Marcus Marcuson had aspirations of qualifying for the Boston Marathon. Once we got started, he worked through a grueling travel schedule and ran his way from an 8 minute per mile to 7 minutes per mile. "Tony took me from 8 min miles to 7:25s and qualifying for Boston in six months. Thanks for the guidance and encouragement Coach." - Marcus Marcuson

Andy is a strong runner and very good short course triathlete.  With a recently improved swim (thanks to Coach-Tony), Andy is stepping up to the Olympic distance at the Desert Triathlon in La Quinta.  Mountain biking is one of Andy's strong suits.  Andy has lived in La Verne his whole life. He has been practicing as a tax advisor and business consultant for over 24 years.  A graduate of California Polytechnic University, Pomona, Andy received his C.P.A. in 1992 and is a member of the AICPA. He serves on Boards for Boy Scouts of America, Y.M.C.A., Junior Chamber of Commerce (JAYCEES) as well as an Ambassador for the La Verne Chamber of Commerce.  Oh, and Congratulation to Andy for completing his first Half Marathon in 1:37.

My name is Lizbeth Barcelo. I am 32 and have been running since the birth of my third daughter in 2006. I have completed the LA marathon twice and improving my time by an hour from the first to second. I have done several 5 and 10k's and was able to place second in one 5k for my age division. I completed the Long Beach 1/2 marathon last year and did the Surf city 1/2 marathon on 2/1/09 with a 20 minute improvement thanks to Coach Tony's training.

Tyler was born in Great Falls, Montana.  Like most, Tyler went to the gym to lose some weight.  Seeking motivation, he decided to do a 5k.  Thereafter, he gave the Tin Man Triathlon at Cal State a shot and was hooked.  After completing 12 short distance  triathlons, Tyler gave the half Ironman distance a shot completing the SOMA Triathlon in Tempe Arizona.  Tyler hopes complete every Ironman event at least once before he dies beginning with Ironman Louisville in August of 2009.

Kris is a police officer for the city of Ontario.  Kris raced motocross for 15 years before breaking his collarbone.  To stay in shape without punishing his body too much, he signed up and trained for the Lake Arrowhead sprint triathlon.  Thereafter, he talked a friend into doing an Olympic distance Triathlon at Bonelli.  He then tried his hand at the half Ironman in Napa.  While training for the half, he decided to sign up for IM Arizona 2008. 

Born in Del Rio, Texas and Grew up in Costa Mesa, Ca.  Greg currently lives in Upland with wife Tara, daughter Ivey, and son is away at college.  A Lieutenant for the city of Ontario, Greg is also a very dedicated triathlete training for his first Ironman scheduled this April in Tempe Arizona.  Greg story is incredible and an inspiration to many.  His introduction into the sport was by accident.  Two years ago Greg was 40 years old and weighed 360 pounds. Thereafter, Greg proceeded to loose 180 pounds. One day, he was asked to run in the Baker to Vegas race.  He agreed and began to train for the race in February 2007. A few weeks later, his co-worker, Kris Lavoie, came into his office and started telling him about heart rate training, nutrition and triathlons. He listened intently, but only to better himself for the race.  He says he was hardly running and better described it as a fast walk. Kris continued to share good information and trust it because it worked. After a few weeks, He began to see a noticeable changes.  He was getting faster at the same heart rate. He ran the race at 6:50 pace for 4 miles. Once he did this, his type A personality kicked in. He knew he could go faster and longer based on what he had just done. He then decided to start training for triathlons. he bought a bike and started cycling and swimming. The rest of the story is still in progress. 

Phil Howard is a pilot for Southwest airlines, a family man, and a great example that you can have a very busy life and go 12 hours at an Ironman. Phil went 12:10 at Ironman Florida by training and racing smart. Phil has caught the bug. The day after IM Florida, I listen to Phil list all the things he could have done different to go faster. My my I thought to myself… I’ve created another monster. Congrats Phil on a very impressive first time Ironman. (Psst, Phil used a coach-tony training plan)

I have been married to my gorgeous wife Jill for 15 years. I have two boys, Brandon and Nicholas. I am an information systems manager and have worked in the computer industry for 18 years. My hobbies include triathlons, fishing, and traveling. I consider myself to be a healthy and physically fit person. Prior to getting married I was active and kept in youthful shape with little effort.

