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Those are the first three words that come to mind when reflecting on 2025.

As we close out our 15th year as professional triathlon coaches, we still laugh—and honestly find it a little crazy—that this gets to be our life’s work. It’s our passion, consistency, and the positive relationships we’ve built with our athletes that have allowed us to keep doing what we love, year after year.

We continue to be inspired and driven by the goals, stories, and journeys of those we coach. From World Championship qualifiers to first-time triathletes, and from PR-chasers to athletes completing a new distance for the very first time (hello, IRONMAN!), every story is different—and every one is exciting.

Our athletes’ successes mean the world to us. But even more important than race results are the lives that have been positively impacted along the way. The thoughtful texts, emails, and handwritten notes we receive—often behind the scenes—mean more to us than any podium, medal, or finish time ever could.

Thank you, once again, for trusting us, believing in us, and allowing us to live our dream while helping you achieve yours.

2026 is poised to be another INCREDIBLE year.

With gratitude,
​
Coaches Chris & Elizabeth Kaplanis

At RTA Triathlon, we believe every athlete starts somewhere. For some, it begins with curiosity; for others, with courage. For Andrew, it began with a simple idea — do a bit more cardio.

​​The Beginning: A Casual Idea That Sparked a Big Goal

In early 2024, Andrew was simply looking to get healthier and add more cardio to his routine. During a conversation with a friend, he heard about “one of those crazy endurance races.” The mention stuck with him.

“I did some research and came across triathlon — and specifically Ironman,” he said. “It didn’t scare me, but it was completely different from anything I’d done before. The challenge of mastering three disciplines intrigued me. I wanted to see what I was capable of.”

There was only one small problem: Andrew couldn’t swim.

If you’re in your 40s and training for an Ironman triathlon, you’re in the perfect decade to perform at a high level — if you train intelligently. At RTA Triathlon, we have coached hundreds of age-group triathletes across New Jersey, New York, and the surrounding and beyond area who balance demanding careers, family responsibilities, and long-course goals.

This stage of life requires a smarter, more strategic approach than what worked in your 20s or 30s. The good news? With the right system, athletes in their 40s often experience their fastest, strongest Ironman training cycles ever.
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Here’s how to build a winning framework for Ironman training for athletes in their 40s, based on what we implement with our athletes at RTA Triathlon.

​At RTA Triathlon, we believe there’s no single definition of what a triathlete “looks like.”

Triathlon is about heart, determination, and the courage to start again — even when things don’t go as planned.
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Olga’s journey embodies that spirit.

As a coaches, we’ve seen this play out with many athletes. Their first Ironman feels magical—new experiences, high motivation, and cautious pacing. They finish with a sense of awe.

The second? That’s when expectations creep in.

• Athletes want to go faster and push harder.
• The adrenaline of the unknown is gone.
• Comparisons to past performance take center stage.

The result? A race that often feels less fulfilling, even if they’ve improved.

The key to thriving in Ironman #2: approach it with the same humility as the first, set realistic goals, and focus on the process rather than chasing the perfect outcome.

Here's some advice based on our experience from personally coaching 100's of triathletes to have the best race possible when racing Ironman or Ironman 70.3 races. 

It has to do with shifting your mindset.

Confession: I had to stop several times during my run today. Not because I was tired—but because I didn’t want to lose the incredible ideas and insights that popped into my head mid-run.

For me, exercise often sparks moments of clarity and creativity, especially during lower-intensity sessions. Many of the athletes I coach tell me they experience the same thing.

Yes, training makes us physically stronger and fitter. But I’d argue the mental benefits—stress relief, endorphin release, fresh perspectives, and creative breakthroughs—are just as valuable. Sometimes it’s a work-related idea, a personal reflection, or even a new thought on being a better parent.

As coaches, our primary role is to prepare athletes for their big race—triathlon, marathon, or otherwise. But along the way, they also discover these hidden benefits: mental clarity, stress relief, and the joy, pride, and fulfillment that come with pushing boundaries and crossing finish lines.

Has this ever happened to you—your best ideas arriving while you’re moving?

​Exercise isn’t just about fitness.
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👉 It’s stress relief
👉 It’s fresh ideas
👉 It’s mental well-being

Yes, we train athletes for races—but the hidden benefits? Mental clarity, confidence, joy, and that priceless finish line feeling.

Want to move up spots overall and in your age group?

WIN TRANSITION at your next triathlon! Get in and Get OUT of transition at your next race! It’s “free time” and it counts.

Do you know how often we see the majority of triathletes wonder aimlessly around Transition WASTING VALUABLE TIME during the race? 

ALL THE TIME! 

Do you know how often people fall short of their race goals because their transitions were less than their best? And this 100% INCLUDES the FASTEST GUYS & GALS. 

ALL THE TIME!

We will teach you how to WIN TRANSITION using a simple and smart approach … with a little practice. 

Fill out form below and we'll send you the recording :)
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Ironman Lake Placid is one of the most legendary and historic races in the Ironman series, first held in 1999.

Set in the stunning Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York, it offers athletes a beautiful, but challenging course.

Join RTA co-founders Elizabeth & Chris Kaplanis for an informative discussion with Ironman Lake Placid race director, Greg Borzilleri, as we breakdown everything athletes need to know to be successful for their race.

​Outline below.
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When: LIVE - Wednesday, 5/7/25 @ 7pm
*This webinar will be recorded and available for those who register, but cannot attend the LIVE event. You MUST register to receive the recording and accompanying slides.

