My Ironman journey started in 2019, when I decided I wanted to challenge myself to do something that most people would never even consider.
At the time, I didn’t really understand just how much commitment that decision would eventually require.
For several years, I tried to balance training, work and life on my own. I would train, lose consistency, start again and try to figure things out as I went.
Eventually, my wife suggested that if I was serious about achieving my goal, I should get a coach.
In March 2025, she sent me the link to get in touch with Morné from My Conditioning Coach.
After my first meeting with Morné, I decided to fully commit to entering Ironman 70.3 Mossel Bay.
It was a big decision.
My wife was five months pregnant at the time, and I knew that committing to triathlon training would mean fitting it around a growing family, work and all the responsibilities that came with it.
I also knew there would be plenty of days when I would have to train tired.
Starting from scratch
When I started with MCC, I was probably not the typical person you would expect to see preparing for an Ironman 70.3.
I had been off my bike for almost a year and struggled to train consistently.
I wasn’t a runner.
And the last time I had properly swum was back in my school days.
My goal from day one was actually quite simple:
Finish an Ironman 70.3 — but be fit enough to genuinely enjoy the experience.
That became one of the things I appreciated most about MCC.
The training was challenging enough to make me improve, but it was also realistic. The workload was built up progressively without pushing me to the point where I would burn out, miss sessions and lose momentum.
The personalised approach made a huge difference.
Training around real life
I was living in a relatively remote town without many groups or athletes to train with.
Having Morné available to talk to and adjust my programme when life got in the way made the process much easier.
This became especially important after our baby arrived, when I had to figure out how to balance being a new dad with training and all the responsibilities that came with it.
The training plan also gave me a sense of direction.
There were specific events and milestones along the way that allowed me to build fitness, test myself and see whether I was actually progressing.
But the journey wasn’t always straightforward.
When the swim became the biggest challenge
After my first Olympic-distance triathlon, I realised I had a problem I hadn’t expected.
I experienced panic attacks when entering the water.
Suddenly, something that was supposed to be part of the race became something I was genuinely worried about.
I spoke to Morné about it and, instead of simply telling me to push through it, he helped me understand how to approach the swim differently and reduce the chances of it happening again.
That support gave me confidence and helped me work through something that could easily have become a reason to stop.
Mossel Bay: The first big test
The Mossel Bay 70.3 became the first major test.
Being part of the MCC group during race preparation and route reconnaissance was incredibly valuable.
One of the things that helped me most was the morning ocean swim before race day. It gave me the opportunity to get comfortable in my wetsuit, experience the ocean and take some of the unknown out of race day.
The weather conditions on race day weren’t ideal, but I felt prepared.
My nutrition and race strategy were in place and, for the most part, I was able to enjoy the experience.
Unfortunately, the day didn’t end the way I had imagined it.
I missed the course cut-off.
It was disappointing, especially after all the work that had gone into getting there.
But rather than seeing it as the end of the journey, it became another part of it.
The decision to try again
After Mossel Bay, Morné and I had a conversation about what happened and what came next.
We decided to enter Ironman 70.3 Durban.
This time, the focus was clear:
Improve my running. Spend more time on my feet. Become comfortable with longer distances.
The next training block had its own challenges, but Morné continued to adjust the programme around what was happening in my life and how my body was responding to the training.
Then, two weeks before Durban, I got sick.
That was probably when I realised just how valuable having a coach had become.
Instead of panicking about losing all the fitness I had built, Morné adjusted the programme and helped me manage the final weeks so that I could arrive at the start line in the best possible shape.
Durban: The finish line
And then came race day.
After everything that had happened — starting as someone who wasn’t consistently cycling, wasn’t a runner and hadn’t swum since school; struggling with consistency; becoming a new dad; dealing with anxiety in the water; missing the Mossel Bay cut-off; and getting sick before Durban — I finally crossed the finish line of Ironman 70.3 Durban.
That feeling was difficult to put into words.
I had achieved the goal I had first set for myself years earlier.
But the biggest achievement wasn’t simply finishing the race.
It was seeing how much I had developed along the way.
More than finishing
I learned that I could be more consistent.
I learned how to train when I was tired, how to adapt when things didn’t go according to plan and, most importantly, that setbacks don’t have to define the outcome.
Looking back, I don’t think I would have made it to that finish line without Morné and MCC.
The training plan gave me structure, but the coaching gave me confidence.
Knowing that someone understood where I was, what I was trying to achieve and what was happening outside of training made the difference.
What’s next?
I started this journey wanting to prove to myself that I could complete an Ironman 70.3.
I finished Durban knowing that I was capable of much more than I thought when I started.
And perhaps that’s the biggest reason I would recommend MCC to another athlete:
You don’t have to start as an athlete who has it all figured out.
You just need to be willing to start — and have the right person helping you along the way.