What is a Masters Athlete?
The generic definition of “Masters Athlete” describes an athlete who has reached the age of 35 (because this is the age at which things such as cardiovascular issues tend to become a greater cause of morbidity). However, that’s honestly misleading because the minimum age for a Masters Athlete varies by sport. In most endurance sports (such as triathlon, running, and cycling), an athlete is considered a Masters Athlete when they reach the age of 40. In pool swimming, the term “Masters Athlete” applies to any adult swimmer, aka anyone who is 18 years of age or older. To make things even more confusing, age group athletes often don’t consider themselves Masters Athletes until the age of 50.
No matter what age cutoff you impose, the term “Masters Athlete” is honestly a nice way to say “older athlete”.
How can Full Circle Endurance help you achieve your goals as a Masters Athlete?
The beauty of endurance sports is that they can be engaged with over the entire course of someone’s life. Whether you are 15 or 75, no one is too old or too young to participate in, train for, and race in endurance sports.
At Full Circle Endurance, we do not treat Masters Athletes any differently than we treat athletes of any other age, but we know and understand the differences that Masters Athletes face when participating in or competing in endurance sports. We do not see your age as an insurmountable limiter; we will work with you and your determination to reach any and all goals you set for yourself.
We coach Masters Athletes who train and race in many endurance sports, including:
- Running
- Triathlon
- Cycling
- Open Water Endurance Swimming
- Hiking
All of Full Circle Endurance’s Coaching Services are appropriate for Masters Athletes. That being said, our most popular Coaching Services used by Masters Athletes are:
If you have any questions or would like to learn more about how we can help you reach your goals, please Contact Us.
What can you expect from Masters Athlete Coaching?
When you hire a coach to help you achieve your endurance sport goals, you are creating a partnership with someone who is as deeply invested in your training and goals as you are. No matter which coaching service you choose - such as Athletic Performance Coaching, a Custom-Built Training Plan, or Endurance Sports Consultations - you can expect your coach to provide you with individualized, caring, and detailed training, education, and information.
Training - both the overall training plan itself and individual workouts within the training plan - are designed and planned around you, your life, your schedule, your goals, and your current abilities. You can select from several coaching service options that give you as much or as little communication and feedback with your coach as you want and/or need.
Who will your Masters Athlete Coach be?
Coach Laura Henry is a full-time endurance coach who has over 13 years of experience coaching endurance athletes and helping them reach their goals. She’s been an endurance athlete herself for more than 18 years and has competed in almost every distance that running and triathlon offers. She has worked with Masters Athletes for her entire career and has learned effective strategies and techniques to implement to help Masters Athletes train safely and to reach their goals.
Coach Laura is currently a USA Triathlon Level II Long Course and Level II Paratriathlon Certified Coach, USA Cycling Level 2 Certified Coach, VFS Certified Bike Fitter, and has successfully completed NASM’s Certified Personal Trainer course. Her background working with athletes in a variety of endurance sports and her passion for pursuing continued education enables her to coach athletes safely and effectively.
Have Masters Athletes training with Full Circle Endurance successfully achieved their goals?
We have worked with many different Masters Athletes of different genders, ages, experience levels, and from different walks of life. We have coached Masters triathletes, runners, cyclists, and other endurance athletes with a variety of goals to success.
We have coached Masters Athletes who are at the beginning of their endurance sports journey, and we have also coached elite Masters Athletes who have set personal best times, who have placed in the Top 10 at National Championships, who have qualified for World Championships, who have won their age group at IRONMAN 70.3 races, and who have received All-American honors. Some Masters Athletes have a goal to finish a particular event or race, while others want to compete at the highest level of their sport. Whether you are a beginner, recently recovering from an injury, are looking to switch gears into a different sport, or have been an athlete in your sport of choice for many years, we can and want to help you reach your endurance sports goals!
Here are some of the achievements Masters Athletes training with Full Circle Endurance have accomplished:
- 2024 IRONMAN 70.3 Ohio - 1st Place - Female 60-64 - Carolyn Classen
- Qualified for the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship
- 2024 USA Triathlon Age-Group National Championships - 10th Place - Female 60-64 - Carolyn Classen
- Qualified for the World Triathlon Age-Group Championships
- 2024 USA Triathlon All-American - Carolyn Classen
- 2022 IRONMAN 70.3 Musselman - 1st Place - Female 65-69 - Jacquie Craggett
- Qualified for the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship
- 2021 CLASH Endurance Daytona - 1st Place - Male 70-74 - Neil Beck
