ETA Coach Endurance Training | Athlete Testimonials

“Look and you shall find” or in this case “Stop looking and Jason will find you”

I’m a runner, have been for over 20 years. Weirdly enough, my most beneficial coaching experiences have always seemed to find me. I was fortunate enough as a young lad where my high school coach took me far and wide for exposure to good competition. And at St. Joseph’s University, Mike Glavin showed me an unmatched passion for the sport. read more »

After my second year of competing in triathlons, I had reached a tipping point...

My first year racing was successful; I was learning something new and was always seeing improvements. However, I didn’t know how to pull back on the reins and experienced extreme burnout that made my 2nd season less than enjoyable. Due to the burnout, I didn’t follow any training plan, I dreaded going to races, and I stopped seeing improvements. At the end of my second year, I didn’t know if I wanted to invest another year in the sport. read more »

"I’ve know Jason Kilderry for ten years. In 2002, I was filling in as a volunteer triathlon coach/mentor for Team In Training and Jason was one of the athletes signed up to do the LA Triathlon. I was surprised and impressed that a 20 year old had his mind set on doing an Olympic distance triathlon not to mention a destination race. It was easy to hit it off with Jason because he was as excited about triathlon and racing as I was. read more »

"Jason is unique in his ability to combine a scientific evidence-based training with his social personality to create a great coach-athlete environment. I struggled to maintain a consistent training regime after college, but with Jason’s help I was able to progress and grow as an athlete. Under ETA Coach I was finally able to break my old college PRs from 2005-2006 in the 5K, 8K, and 10K between the Fall of 2010 and Spring of 2011. The most memorable moment was when I ran 15:17 on the track at Princeton shattering my old PR by 11 seconds. read more »

“I never referred to myself as an athlete, and until I started doing triathlons at age 25, I had never swam, biked, or ran in an organized or competitive environment. During my first season of triathlons, I suffered through, barely finishing the run portion of each of my races. I had to sit out my entire second season due to injury. When I healed up, I vowed to come back strong for my third season, and enlisted Coach Jason to help me reach my goals. read more »

“After completing my first Ironman triathlon this past summer, I can honestly say I would not have been able to do it without Jason. Three years prior to finishing my first Ironman, I attempted to take on the distance. The coach I worked with at the time was great, but looked over some key areas in my training that led to me dropping out of the race. Jason, on the other hand, was there every step of the way and always went above and beyond his call of duty to make sure I was ready for every aspect of the race. read more »

"Without a doubt, I can say that the gains that I have made as a triathlete can be attributed to both Jason's coaching and guidance as well as my persistent, consistent effort. When I first started competing in the summer of 2007, I was overwhelmed. I did not know how to train and as a result, I found only minimal success. However, through Jason I have made leaps in all three disciplines. read more »

I was inspired to call Jason after watching the Ironman Championships last year. I had been a triathlete for 7 years, competing in all distances up to 70.3. I had never considered the Ironman distance, however, due to my constant battle with injuries. I actually watched the Kona race with a boot on my left foot. But as I watched a woman finish the Kona race with a boot on her left foot, I thought, “Hey, I can do this! And I already have the boot!” read more »

“I have been working with Jason since August 2009 and I can say, with total honesty, it was the best decision that I have ever made as an athlete. I ran my first marathon in 2006 at NYC in 2:49:55 and set a goal of a sub 2:40 marathon. Six years later, I reached that goal, although it had many setbacks and lessons along the way. read more »

“Most coaches are probably capable of building a generic plan to help their athletes prepare for a key race, however, they lack the knowledge to be able optimize that training in order for those athletes to maximize their performance. Coach Jason has a deep knowledge of how the body responds to different workouts and brings a very scientific approach to his plans. read more »

“The individual aspect of a sport like Track and Field inclines one to believe that self-motivation is the key to success, that an athlete who pushes him/her self will undoubtedly excel. While this view of the sport does not go unwarranted, it has the unfortunate consequence of dismissing the coaching element, especially at the high school level. read more »

“What I like best about Jason's coaching is that every conversation--whether we are discussing the next days workout or an entire training cycle--begins with him asking what other things I have on the table. As a full-time graduate student balancing running along with classes, research, and teaching responsibilities this is essential. In HS, college, and after, I have had the tendency to overtrain if left to my own devices. read more »

“I had been a dedicated basketball player. When the day finally came and I graduated college and didn’t have basketball to train for any more I didn’t know what to do with myself. I became interested in running. I ran my first half marathon and marathon in 2002 and never looked back. As the years passed, I got better and realized that I actually had talent in a sport I didn’t know much about. I made progress by reading on my own about training for this sport I was beginning to love almost as much as basketball. read more »

“Matt has trained my husband through a marathon, he has worked with my grade school daughter to improve her running stride and coaches my high school daughter in track. Matt is an outstanding coach! As an accomplished athlete himself he is able to share his experience and relate to the successes and disappointments of a training and racing regimen. read more »

"ONE BIG QUIT - I have quit one thing in my life. High school. It is not something I am proud of however it is not something I regret either. That One Big Quit turned out to be the foundation on which I have built so many Big Finishes in my life. It has been a decades long journey to prove to the people I disappointed (including myself) that I am not a quitter! read more »

"In October 2006, I had neuromas in both feet and a broken hand, and I just signed up for an Ironman. This might be a red flag for some, but Jason was more than happy to coach me back to health and across the finish line at Ironman KY. Jason really listened to my specific needs and goals and tailored my program to fit me. He never judged my fitness level or compared me to any of his other clients. He treats all athletes as athletes, whether you come in first or last doesn't matter. read more »

