DC Suiter Coaching offers triathlon coaching and training for athletes of all ages and abilities, specializing in the beginner triathlete.  

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We offer personalized coaching to triathletes, duathletes and swimmers. Our training programs are designed specifically to meet your needs and goals, and our programs are not template based or computer-generated.  

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This year, I have the honor of being an ambassador to the USA Triathlon Foundation. They asked us to write our story, and this is mine.

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My story starts in 1987 in Bergen County, NJ. While on a full college scholarship for running, I biked to school 16 miles round trip every day and learned to swim when a trainer insisted on a swim class to rehab my knee. These were the days where I would go on 100 mile rides up to Bear Mountain with wired headphones and a walkman, no helmet and no clue that I even needed flat changing stuff. I did my first race on a Sears special red bike that seemed to weigh about 30 pounds. I took 3rd in my age group and was hooked. I bought a new Trek.

Over the next 7 years, I started placing overall in east coast races and winning a few and eventually found myself on Team USA in 1994 at the World Duathlon Championships (placing third in the world in my age group). I made the All-American Duathlon Team in that same year. 

Life happened, I got married and raised a family. I took some time off from triathlon to pursue competitive artistic roller skating, winning the NW Regional Championships in my division, which was a passion of mine at the time.

Over the next 20 years, I kept in touch with triathlon by racing a little, coaching a lot (including becoming a certified triathlon coach with USA Triathlon), and volunteering at races and with USA Triathlon. I also landed a job at FSA USA as their Office Manager for a short time, a job I loved but just wasn't quite ready for because I spent a lot of those 20 years struggling with self-esteem and self worth. I let a few people knock me over to the point where I didn't feel qualified to coach anymore, and I gave it up for a while.

 

I was not racing anymore and I felt as if nobody would take me seriously as a coach who was not in optimal shape. I struggled hard with trying to get back to triathlon, but always seemed to find a way to sabotage myself. I have done a lot of work on myself these last couple of years and things are definitely improving, but it is a work in progress and sometimes an uphill battle with many ups and downs.

After starting and stopping so many times, 2021 was my year to start over. I started the year off with the simplest of goals - to finish an online challenge that spanned 4 months from January to April. Somehow through purchasing a new house and moving, I met that goal just barely! After that, I made a new goal to do my first triathlon in 13 years - I met that goal too. 

At the encouragement of a friend, I reapplied for my business license for coaching and put back up my coaching website. I started a Facebook Group for supporting new triathletes and duathletes and I applied to be an ambassador for the USA Triathlon Foundation.

It's 2022, I'm 53 and I am a proud athena who is working hard at making a difference and showing others what they can do by being myself and being transparent in my efforts in triathlon. I am signed up for a few races this year and have plans to do a lot more volunteer work and possibly tell my story for encouragement. By taking this one step at a time, I am proving that anything is possible.

Triathlon has been an important part of my life for the past 35 years and I hope to be able to encourage others to "tri a tri" and support the mission of the USA Triathlon Foundation. I am and have always been passionate about helping beginners - something I can definitely do as an ambassador. If you would like to visit my fundraising page, please click HERE.

 

Your donation is 100% tax deductible and with the support and generosity of athletes and donors like you, we can make a difference together! Please consider supporting this important mission.

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Cherilyn has a background in running and masters swimming. A few of her accomplishments include a third place age group finish in the 1994 Duathlon World Championships, a NJ top-10 Master's swimming finish, 10 overall wins in triathlon and over 50 age group wins. Cherilyn has raced hundreds of cross country and road races throughout high school and college (where she was awarded two running scholarships)

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Cherilyn has committed much of her time to volunteer coaching and speaking on topics such as transitions, coaching and training plans. She has a passion for coaching beginner triathletes and teaching individual swim lessons. 

 

For more information about DC Suiter Coaching, please Contact Us!