Coaches and Exec
Coaches
Swimming
Meet head swim coach Justin Konik.
Justin is currently a student at UofT studying kinesiology and biology, and have been coaching for the last 5 years. He has coached age group swimmers, intro swimmers, university triathletes, and am currently coaching another masters team which has been working with since 2020.
He is also currently on the varsity team at UofT and is a well decorated swimmer with medals from every national competition with the exception of Olympic trials, while also holding a few junior records. In 2018 he was named to the junior team representing Canada in Fiji for my performance in the 200 freestyle at senior nationals where he placed 3rd.
When he not coaching… Out of the pool he enjoys nature and being an avid gardener, beach bum, and hiking enthusiast.
Justin can be reached at justinkonik@gmail.com.
Running
We’re super excited to have Walter Faion returning to the club as our head run coach for Monday and Tuesday night TRACK.
For Walter, running and coaching is more than a job – it has been his way of life for many years: He has run marathons all over the world (49 of them so far) and has a PB of 2:28. Walter has also run too many half-marathons to count – the fastest in 1:08. He trained with world-class runners and has coached runners himself for several years too. With such experience as a runner and as a coach, he fully understands what it takes to help you reach your goal – whether it is achieving a certain time or simply reaching the finish line for the first time both mentally and physically.
Having FUN and enjoying each step is what it’s all about, but understanding that patience and consistency is the key to great distance running. No shortcuts in training. WooHoo WooHoo 🏃🏻♀️🏃💪🏻✅👍
Bike Leaders
This years bike leaders are: Katie Wittman, Marina Carr, Paulette Dalton, Pablo Casuso, Jessica Peixoto, Katy Tiper with bio’s below:
Katie Wittman graduated from the Master of Science in Planning program at the University of Toronto, and enjoyed the Tri Club so much she never left! She did her first sprint triathlon in 2013, and increased her distances each year until completing Ironman Mont-Tremblant in 2017. When she’s not training or working, she’s out hiking, bikepacking, or tossing a Frisbee.
In addition to leading most Wednesday morning SPINS, you’ll find Katie at the Sunday swims and evening runs (often doing a social 6 k on Thursdays).
ASK HER ABOUT: good races for beginners, balancing training with work, commuter cycling (route planning) and bike touring!
Marina Carr is a fairly new member of the club (joining in September 2018). She is returning to your exec team this year as PRESIDENT.
She has been doing triathlons since 2019 (she got 3 under her belt) and has completed 2 Olympic distance races and did her first 70.3 Ironman in Muskoka in 2021. She loves the half marathon distance and is learning to make friends with the bike thanks to the help and support of fellow triclub members.
This year you’ll find her leading some Monday morning SPINS and at most of the track workouts and Sunday swims.
ASK HER ABOUT: Getting the most from the post track Wahooo!
Paulette Dalton has been a long time member of the club (confirmed by this vintage jersey!) and is returning to your exec team this year as RECRUITMENT & RACE COORDINATOR.
Paulette has been doing triathlons since 2002 (yes almost 20 years) and has completed 9 Ironmans and over 20 marathons (including The Boston Marathon 10 times).
Paulette is also an NCCP Level 1 Triathlon Coach.
This year you’ll find her leading the Friday evening BRICKS and at most of the track workouts and Sunday swims.
ASK HER ABOUT: anything bike related (training, aerodynamics, fit, nutrition…)
Paulette also manages this Instagram account so send me all your club pics to post!
Pablo Casuso is returning as your Workout Coordinator Originally. He is from Santander (Spain) but I have lived and raced in Denmark and the UK. I have been a sports fanatic since I was a kid. I competed at National Level in Karate and Football and always liked social running. My first Triathlon ever was in 2018 @ 70.3 Mallorca as a result of a bet with a friend, of course I won!!! Since then I have raced in several Olympic and Half Distance Triathlons as well as Marathon and Half Marathons. Best results in 2021 with two AG top tens at IM70.3 Calgary and Muskoka, qualifying for IM70.3 World Championship 2022 in St George (Utah). ASK HIM ABOUT: … All those races he has traveled to.
Jessica Peixoto is new to our exec team as Acting SECRETARY + BIKE LEADER.
Jessica has been a member since 2020 and started doing triathlons in 2018. Due to the pandemic, she has only done sprint triathlons, with one ITU race in Lausanne, Switzerland in 2019. She is looking forward to completing longer races going forward! She loves long bike rides and spending time outdoors doing any sport! Jessica joined the club to meet more people to train with and to become a better swimmer.
You’ll find Jessica at the Monday or Tuesday TRACK run, Sunday SWIMS and leading some SPIN workouts.
ASK HER ABOUT: ITU races, balancing your time, and other outdoor activities like hiking and canoe tripping.
Katy Tiper has been a member of the triathlon club since 2017. She is returning to your exec team this year as SOCIAL COORDINATOR + BIKE LEADER.
She joined the club initially to improve her running, but soon after started biking and swimming, falling in love with triathlon. She has qualified for ITU worlds, completed two half-ironmans and ran her first marathon under Boston qualifying time. You can find Katy at Monday TRACK, Thursday TEMPO run and any SWIM practice.
ASK HER ABOUT: learning to swim as an adult and the importance of good bike handling skills.
Rounding out
Edward Ing is our newest member of the exec team and joins as your web master and substitute bike leader outdoors. He joined the club in January of 2015. The rationale was to become a good swimmer from near scratch and have a club to train for running races. That summer he raced a duathlon at Welland and thought it was bizarre that in this sport that finishing nowhere near the lead he could still earn a second place podium spot (45-49 age groupers).
But what inspired him was that he thought he was running with Olympians because he saw himself racing competitors wearing Team Canada triathlon uniforms. He was mistaken. He found out they were not Olympians, but age-groupers, some like him in the 50s. But he was inspired to earn the privilege to wear those Team Canada trisuit uniforms thinking that might be an achievable goal. He had a bike accident that summer and had to leave the first triathlon till 2016.
He finally did his first triathlon, a sprint in Woodstock in 2016. It was a preparation race for the goal of earning a ITU World Championship age-group qualification in the Ottawa National Championship race.
His favourite achievement is the New York City Half Marathon 2016, just missing a money spot by one. His duathlon qualification at Esprit de Montreal 2019 for the 2020 ITU Multisport Championships in his mind is his to be executed multisport race.
Also he says quite memorable was his Boston qualifying finish at the Toronto Waterfront marathon which he felt was a more important achievement than running Boston itself.
(Over the COVID hiatus he worked on his swim technique whenever there was a pool opening and thinks he is on the road to fast swims.)
His message to young rookie tri-club athletes — “You are likely in the easiest age group to qualify for the World Age-Group Championships, train to qualify, Bragging right last a lifetime here.!”