Where: Zoom
Who: YOU!
Why: Be prepared and have YOUR best race!

​Register below

Self belief is POWERFUL.

As a triathlete, self belief is an important skill one can develop.

Self belief is loosely defined as a person's trust in their own capabilities and their ability to succeed. 

Contrary to what many believe, self belief isn’t something you just have—it’s something you build, like a muscle.

​Here's how to start developing it, step by step:

Fill out form below and we'll send you the recording :)

​✅Triathlon Nutrition: simplified! Easy & actionable information. Refine your current plan or begin to formulate your first nutrition plan. No sales pitch or single sided nutrition sponsorship / affiliation bias. 
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When: LIVE - Wednesday, 4/2/25 @ 7pm
*This webinar will be recorded and available for those who register, but cannot attend the LIVE event. You MUST register to receive the recording and accompanying slides.

Where: Zoom
Who: YOU!
Why: It can make or break your race

​Register below

As our 14th year coaching professionally comes to a close we would like to say THANK YOU!

We are beyond grateful for EVERYONE we have worked with and crossed paths with over the years.

2024 was a record breaking year in every sense of the meaning as we ended the year with 194 club members and helped more people achieve their dreams than ever before.

From first time triathlon finishers to first time Ironman finishers. Barriers were broken and personal bests were earned. From world & national championship podium performances to marathon greatness (6 world majors under 3 hours!!!)

Our athlete’s successes mean the world to us. BUT even more important than results are the countless lives we have changed while working with our athletes. The subtle texts, emails and notes we receive mean more to us than ANYTHING.

Thank you all once again for allowing us to live our dream while helping others achieve theirs.

2025 is poised to be another EPIC YEAR! LFG!!! 

​Coaches Chris & Elizabeth Kaplanis​

I'm turning 40 in two weeks and I recently CRUSHED my first marathon in 13 years.

I had BIG goals and my expectations were high and I felt like it was now or never. 

It's also important to note that we have two young kids, travel a lot and our weekly work schedule is never the same.

Here's are my 5 takeaways from finishing the Philadelphia Marathon and going sub 3 hours for the first time (6:45/mi).

We are thrilled to announce our new partnership with AG1! 

It's time to take control of your health routine and only take the supplements your body truly needs. AG1 is a daily health drink packed with nutrients to help alleviate bloating, support sustained energy and whole body health.

Through this partnership AG1 will offer RTA coached athletes and Team RTA Tri Club members exclusive deals and samples on their best in class daily nutritional supplement. Additionally, AG1 will be one of the top sponsors of our 4 destination triathlon training camps.

Click here to get 10 FREE Travel Packs w/ your first subscription purchase.

Fill out form below and we'll send you the recording :)

Learn how to prepare for and run a successful marathon (or half marathon). 

Running a marathon or half marathon is EPIC, but so many times runners make stupid mistakes that could have easily been avoided. 

When: LIVE - Tuesday, 9/10/24 @ 7pm
*This webinar will be recorded and available for those who register, but cannot attend the LIVE event. You MUST register to receive the recording and accompanying slides.

Where: Zoom

Who: YOU!
​
Why: Don't be silly

Thinking about signing up for Ironman Lake Placid in 2025? 

Each year we have a BIG presence at Ironman Lake Placid.

It's ICONIC.
We LOVE it.
We KNOW it.
And we consider it OUR RACE!

The FEELING and SENSE OF ACCOMPLISHMENT of crossing the finish line is something that simply cannot be described. It MUST BE EXPERIENCED!

If you are considering Lake Placid for next year we would LOVE to help you prepare. We KNOW this race and we would love to help you using our coaching expertise and deep knowledge of the race / venue. 

​Below we will share Team RTA's 2024 experience in Lake Placid, "by the numbers."

Do you want to improve your triathlon transition times at your next race?

Of course you do!

Better transition times can be the difference of beating your friends, finishing on the podium or simply finishing in the top 50% of your age group.

No matter what your personal goal(s) is, transition is "FREE TIME" and it COUNTS! The good news is it's a lot easier than your think to get in and get out of transition much faster than you already do.

Below we will share a few simple ways how you can speed up your triathlon transition times.

It's no secret, one of the biggest barriers to entry for triathlon is swimming. This is for a lot of reasons, but especially because swimming is a very technical sport.

Unless you on 'swim team' growing up, most people struggle to become proficient swimmers.

Fortunately, as professional triathlon coaches, one of the services we offer are swim lessons via our 1 on 1 Sessions.

Each year we work with well over 100 athletes  of ALL abilities to help get them swimming. Some are starting from scratch and others are looking to get FASTER.

Every athlete is unique and faces their own challenges when it coms to swimming but there are definitely a handful of common flaws we see often.

Below we will share one of them that happens to have a fairly easy correction and typically yields quick results. 

Fill out form below and we'll send you the recording :)

Join us for one of our most popular webinars
(this webinar reached capacity (100) last year in less than 5 days)

If you are a triathlete and want to learn the most effective ways to improve your swim, this webinar is for you.
​​
When: LIVE - Tuesday, 3/19/24 @ 7pm

*This webinar will be recorded and available for those who register, but cannot attend the LIVE event. You MUST register to receive the recording and accompanying slides.

Where: Zoom

Who: YOU!

Why: A good swim, sets up a great race