“I joined Riot just over 3 years ago and I’ve absolutely loved being part of the club. Being surrounded by so many driven, inspiring and talented people has made a huge impact on my training and has genuinely been the best decision in my triathlon journey.  

Being coached by Ruth has been brilliant for me, having been an age-grouper herself she understands the need to be flexible and has been very responsive to my lifestyle and work demands, always adapting my training and providing a good balance of pushing me and also ensuring I’m getting the right recovery. I think this has been a big contributor to avoiding injury for over the last 3 years and enabled me to continuously improve across swim, bike and run.  

I never have the same week twice, the sessions are always different or a build on previous ones and I’ve achieved results I never thought would be possible. With her guidance I came 3rd Overall female at the 70.3 world championships and took the Overall female win in my first Ironman. I can’t thank her enough for all her help and I’m really excited for another year working with her and training with the best bunch of people, having a heap of fun along the way.”

“I started my triathlon training over 4 years ago, in my mid-30s and with no athletic background whatsoever. The intention was to just bounce back from some depression caused by Covid’s lockdown. Some of my friends who knew Will recommended him, and so I started with him as a complete beginner in any sort of physical activity. I can now say after more than 4 years of being coached by Will that triathlon changed my life, and Will having a key role in that journey is one of the main reasons I am continuing to do this. I have raced all distances, hold multiple regional records, qualified and raced in Kona and multiple 70.3 Worlds and plan to do much more in the coming years. Will started as a coach but is now a great friend too.”

“One year anniversary of being a Rioter and it has been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made for my triathlon journey. A club that has incredibly talented and hard-working athletes who inspire me every day to improve and compete. Completed my first training camp and was blown away by the level of all and has become my favourite week of the year, already looking forward to next year!

As a “self-coached” athlete I still gain a lot of insight from the club and my fellow Rioters, and look great on and off the race course! Overall the coaches are top quality and Will’s expertise, depth of knowledge and passion shows through his commitment to the club.

Looking forward to seeing how much more I can develop as an athlete representing Riot.”

“In the beginning I loved the sport and that’s what kept me training hard for races. Then my friend suggested I have a coach which first I didn’t take seriously – but eventually I took this step forward to see how it would be training with a coach. I didn’t know coach Will, but after a few months with him I realised he is one of the best coaches as I made great progress with the specific training he set, and it kept me happy and motivated. Now I just I have to patient (his words) and I trust him because he always takes care of me and always supports me before every race. For each of my big races he was there to support me, and I’m inspired to see our Riot family growing, and at most of the races I get to race with one of them and we always support each other.”

“I first reached out to Matt just over four years ago. I had just purchased a bike during covid, considered myself an average runner and had zero ability in the water. (Except pedalling up to grab my surf board the odd time I tried to surf). I still had the competitive itch to scratch and thought triathlon was the sport I should try and get into.

After my first meeting with Matt I straight away saw his passion for the sport, and how his enthusiasm got him to where he was in the sport both competing and with his clients.

Since working with Matt, what changes and improvement I’ve seen in myself as an athlete have been what I can only describe as just short of unbelievable. Matt isn’t just a coach that writes a programme and asks you to follow it. He’s meticulous in his programming, making every session tailored to me individually and this has really helped me to improve.

Not only is Matt great at what he does in regards to his knowledge in writing up personalised training programmes, but on the mental side of things, he’s really had an impact on me and made me believe in myself when honestly sometimes I thought some things were unachievable. Having a coach that really believes in his athletes and truly wanting them to succeed is something that I believe is rare!

Some achievement Matt has managed to get me to are things like..

– Being able to swim a 30 minute 70.3 swim.
– Running a sub 3 hour marathon
– Running a sub 1:20 half marathon
– Probably most significantly, getting me to the Ironman 70.3 world championships.

Amongst many other things.

Matt is a class act and I can’t thank him enough for his efforts.”

I’ve had the privilege of training with Matt for nearly two years, and the transformation in my triathlon journey has been insane. Before I started working with Matt, I could barely cycle 20 kilometers and struggled with breaststroke in the pool. Today, I’m proud to say that I’ve completed a full-distance Ironman and last season found myself on the podium in races within my age group. These are accomplishments I could have only dreamt of before Matt’s coaching.

