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DIANE CALDERON
USAT LEVEL I Triathlon Coach
dianecalderon@gmail.com
tel. +1-914-393-3166
Diane Calderon is an accredited USAT Level I Triathlon Coach who has been involved in the sport of triathlon since the early 1980s. Diane has been personally coached as a competitive Age Group runner and triathlete, and has consistently placed in the top 1-5 as an age group athlete in all of her competitive efforts. After her third child was born in 2003, Diane decided to take her participation in triathlon to a new level. With the help of a Canadian coach, she began to prepare for some longer distance races, and, in 2004 completed 2 successful Half IM distance races. Her second attempt, at The Montauk Half IM in Oct. 2004, earned her a second place overall female finish. Now that she was hooked, she began preparing for her first full IM distance race. With the help of coach Michael McMahon she was able to build a strong and successful program which brought some impressive results: St. Croix Half IM, 1st place AG with a qualifying space at IMWC in KONA, Tupper Lake Tinman, 1st place AG, and, finally, 2nd place AG at her first IM race at IM USA in Lake Placid. At IMWC that year, Diane was 7th overall in her age category.
Despite illness and injury in 2006 and 2007, Diane still managed to place 2nd AG in St. Croix both years. Additionally, she qualified for IMWC once again in 2007 by placing 2nd in her age group at Buffalo Springs Half IM in June, 2007.
Years of training and competition in the sport have provided Diane with a huge knowledge base about every aspect of triathlon. She has literally grown with the sport, and can remember doing early races on a “10-speed” bicycle. In her early years in the sport (when there were no pros at local races) she had more than a few first place overall female finishes.
Diane’s passion and commitment is evidence of her great love for all aspects of the sport. In 2007 Diane traveled to Colorado to attend a coaching clinic and was certified as a USAT Level I coach in February 2007. Not only did she add to her knowledge about the sport, she met several other inspirational coaches and continues to benefit from the relationships forged at that clinic. Paul Newsome, a coach from Perth, Australia, was one of the most impressive coaches Diane was to meet. In fact, she has been in contact with Paul since early 2007, and gives him the credit for her success at Buffalo Springs in June 2007!
There is no question that in order to succeed in the sport of triathlon a good coach is essential. Recognizing this, Diane agreed to put her certification to use by putting 7 relative “newbies” through their paces to prepare for their first Half IM race in June 2007. All seven finished with flying colors! Two of those original 7 are currently under Diane’s tutelage, preparing for their first full IM event at Lake Placid this coming July.
One thing is for sure, there’s always something new to learn. That’s what keeps the sport of triathlon interesting. Diane has attended training camps and seminars, has been a member of the Mark Allen Online Elite team for the 2007 and 2008 seasons, has had training in the use of heart rate monitors as a sponsored Polar athlete, and manages to keep embracing the sport from as many angles as possible. She hopes to get to Kona again soon and would love to help others achieve their own athletic goals.
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