IMJ Coaching Featured Athlete: Josh Vincent at IM South Africa 2011

Featured Athlete

Josh Vincent

Our featured athlete for this edition of the IMJ Coaching Newsletter is Josh Vincent.  Josh and I started working together as athlete/coach in the winter of 2008.  Josh came to me as one who had an extensive sports background, but unfortunately, became injured immediately after we started working together.  Josh had stress fractures in both his legs and we had to work together in an innovative fashion to get Josh to the start line at Ironman Canada in 2009.  Josh had an amazing effort of 12 hours even with two broken legs!  It was after that race that Josh and I found that we had a bond as athlete and coach. We have been working closely together since. 

Josh has the amazing ability to assimilate his busy work life as a product manager and User Experience Designer for OnLive (www.onlive.com), a start up in Palo Alto, CA and his athletic life as an ironman triathlete.  Josh was successful in earning his way to the hallowed lava fields of Kona in 2010 after an extraordinary effort at Ironman Louisville with a personal best effort of 10:19 on a very hot, humid race day.  Josh was 9^th in a stacked age group and proved how tough he could be by running his way into the top ten, and ultimately his slot for the Hawaii Ironman.

Josh most recently completed  Ironman South Africa with another personal best of 10:09:06 for an 8^th place ranking in his age group.  Josh, again, laid down an impressive race day execution on a very honest course to run away with a 10 minute PR.  Josh attributes his success of late to staying balanced in his weekly training and focusing on running the second half of his long runs harder than the first half.  Josh is also extremely regimented in his diet, living a strict Paleo diet lifestyle.  This, coupled with his natural talent and ability, only bode well for Josh as he now trains for the Honu 70.3 half and a late season Ironman.

Josh, the son of a filmmaker, grew up on the beaches of South Africa.  His early years were spent playing soccer, as well as swimming, surfing, squash and mountain biking.  After moving to the states 10 years ago, Josh got involved in a number of sports, but settled comfortably in with the triathlon crowd.  “I do triathlon to maintain a healthy and happy life, to create balance between my physical and mental. I do it to keep focus and practice being goal oriented - this rubs off on all aspects of my life, from work, to relationships”, states Josh when I asked him what the triathlon life was about for him.  Josh continues, “I am motivated by a big mountain to bike or run, or an open ocean to swim, with lots of sun! I am motivated by a big challenge, by the unknown. I like to test the boundaries and go over the edge. Triathlon gives me that opportunity.”