For more information, please contact RunAbout Sports.
This post originally appeared on Handshake 2.0 and was written by Elizabeth Parsons.
It’s been over seven years since Jim McGehee, a Giles County, Virginia family man, athlete and business owner - priorities listed in order of importance - went full-time with his high-speed business, One-on-One Endurance.
“It started with one client,” the USA Triathlon Certified Coach told me, who now coaches up to thirty individual athletes at a time, training folks as close as the New River Valley of Virginia and as far away as the Cayman Islands and England.
“Coaching and parenting is my full-time gig. If I wanted to, I could be even busier, but I choose a lifestyle that keeps my family's lifestyle intact," Coach McGehee said.
Coach McGehee’s recent qualifications include a Master’s Degree in Exercise Physiology from East Carolina University and, prior to that, a seven-year stint as an NCAA Division II Cross-Country Head Coach at Bluefield State College. He’s one of the passionate personalities behind the inaugural New River Valley Triathlon planned for July 2010. And being primary caregiver to a set of six-year-old twins means clients can rest assured he’s a pro at the fine art of time management. A lifelong runner and athlete, Jim studied biology and came out of college as a teacher and athletic trainer.
"In the mid- to early 90s, I came up with the idea of a coaching business for triathletes and athletes. I've never done any real advertising," McGehee said. Instead, clients hear of his enthusiasm and results by way of word-of-mouth referrals.
McGehee's clients - among them champion triathlete Crystal Pruitt - are typically young to middle-aged professionals with a particular goal in mind such as completing the Boston Marathon or an Ironman competition. They have discretionary income to spend - “lawyers, engineers, financial people, etc" - their athletic dreams trail a close second behind career accomplishments, and they willing to invest in success for a monthly fee. In return he combines his experience and expertise with a savvy command of technology to create, and track, detailed and ever-evolving training plans for clients using GPS technology, power meters and Web technology such as TrainingPeaks and CompuTrainer.
“Once they hit the save button, I’ve got TrainingPeaks set up so it sends an immediate email to me and I can upload all their GPS data - what their heart rate was, what the elevation profile of the area was… It’s as good as or better than a coach who is standing right there with them as they train.”
Jim is one of those lucky guys who does what he loves. The money is good - but it’s secondary to the satisfaction he derives from helping others, and he’s OK with that. So is his wife of 22 years, Nancy McGehee, a Virginia Tech professor and sociologist.
"The best way that Jim's career adds to our family life is that the kids and I have a happy husband/daddy. Jim truly enjoys his work, and a happy Daddy makes for a happy family," Nancy said.
“I’m not in this for the buck, honestly," Jim said. "My goal is to keep a balance of what works best for me as an athlete and for my family. I’m a coach and I’m proud that I’ve found a way to make a living, to contribute to my family’s well-being, and to live the way I want to live. I’m lucky because Nancy has a great job and because she feels the same way.”
As we spoke via phone one overcast morning, I heard a child’s voice in the background. Jim’s daughter had presented him with a drawing. “That’s beautiful, Gracie!” Jim exclaimed joyfully.
Do what you love. The money will follow. Indeed.
This post orignally appeared on Handshake 2.0 and was written by Z. Kelly Queijo.
You're considered fortunate if you can make a career out of something you love, and truly blessed if you get to turn what you love into a business of your own. Anne Jones Thompson considers herself blessed. In the first phase of her professional life, she coached tennis for Virginia Tech. Following retirement, she took her love of coaching and turned it into a business.
Thompson launched TriAdventure Multisport Coaching & Fitness in 2003. She and her team of coaches provide personal training to those who are just getting off the couch, to seasoned athletes of any level including men, women, boys and girls of all ages. Triadventures specializes in endurance coaching for running, biking, swimming, triathlon, general fitness, and nutrition counseling.
“We can work with anyone,” says Thompson. “The main thing is to know who you are working with, what their goals are, and to understand how they can be motivated.”
In her nine years in business, Thompson has found that training and running a business go together. “Both need a lot of commitment and focus. You have to spend time on all the little details that combine to make one successful. You have to love what you do...it has to be your passion...and I firmly believe, you should do what you love, and love what you do.”
In addition to working with youth, Thompson finds working with beginners to be the most fun because everything is new and exciting to them. Motivating the seasoned athletes is a little different. “If we can guide people to achieve ther goals, help them realize the journey is what's important, and teach them to believe in and rely on themselves, we've done our job.”
Throughout her coaching career, Thompson has been a runner and has competed in many triathlons, among them, the Ford Ironman World Championship. Known as the “Kona” for its location in Kona, Hawaii, this race is the only world triathlon championship. Of the tens of thousands who attempt to qaulify for one of the 1800 coveted places, Thompson qualified and competed in the 1992 Kona. Getting in is just one hurdle. Making it all the way through the 2.4-miles of swimming, 112-miles of biking, and running the 26.2-mile marathon is the other. Thompson made it and the experience carries through to her work today.
“I love working with others and helping them reach their goals. I believe a good coach really cares, and if you really care, you can coach anything. I feel I was born to coach.”
Before a sprint triathlon, triathletes park their gear and bikes in a transition area. During the event, they come in and out of the transition area with the right equipment for the right leg of the race - swim, bike, or run.
Here's a pre-bike rack, pre-gear-laden shot of the transition area of the New River Valley Triathlon.
***
For their support of the New River Valley Triathlon, a charity fund-raising event, we thank our:
Sponsors - Direct donors of funds, in order of amount donated:
City of Radford, Virginia
Brush Mountain Data Center
One-on-One Endurance
Contributors - Providers of in-kind products or services, in alphabetical order:
Coldwell Banker, Townside, REALTORS (R)
Eleven West
Handshake 2.0
Hodges, Jones & Mabry
Kent Jewelers
Radford Bike and Paddle Shop
Venture Counsel
Learn more about New River Valley Triathlon Sponsorship Opportunities.
