Vinnie Santana is the head coach of Ironguides Thailand (ironguides.net), a leading facilitation company for athletes who want to compete in triathlon events. Santana is the fastest diabetic Ironman athlete of all time, rising to fame in his early 20s after completing the gruelling Ironman triathlon (a 3.86km swim, a 180.25km bicycle ride and a 42.2km run) in just under nine hours. He is now committed to encouraging and coaching aspiring athletes in Thailand to push themselves and achieve what is often deemed impossible.
How do you motivate your athletes?
We arrange a group meeting four times a week. This alone provides athletes the motivation to train and exercise with us. Most of them also take part in triathlon, running or cycling events, which is another way to maintain a consistent training routine. I also help my athletes realise why they are doing this, be it for health, performance, lifestyle or personal challenge. Once they find the answer, they'll be motivated to train all the time in order to achieve their goal.
DO YOU FIND COACHING REWARDING?
I love my job for many reasons, but the most rewarding part is helping people to achieve their dreams. One of my proudest moments was when I helped a brain cancer patient to qualify for the Ironman World Championships, despite the fact that his doctors said he only had a few years left to live.
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE CHALLENGES?
As a coach I'm tested every day. I want to make my athletes faster, healthier and happier. It's a huge responsibility to coach people, as you will have a high impact on their life, training and racing performance. I started my career as an athlete at the young age of 14 and had to overcome many challenges in order to keep competing at a high level, from medical and health issues to balancing my time between training, work, university and the usual ups and downs of life.
WHAT MAKES A GOOD ATHLETE?
The key component of being a good athlete is consistent training. It's important to train almost every day for several months. Experience is another key factor, both for competition and also training. Some athletes can get very fit, but without race day experience they won't be able to deliver good results.
WHICH ATHLETE(S) DO YOU LOOK UP TO?
I've had the chance to train alongside two champions. Nicola Spirig won the female triathlon event at the London Olympics and Chrissie Wellington is a four-time Ironman world champion. I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to train with these two and learn first-hand what it takes to be at the top of this sport.
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE FUTURE OF THAI TRIATHLETES?
I feel lucky that I can share my knowledge with Thai athletes. The triathlon is such a new sport here and the local athletes are certainly talented. Within the last five years Thailand has had its first male and female triathletes taking part in the Ironman World Championships. I am certain that very soon we will see a Thai triathlete at the Olympics.
HOW DO YOU BALANCE YOUR SCHEDULE?
I work office hours but enjoy my dose of exercise at lunchtime for about one hour — it's a nice break and splits a long day into two manageable parts. I'm not racing as much these days, but I still train all three disciplines of a triathlon at least twice a week. [In my spare time] I enjoy reading books that may be a little related to work, as I love to learn more about both the psychology and physiology of the human body and brain.
ANY ADVICE FOR BEGINNERS?
Find a balanced and sustainable lifestyle where training for a triathlon will only add positive things. A beginner can start slowly at a gym with cycling, the treadmill and doing laps in the pool.
