken but unharmed from the bike and with a creditable 12:15:49 finishing time, 26th out of 97 in my age group.

Thank you Port Elizabeth, it was an epic day.

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For me, all was fine until 90km when my shifter broke. A bike mechanic on the course said ‘oh shit’ as he spotted the corroded cable. So I had to ride the second half in one high gear, which made the many hills a furious fight.

So after a battling 1 hr 28 swim in 29-degree temperature seas, which was like running in a sheepskin coat, and cycling around the sapping hills of this beautiful island in the ferocious midday heat, we hit the shimmering pavements for the most brutal test of the day.

Despite hydrating constantly and eating all the right stuff, cooling myself at every aid station and walking to reduce my heart rate, by 30km I started cramping - legs, stomach, even hands (!) - and at 35km I fainted. Medics rushed to help me and pulled me to my feet, but I promptly fainted again and woke to hear a doctor tell me my race was over and I was carted off to hospital. Think it could have been hyponatremia, where your salt levels get so low that you lose consciousness.

Terribly disappointed to get within seven km of the finish line in such an awesome race, with some competitors describing it as ‘harder than Kona’. Was held overnight for tests and released the next day, grateful to all the professionals who leapt into action to save me.

Finally, huge congratulations to Federica De Nicola for her magnificent 9hr 57 performance for third spot on the podium in her first year as a young pro. What a star she is! She showed us how to ride the storm.

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