Tri Mob RPG and the great Thomas Kelly

Word from TK himself:

'I was still green in the sport of triathlon when I joined the TriMob/IronMob program, and I was lucky enough to be paired with a locally based coach to work with me. I had already been attending some of Reedys’ Wednesday swim sessions, which were a huge help, especially after spending my first year in the sport mostly training alone.

Honestly, finding the sport of triathlon and connecting with both the TriMob and RPG crew has shifted the trajectory of my life. Reedy has been an amazing coach. His knowledge, experience, and patience with me as a novice athlete whose motivation could swing wildly from day to day have been incredible.

To give you an idea of how far I’ve come, my first 70.3 was a disaster. Reedy was there to witness the whole thing, front row seats to the pain. I suffered pretty much from the halfway point and walked almost the entire half marathon. At that stage, I knew next to nothing about nutrition, sweat loss, or pacing (still don’t). I was just out there winging it and hoping for the best. Let’s just say there was more suffering than strategy.

Since then, Reedy has taken me from that cooked experience to finishing a couple of other half distances comfortably and a full Ironman, smiling most of the way through and at a pace I honestly didn’t think I was capable of. The transformation has been unreal.

One of my highlights was being coached by Reedy and what stood out the most was witnessing his genuine buy-in to TriMob and Nat’s vision not just for blackfellas in the sport, but for the overall health and wellbeing of our mob. It’s a real testament to what reconciliation can look like in practice, and it made my experience as one of his athletes even more meaningful.

My journey definitely had its ups and downs. There were illnesses, niggling injuries, and days I’d question the training especially when Reedy had me in a heart rate zone that felt more like walking than running, when all I wanted was to go faster. But he was always able to ground me, and he knew when to drop in those subtle confidence boosts through his quiet but powerful praise.

It’s been a massive effort to get to where I’m at, and having Reedy’s support as my coach has been an unforgettable experience. He got me to the start line at Cairns, and his coaching got my body conditioned to finish the Ironman not just to survive it, but to actually enjoy it. I couldn’t have done it without him.'