Sinta has completed various marathons including San Diego, Honolulu, LA, Vancouver, NY, SF, and LV. With a background in running Sinta transitioned well into triathlon completing Ironman 70.3 Baja, Big Kahuna and Soma triathlons also collecting various medals along the way. Sinta is one of several Coach-Tony athletes completed Ironman Arizona in 2008 and now heading to Ironman Louisville 2009 and Ironman Utah 2010.

Sang doesn’t fool around when he starts something. Sang has completed the Possibilities Triathlon in Loma Linda twice, the LA Triathlon, the LA Marathon, and the Rock-n-Roll Marathon in San Diego. Next on Sang’s list is the Big Kahuna Half Ironman in Santa Cruz and then Ironman Arizona in 2008.

Chris is a great student of triathlon training, who increased his strength, speed, and endurance very quickly. Chris's hard work earned him a first time Half-Ironman finish of 5:35 at Big Kahuna in Santa Cruz, CA. Chris will be heading to Half-Ironman California in March 2006.

Another newbie to triathlons, Franki has also completed the difficult Wildflower Olympic distance course as well as the Desert Triathlon near Palm Springs, CA. Not sure what all the triathlon world would entail, Franki said, "the camaraderie, improved fitness level, and overall fun experience created a much welcomed adventure."

Josh is the Head Cross Country Coach at the University of La Verne. Josh is an incredible athlete. In 2006, Josh completed his first half Ironman in 4:28 and his first Ironman in 11:43. Not bad for a first year triathlete. Josh loves to run, and enjoys hurting his coach as much as possible during training. Josh is a great training partner because training its always fun for Josh.

Lesley started with sport of triathlon by attending a Team in Training (TNT) information meeting in December of 2003. After facing her own cancer scare and given a clean bill of health, she jumped at the chance to get involved. Lesly completed the LA Tri at the Staples Center. As a TNT mentor, supported the Wildflower and Kings Trail triathlons. That is when I met Coach Tony for the first time; he was one of our coaches for that TNT season. I liked him so much I decided to keep him as my coach! Thanks Tony for all the support and advice, you are the best!!

Ironman, Dad, Husband, and Lawyer (...in his own words) Two years ago I was really fat lawyer. Triathlon started out as a way of setting some measurable goals for fitness. It didn't take long before that turned into a full-fledged obsession. Tony was my coach for my first tri, the 2005 Wildlfower Olympic Distance. He helped instill such confidence in me that, I had signed up for an Ironman before I even began to taper for that race. The jump from Olympic Distance racing to Ironman was long journey that involved more emotional growth than physical. That growth is what is most special about this sport to me. Anyone can do this sport, if they are willing to sacrifice a little. I'm finding that most areas my life are the same. In just over two years, I've gone from not being able to run 200 yards to an Ironman finisher.

Stephanie is real trooper. Stephanie endured the howling winds at Ironnman New Zealand this year and completed a shorten course (due to weather). Not satisfied, Stephanie headed to Panama City Florida and completed the full distance in under 13 hours. Stephanie is a great example of how hard work produces great results. Very few newcomers to the Ironman distance complete the course in under 13 hours. Congratulations Steph!!!

Troy is a 7 time Ironman finisher and 3 time Boston Marathon qualifier looking to compete next at Ironman Arizona. After undergoing major back surgery last year, Troy has come back strong. In the last several months, Troy has finished Ironman Coeur d'Alene and Vineman Half Ironman. Troy then went to Davis, CA and completed the CaliforniaMan Half Ironman in 4:54. Besides competing in triathlons, Troy plans to qualify for the Boston Marathon...again.

While backpacking through Australia, Melinda and her friend awoke one morning to see cyclists and runners crisscrossing the road outside their hotel. After finding out that it was the Australia Half-Ironman, then held in Cairns, the following conversation ensued... Melinda: "Wow, that'd be so awesome to do a triathlon." Susan: "Then go do one." Melinda: "Ok." Despite never having run more than 5K, Melinda signed up to do the Wildflower Olympic distance triathlon through Team in Training. She enjoyed training so much that she vowed to do Ironman Arizona two years later, which she did. Along the way, she has completed Wildflower Olympic again, along with Half-Ironman California, Barb's Half-Ironman, Soma Half-Ironman, St. George Marathon, and Half-Vineman. She eagerly anticipates doing Wildflower Long and Great Floridian next year.