Tri team is so lucky to have three awesome coaches, Jeff, Jim, and Eliot, supporting us and pushing us to be better athletes and teammates.
Jeff Reed (’76) joined our team just over two years ago at the urging of former captain Kelly (’16), a friend of Jeff’s stepson. Kelly knew that Jeff was an avid triathlete himself, and seeking some extra guidance for our growing team, recruited Jeff to help us out. Despite 25+ years of coaching lacrosse, Jeff says he was hesitant at first to take on the roll only because he felt “woefully unprepared.” He quickly proved himself wrong, and became a central part of the team, volunteering his time at almost all of our practices. Jeff helped us set bigger goals for ourselves, taught us new bike routes, and encouraged us through many practices and races.
As a 4-year member of the tri-team, I can attest to the huge impact that our wonderful coaches have had. When I first started on the team, we were entirely student run. Though our awesome ’15 Tri Team founders, Nina and Sara, helped us through our first races, having a coach has made a substantial difference in the preparedness and expectations of the team. With Jeff’s help, we’ve developed more targeted workouts and established our baseline heart rate and power thresholds. At races, we know that someone will be there to look out for us, help solve any last minute problems, and cheer us on. Just as importantly, Jeff has gone out of his way to make each member of the team feels welcome, challenged, and supported. When old injuries have flared up, Jeff has helped me figure out how to balance training for the Season Opener without making it worse. When Jeff and three of our teammates competed in USAT Nationals this summer, Jeff drove all four bikes across the country. When we wanted to hold an end of the season banquet, Jeff volunteered his house. Most recently, when over 30 ‘21s joined the team (!!!), Jeff led a power test and made individualized power reference cards for all of our new members to use during spins. We are so lucky to have Jeff’s endless support!
When asked about Tri Team, Jeff says it has been “really awesome” and has surpassed his expectations. He points to the motivation and organization of the team as key features that have made his job more enjoyable and fun. Jeff has loved participating in team events, from the first race he attended as a coach (to Cranberry Trifest) to our recent team hike up Mt. Cardigan. We all love post-strength team dinners with Jeff at Foco! When Jeff isn’t helping us train, you can find him preparing for his own races, including a recent journey to Worlds! Jeff describes the experience as lots of fun, and is especially passionate about the community of friends that the sport has connected him with. A true competitor at heart, Jeff also loves any other form of athletics/competition, including crushing his daughter in Monopoly :).
Thank you, Jeff, for your endless dedication to the team! We couldn’t do it without you!
About the Author
Arielle Isaacson is an ’18 studying Anthropology Modified with Global Health and Neuroscience, and is pre-med. She loves spending time outside with friends, scuba diving, and snuggling with her dog!