"I am a former All-American sprinter who after having 2 kids decided to pick up distance running to relieve daily stress. For a few years I trained myself based on my own knowledge of running and was able to steadily improve. I got to a point where overtraining, injuries and lack of experience would stop my training and affect my racing. read more »

"When I was a kid, I was a terrible athlete. Thanks to Jason, things have changed. In grammar school, I was always picked last for kickball. In middle school, I walked the 100 yard dash for fear of being made fun of. I even used to hold my nose when I jumped in the pool. In 5 years of baseball, I almost made it 2nd base; one time. I even beamed my own mom at the parents/kids baseball game. read more »

“I decided to work with Jason to become more competitive in my triathlon age group finishes. As a triathlete for 7 years and runner for over 30 I was hopeful that I could make improvements. Sure enough, this triathlon season I was able to consistently place in the top of my age group. Here is how it happened: Jason gathered a lot of data initially to evaluate my fitness through interviews, time trials, and a thorough questionnaire. read more »

"Consistency in training has always been a struggle for me. I also travel frequently, so my schedule is unpredictable and tight. So last summer, when I decided to improve my triathlon fitness, I did not know where to start, or how to maximize my training time. Based on a friend’s recommendation, I turned to CJ (Coach Jason), and it was the best decision I could have made." read more »

"When I was growing up I was super active, competitive, and loved sports. I was a slow sprinter but could find another gear when I would run for longer distances. Around the age of 10 I developed asthma. I became a goalie and always lagged at the back of my soccer and lacrosse runs in high school. When I got into my twenties I outgrew the asthma and began running. I took up racing because it gives me a goal to keep motivated. Year over year I enter the same races and try to put up better numbers." read more »

“I am not your typical athlete and no one would mistake me for one. But I began running, making it up as I went along and hit hurdles in the form of injuries. A year ago I did a triathlon relay (just the 5K run portion) and was so inspired by the people competing that I decided I wanted to do one myself. But I knew there was no way I could fake my way through training for a tri, especially since it had been no less than 20 years since I had really swam and about 15 since I was on a bike. read more »

"I came into triathlons relatively late in life with a very limited athletic background and osteoarthritis in my knees. After a few seasons of Sprint and Olympic distances, I signed on with Jason after a friend with a history of injuries had great success under his tutelage. With Jason’s guidance, I raced four triathlons this year and was stronger with each race." read more »

"Having worked with Jason for over a year now, i have had made tremendous strides in my running. I was a college runner for over 2 years, and did not make the gains that I'm making now. In less than five months under Jason's instruction, i managed to set a 17sec personal record in the 5k, something i was unable to obtain in the early years of my running career. Jason's attention to detail and science based principles are what sets him apart from any other coach i have ever worked with."
- R.H.

"Matt has helped me to develop a technically sound and structured approach to training for a distance running event. He listened to my needs and created a training plan (season outlook) tailored to my initial level of fitness and running goals while taking into account my busy work and family schedules. Matt ensures that workouts based on the latest body of running knowledge and my training progress to date are updated weekly and posted to a website for easy access and communication of workout results." read more »

"I began running as a way to stay fit. After completing several races on my own, I wanted to run a marathon as a 40th birthday present/accomplishment for myself. I knew I wasn’t experienced enough to complete this task on my own and that is when I enlisted Jason’s help. He was very encouraging right from the start and available for any questions. With his coaching, I not only finished my first marathon, but enjoyed the entire course with a smile on my face! read more »

"Working with Jay has helped with my motivation and consistency to get out the door and train. He worked around my busy schedule and still helped me improve in duathlon drastically. I went from just getting through duathlons last year to finishing top of my age group and top of the race overall. His program design and specific workouts really made sense as the season went on and showed in my results. read more »

"I've been running since high school but have struggled with the drive, motivation, and direction necessary to truly succeed and reach my goals. I loved running, but had trouble sticking to the schedule; that's probably because I didn't have a schedule. I ran when I felt like it, often to far to fast, causing me to be injured all the time. Working with Matt has not only given me the skills I need to succeed, but has delivered those skills ten fold. read more »

“Jason trained my 16 year old son who runs track, in the winter of 2009, specifically 400, 800m & Mile. My son never competed in the mile & yet at his very first outdoor meet, his coach placed him in the mile and the 4x400m relay. He came across at 4:58 & less than an hour later kicked out a 53sec 400 split. read more »

“I competed in my first triathlon during the summer of 2009, the summer before entering college. When I got to school I decided to join my school’s club triathlon team since I had been a competitive swimmer since I was five and ran during high school. This was a perfect option because I wanted to stay competitive throughout college but was an injury prone runner and wouldn’t be able to compete collegiality in swimming. read more »

“I began competitively running in my freshman year of high school performing cross country, winter track and spring track. Initially, I made gains in my speed and endurance due to the cumulative effect of my continued training and being relatively new to the sport. But I then began to plateau with my times and accomplishments during my sophomore year of running. read more »

“When I met Jason around a year ago I was a "do it yourselfer" when it came to training. I'm pretty disciplined as far as sticking to a plan goes, but I would just look up plans on the internet and go with the plan that looked like I could keep up. Problem is, I didn¹t really know what I was capable of, and didn¹t have much confidence in my abilities. read more »

“I started training with Jason in Spring 2012. While running has been a part of my life since college and I've been competing in triathlons since 2007 I've never had a coach. I realized it was time for some help when I decided to jump up to the 70.3 distance. I wanted guidance from a coach who could help me work through a nagging IT band injury and help me learn to balance a solid training read more »

“I have really enjoyed working with Maya as my ETA TRI coach. My first year seriously training, I just thought I could swim, bike and run, but starting in my second year, I needed help figuring out a plan. Maya helped me understand about focused training for specific targets. A big challenge I have is currently I am in the military and stationed in Saudi Arabia. read more »