About Coach Ali
Ali fell in love with running as a young kid racing at the annual 4th of July 50 yard dash. After watching her dad complete the NYC Marathon at age 8, Ali resolved to become a marathon runner too. Her mom was a PE teacher and a versatile athlete herself who encouraged her daughter’s athletic goals. Ali went on to compete in high school track & cross country and was one of just two girls in the school’s weight lifting program. As a track sprinter (100, 200, 400, 4x100), she received All-State recognition in Connecticut for four years in a row. She went on to compete in Division 1 for the University of Pennsylvania in the 200 & 400 and also founded the Penn Runners Club. Ali has completed triathlons of all distances and proudly became an Ironman in 2015 in Mont Tremblant, Canada. In addition to triathlons, Ali has completed many marathons, half marathons, Fondo/century rides and long-distance open water events (even a 10 mile swim!). She works with athletes of all ages and abilities who are training for races of all distances. She has a strong interest in helping triathletes who have not come from a swim background improve their swim technique and overcome their fear in the open water. She helps athletes with handling, gearing, climbing/descending on the bike and provides gait analysis for runners who want to improve their form. Ali develops individually customized training plans tailored specifically to her athlete’s goals, needs, and time constraints.
Previously, Ali was an elementary school teacher and private tutor for over a decade, making her well equipped to break things down simply and understandably for her athletes. Prior to teaching, she spent 8 years leading market research efforts for new product launches where she developed strong data analysis skills which she now utilizes to analyze her athletes’ training and racing data. Ali has a client service orientation and strong communication skills. She is also an active member of outreach in her community.
Ali's philosophy as a coach is to motivate her athletes using a positive and encouraging approach. She recognizes that everyone is on their own individual journey with its unique successes and challenges. Ali forms close and supportive relationships with her athletes and prides herself on knowing them inside and out. She customizes her training plans to each individual and strongly believes that one size does NOT fit all. Most importantly, Ali helps her athletes achieve - and SURPASS - their personal goals, whether it be to complete their first race, achieve a best time, follow a consistent training program, improve in a specific discipline, qualify for a particular race, or enjoy a healthy and balanced lifestyle. She also loves supporting athletes tackling endurance events such as marathons, half iron/full iron distance races, centuries and long distance swims.
Ali is a USA Triathlon Level 1 Certified Coach, a member of the American Swimming Coaches Association, a U.S. Masters Swimming Level 2 Certified Coach and is American Red Cross CPR Certified. She holds a Bachelors of Science in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business and a Masters of Elementary Education from Seton Hall University. Ali has been an active member of the MapSo Tri Club for the past 12 years, and currently serves as a member of the Board. She lives in South Orange, New Jersey with her husband Drew, her two boys Tyler (18) and Dylan (16), and their lovable golden retriever, Jake. Ali founded TRIumph Coaching in 2018 and is honored to support her athletes in their quests to reach personal athletic triumphs.
To better serve its clients, TRIumph has established relationships with other like-minded coaches who believe and follow the TRIumph methodology.
About Coach Katy
Katy is a lifelong athlete. Her first steps were chasing chickens on a family farm in Yugoslavia and she hasn’t stopped running since! As a child, she played whatever sports were offered, including basketball, softball, and being a mid-distance track runner, but her particular love was soccer. She continued her athletic career at Lehigh University, where she was a Team Captain on her Division I soccer team and earned the distinction of All-Patriot League, 2nd Team.
Katy has been competing in triathlons and running races for over two decades. She has finished sprint, olympic, half-iron and full ironman distances, and running races from 5K’s to marathons. She has competed at USAT Nationals (olympic distance), qualified and competed in the Boston Marathon (2005) and the NYC Marathon (2019), and qualified and competed at 70.3 World Championships in Lahti, Finland (2023) as well as Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii (2023).
Additionally, Katy has been coaching on and off in various sports since her teenage years. She is a Certified Level I, USA Triathlon Coach, a U.S. Masters Swimming Level 2 Certified Coach and is American Red Cross CPR Certified.
Katy is thrilled that she has turned her passion into her career and enjoys bringing her commitment to triathlon and athletics to her clients. She understands life is busy and wants to help her athletes find the balance between life and training by training smarter, not simply longer. By helping athletes learn to love the journey as much as race day itself, Katy seeks to make training something to look forward to, rather than a chore.
Prior to beginning her coaching career, Katy was a Special Agent with the FBI where she needed to maintain a level of mental and physical fitness to perform under pressure. She looks forward to teaching those skills to her clients to help them persevere during challenges in training and racing. In addition, with her background in law Katy has honed the analytical and research skills necessary to keep abreast of changes in training and race philosophies. A keen attention to detail, organizational skills, and excellent time management skills help her support her athletes in their quest to achieve their goals.
When Katy is not busy, swimming, biking and running, she enjoys spending time at the beach with her husband, Davis, their four children, Ethan (15), Tommy (13), Lily (11), and Addie (9) and their puppy, Harry. She also volunteers with the Achieve Foundation of South Orange and Maplewood and serves as the co-race director of their annual 5K race.
