Posted: December 5, 2005

Multisport: Athletic success a combination of drive and realism

Multi-tasking: At the Philadelphia Marathon two weeks ago, Rick Hellard ran 2:34:14, coming 22nd out of a field of 5,887. And he did that after coaching the Zone3sports swimming group the day before, supervising the Ottawa Help Santa 2-Miler race, followed by the drive to Philadelphia.

By Louise Rachlis

As those who've raced behind him are aware, Ottawa's Rick Hellard is not an 'everyday athlete.'

But Hellard has helped hundreds of them, and that's why he's offering some of his secrets of success.

Hellard has lived in Ottawa most of his 39 years, with training stints in the U.S. and overseas. He started his triathlon coaching business, Zone3sports in 2000.

"It was just supposed to be triathlon, but it's hard to say no to runners," he says. "I now coach about 20 runners , along with 45 triathletes of all abilities. My client base is 60 per cent triathletes who are Ironman-bound; that's my bread and butter. All but two so far have made it; it's pretty cool."

Unlike the usual perception, two of his most memorable clients are not "high end". Ron Handley, 37, lost 200 pounds and trained for an Ironman, and Merriel Petry, a teacher, runs more slowly than many in her group. "But she's always there, and keeps coming back...She is there to stay focused and to improve, but has never done a running race. She doesn't want to; she uses the training to improve her fitness."

When he started with Zone3sports, Handley didn't know how to swim properly, didn't have a triathlon bike, and had been running for just over a year, says Hellard. A year later, he completed the Winterlude Triathlon, the National Capital Marathon and got three quarters of the way through an Ironman and has strong hopes of finishing next time.

Here are coach Hellard's top five points to remember:

1. Have fun.

Hellard and his partner Nancy Coke, a math teacher at Merivale High School, an Ironman triathlete and inspiration to her students, have one message about sports training: "It has to be fun. Remember, it's just an activity." "I can still laugh at any point in a training session or a race," he says. "I know that it's not the end of the world if I have a bad day. That helps me take the pressure off and allow me to enjoy what I'm doing."

2. Be realistic.

"Set your goals based on reasonable assessments of your abilities, time and money. There is nothing wrong with wanting to be faster, go farther or try harder, but not everybody gives themselves the time frame to do it properly. They raise the bar very quickly."

3. Push yourself.

While he himself always felt like a good athlete - "I'm not sure where it comes from in my family" - he feels he wouldn't have been as successful without help. "I had some very good coaches that pushed me very hard," he says. " Back in my younger days, the people I trained with pushed me hard as well; they were faster than I was. When it came to race day, though, I had another gear - without them I wouldn't have gotten where I did."

4. Be consistent.

"I've been at it for 23 years, and I might have missed a total of three months worth of exercise in all that time. I've hardly ever been injured, and that lets me keep a much higher level of basic fitness. When I start to feel sore I back off. I don't mind taking a week off when I need it."

5. Focus.

During a race, he feels an asset he has is his ability to focus on the task at hand. "I naturally think about what you're supposed to think about - the immediate race. Unfortunately, that level of concentration only seems to kick in during sports," he laughs, " and not in other things."

You can reach Zone3sports at www.zone3sports.com.