What truly sets Matt apart is his deep understanding of the physical and psychological aspects of triathlon training. He recognised my swimming weakness and continues to support and advise with this. Additionally, his insight into my psychological blockers and weaknesses has helped me to break through mental barriers during tough training sessions and races.

One of the most impressive aspects of Matt’s coaching is his ability to provide remote coaching without sacrificing the quality of support. For nine months, he coached me from a distance and analysed my data ensuring that I had access to his expertise whenever I needed it.

Matt’s coaching goes beyond the racecourse. He incorporates valuable nutritional and sleep hygiene tips, emphasising overall well-being It’s clear that he cares about his athletes as individuals, not just as competitors. He has understood my ‘Why’ and supports the fundraising I do for my children’s charity @harleyjaesouth tailoring my season to maximise the benefits for the charity. I can’t express enough gratitude for Matt’s guidance, dedication, and support. He’s helped me turn my triathlon dreams into reality, and I’m excited to continue this journey with him. If you’re looking for a coach who can help you achieve your triathlon/marathon training goals while prioritising your overall well-being, I wholeheartedly recommend Matt.

Thank you, Matt, for everything you’ve done for me and my triathlon journey, and i’m looking forward to season my second full season with you and Riot Racing Club.

Having been coached by Will for two years now, I can hand on heart say this was the right option at the right time for me and I am thrilled to have made so many gains under his expert guidance. It’s a tricky juggle when life is busy, but he somehow makes all of the pieces fit. I’ve really valued his ability to get you to peak at the right time for races and also his ability to make you seek balance knowing when is right time to push hard versus turn over. Not only do I call Will my Coach, but he’s now a good friend and I hope to see Riot go from strength to strength in the years ahead.

I joined Riot three years ago and it has been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made for my triathlon journey. I’m surrounded by like-minded, incredibly talented and hard-working athletes who inspire me every day. The training camps are always my favourite week of the year and through these camps I’m lucky to have forged friendships that will last a lifetime. Being part of Riot means more than just training; it’s about being surrounded by a community of passionate and talented athletes who push each other to excel. I’ve also had the privilege of being coached by Will Clarke for the last two years; Will’s expertise, depth of knowledge and guidance have been instrumental in helping me develop and improve as an athlete. He’s been a brilliant mentor every step of the way – I’ve learnt an enormous amount already and I’m extremely excited to see what we can achieve together.

So I teamed up with Riot mid last year after I had left my old coach and team things just got boring and I was more friendly with my coach and this just led to the loss of drive and passion. When looking for a new coach I began to ask about who would be good to talk to and the name Riot kept popping up so I decided to send them an email and set up a call. 

After some brief conversation on Instagram Clare then sent me some questions to see whether I was the right fit for Riot and was Riot the right fit for me that I found very cool. 

Clare then recommended that I chat to a chap called Lawrence and that he was new to their fold and he was an ex Olympian. This raises my interest drastically to be the best you train with the best. Anyway Clare set up a call for me and Lawrence. 

The conversation went well. He asked me what I wanted and I said I want to start winning or at least start competing for top spot in my age group and for me this was a bold statement as I’m a bit of a joker and never took the sport too seriously. So fast forward a little and me and Lawrence are now coach / athlete combo and he starts setting out my training plans. I instantly see a change in the plan from what I’m used to so I just roll with it and just enjoy it. 

Lawrence is a very knowledgeable person who loves numbers but also has an old school way about him and this I find is amazing a coach that can work with numbers and loves the finer details and can break a plan down fairly easy for me to understand. I don’t have much interest in setting out plans of how and when I’m to peak – that’s Lawrence’s job and let me tell you the man knows how to do that. 

Previous to working with Lawrence my 70.3 times were all 6 hours + they are now 5.20s and more time to be taken of them. He has me ranked 3rd in my age category in the National Duathlon Championships here in Ireland so I think he knows what he is at. 

The best advice I can give anyone looking to change is chat to Clare and let her point you in the right direction cause Riot have me on the right path and Lawrence is hell bent on making me the athlete he believes I can be and who know 2024 might be a special year stay tuned!

Ruth has been amazing to work with. As a busy professional herself who worked in Industry before going full time professional — Ruth understands how to balance work and training to achieve your goals. I can’t speak highly enough about how great it is to work with Ruth, and the whole Riot team. Will and Clare have created a community at Riot that isn’t just a club or a team but a mindset. When you look at other clubs they lack the riot way of doing things — Riot is all about the members.