German mastermind Dan Lorang had the best day possible for a triathlon coach on Saturday, as his athletes Lucy Charles-Barclay and Anne Haug claimed the top spots at the IRONMAN World Championship.
Putting together two incredible performances against the best in the world, Charles-Barclay took the win in a new course record time, whilst Haug secured her fifth IRONMAN World Championship podium and broke the run course record in Kona.
In the post-race press conference, both Haug and Charles-Barclay thanked Lorang for his guidance and support and shared a little about what makes him such a great coach.
A great coach and a better person
For Haug, who has been coached by Lorang for the entirety of her professional career, their relationship is a special one which has weathered the good and the bad throughout her short course and long-course career.
“I have been coached my whole life by Dan, after meeting him in university,” she explained.
“He’s not just the best coach for myself, but he’s also the best person and it’s something really special to find someone who sticks with you, not just through the good times but the bad times as well, and we had a lot of bad times during my short course career.
“He always finds new ways to give me training stimuli and I never feel like I need a new coach or a new system. Every year is new and I think that makes him quite special. The fact that he is training so many high class athletes, makes his superpowers more powerful I think and I am just grateful to have him on my side.”
Lorang the perfect fit for LCB
Reiterating Haug’s points, Charles-Barclay – who also has her husband Reece as a coach on the ground – believes Lorang just fits perfectly into their team.
“Just to echo what Anne said there, he is a great coach but an even better person and someone who just fits in perfectly with our team. My husband plays a massive part, he is there everyday and is the coach on the ground and then Dan oversees the plan, which can be difficult at times but we all work together so well.”
Are we in a triathlon boom, or hurtling towards burnout? Laura Siddall on the growth of the sport
