MEET OUR COACHES

We are Podium Addict

Our coaching is personalised to you, we understand everyone is different with different goals, ambitions, strengths and weaknesses. Which is why we have a team of coaches with different backgrounds, to best suit you as an athlete.
We do this to ensure your development, objectives and goals are met, and hopefully exceeded!

All of our coaches at Podium Addict have a wealth of knowledge and experience. They each have individual skill sets and areas of expertise to ensure your coach is the best fit for you to enable you to reach your full potential.

Chris Pocock

IRONMAN COACH

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Kona 2019 Finisher

English Middle Distance National Champion

I’m a self-coached athlete competing at the age-group podium level over IRONMAN and 70.3 distances. After achieving mid-pack finishing times over 2016-17, I increased my focus on the sport and managed to self-coach my way to the IRONMAN World Championships in Kona in 2019, where I finished in under 10-hours.

Having done this alongside a full-time job I can understand the time demands that it takes to compete over long distances, while keeping some friends!

I’m relatively new to coaching but I seriously enjoy being part of other athletes’ journeys, so my philosophy is that the process is about you. You know your goals and body far better than I do but working with a coach can help greatly in navigating the minefield of nutrition advice and training principles that exist.

I honestly feel that everyone can gain something by being part of this sport, you just need to start!

Sam Thompson

FOUNDER

IRONMAN COACH

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Kona 2019 Finisher

Team GB Age Group Athlete

I've been coaching people informally for a number of years. Triathlon and helping people are my passions. Over the years I’ve been on the receiving end of both good and very bad coaching, not just in the world of tri, and having used these experiences to better my knowledge and skill set as a coach.

I'm still pushing my own limits in order to find ways to develop our athletes, I am a firm believer of not asking someone to do a session I wouldn't or couldn't do myself!

I realise that not everyone can dedicate their life to training and my coaching philosophy reflects that, there is after all, more to life than training and triathlon.

I've ticked a lot of boxes along the way to here. I've qualified and raced at KONA! Represented GB at World and European level, raced over 10 Ironmans (including a sub 10hr and the biggest long course race on the planet), countless 70.3's, joined the Brotherhood of Ventoux, cycled non-stop from Glasgow to Land's End and raced 24hr enduro mountain bike events.

I am absolutely passionate about helping athletes unlock their full potential and take the approach that no stone is left unturned in order to achieve this.

Lucy Davies

IRONMAN 70.3 COACH

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Team GB Age Group Duathlon Winner

Ironman 70.3 Podium

My triathlon journey started in 2017, where I absolutely fell in love with the sport. Since then,I have competed for the Team GB Age Group at both the European and World Championships, achieving an overall win at the European Duathlon Championships in 2020.

I fully understand the commitment needed for triathlon as well as balancing a full-time, demanding, job and personal life. The benefit of coaching takes away the stress of training, planning and fitting in day-to-day life – an ethos I carry through into my approach as a coach.

Since I started on my triathlon journey, I have gained both knowledge and experience, which developed my passion. So much so, I became a coach. There is nothing quite like seeing an athlete reach goals in training and racing.

I strongly believe training must be enjoyable in order to improve. I love the process of working with athletes to adapt and develop a training plan that works for them!

My favourite thing about triathlon is the community that surrounds it. I have met some incredible people through the sport, especially at Podium Addict.

Quentin Grieu

BRITISH TRIATHLON COACH

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Top 100 Embrunman

3rd La Transtica Ultra (200km)

Norseman Qualifier

Coming from a tennis background (where I reached a National Level), I fully understand the requirements needed to perform at a competitive level. I have pursued my passion for sports by racing a variety of ultra-trail runs (multi-day events such as crossing Costa Rica from East to West, Wadi Rum in Jordan and the Pyrenees in France).

I officially started my triathlon career in Dubai where I absolutely fell in love with the sport. Since then, I have gone from being satisfied as a 'finisher' to aiming for Kona qualification.

I am now actively on the quest for my KQ and realise that triathlon is a demanding sport at whatever level you are at. I fully appreciate the challenge of training, performing at work, maintaining social interactions and looking after loved ones. That is before you consider how and when to fuel yourself or when to clean your bike!

In addition to bringing myself to a level of fitness I have never reached in my life, triathlon is teaching me so much more. My wish as a coach is to provide you with as much insight as I can from my various experiences and to put you on the path to your own success.

I have always approached my personal training with a methodical and mathematical approach. It is one that allows me to study the data and apply a quantified response to scenarios rather than guessing or falling into the 'I must train harder' trap. I am also a strong believer in the social aspect of our sport. Training should be fun, and training can make anyones dream come true, anyone!