About

Coach Patrick in Kona

Coach Patrick McCrann is…

  • A 16-Time Ironman Finisher

  • A 4-Time Ironman Hawaii Finisher (9:52 PR)

  • A 3-Time Boston Marathon Finisher (2:59 PR)

  • A proud husband and father of two girls

The Intro

Patrick McCrann is one of a handful of elite triathlon and endurance sport coaches based in the US.  Patrick has spent the last seven+ years building an unparalleled network of internet-based resources and real-world training opportunities, including Endurance Nation, Marathon Nation and Triathlon Execution. Patrick’s articles on triathlon, training and the endurance lifestyle have appeared on Xtri.com, TransitionTimes, Active.com and in Inside Triathlon magazine.

Patrick currently coaches and consults from a corner of his dining room table in Boston where:

  • He has coached over 150 athletes to the Ironman finishline, including the World Champs in Hawaii.
  • He has completed thirteen Ironman races, from Klagenfurt to Kona, from a low of 11:44 to his personal best of 10:01.
  • He spends as much time as possible with his wonderful wife and two amazing daughters.

You are not limited by fitness, lifestyle or equipment. Your biggest limiter is the belief in your own potential.

The Mission

To give every aspiring athlete access to the proven endurance training protocols that have helped hundreds of athletes get fitter (and faster) without sucking up every available hour of free time. As an age-group athlete who works full-time as a coach and stay-at-home dad (with a wonderful wife), Patrick is acutely aware of the time demands on his fellow age-groupers. An advocate for planning and training smart, Patrick is most proud of his ability to develop effective, time-saving training protocols for athletes that help them achieve their triathlon goals.

Coach P’s Transformation

It all began on a local track with my mom counting laps as I panted in pathetic circles. “Isn’t that five laps,” I’d ask? “Nope,” she’d reply, checking the pile of rocks she’d been using to count as proof. “Four down, four to go.” Certainly not your average Wednesday night bonding moment between a 12 year-old and his mom, but a very telling scene; one that would follow me for many years: I had the drive, the desire to be good, but I wasn’t quite there.

While the situation above had me trying to get in shape for the junior high soccer team, my challenges continued through high school (soccer) and even into college (crew team). I had little skill, but my ability to do a lot of work was what carried me through at the end of the day. But then I graduated from college, picked up running, and got my first real injury. Bam – sidelined. No amount of work could help me, I had to get better. I’d take time off, recover, heal, train, overdo it, etc.

This cycle repeated itself for years (I am persistent!), right through late 2005, when I was in the midst of a big push to qualify for the Ironman World Championships. I had come off a cycle of 20 weeks where I trained 20 hours a week (that’s 400 hours!) and barely missed a spot by 8 seconds. Faced with more work to reach my goals, I sat down to look at my daily schedule to see where I could squeeze out a few more hours to train — maybe 24 hours a week would do it.

That’s when it hit me: “more” wasn’t the answer..after all, I had years of endurance training on my legs. “More” wasn’t my problem, it’s what I was doing with my time that was holding me back.

This revelation led me to do a great deal of research and soul-searching to find information on how to build intensity into an endurance program (no easy task). After months of planning and tweaking, I had my plan. I trained for 5 months with the new protocols — and earned my first trip to Hawaii.

Since then I have not only returned to Kona four times, I have helped well over 150 other athletes through this same quality, well-organized training approach.

“The quest to go from average Joe/Jane Finisher to being a competitive triathlete is a rewarding – yet challenging – path. I have seen and helped countless athletes on this journey, and I have heard all of the excuses. From my experience, the most successful athletes are those who make the most out of what they have and where they are. As an athlete who has lowered my weight to 185 (from 205), has dropped my IM time from 11:44 (to 10:01), has cut my Ironman marathon time to 3:21 (from 4:02), I have developed extensive knowledge on what does–and doesn’t work- for the age group athlete. I have spent the last five years helping athletes take their game to the next level!”
If you are looking to contact Patrick, please click here.