Triathlete USA Triathlon Level 1 Coach USA Cycling Level 2 Coach
"I accidently blew up a friend's car on the return drive home in France from a stage race."
BIOGRAPHY
I have been a lifelong athlete. I grew up in Boise, Idaho and was active in golf, downhill skiing, volleyball and swimming. My educational background includes a BA in Sports Medicine and Physical Education at Whitworth College. I was an All-American swimmer. Following college I worked for 6 years as a rehabilitation tech and directed a volunteer program at a non profit hospital in Boise. In 2004, I moved to Italy to race bikes professionally and continued on American Domestic teams for 17 years. My husband Jono Coulter and I coach endurance athletes in California and Boise, Idaho, along with running and cycling tours in Italy and Idaho.
Palmarès
Ironman Louisville
1st Overall: 2019
Ironman
Kona AG World Champion: 2022 8 AG Wins 6 IMWC Podiums
To continue to grow and develop as a coach and athlete. Inspire more people to ride bikes and participate in healthy activities.
What’s your favorite quote?
“Our lives are measured in moments, and defining moments are the ones that endure in our memories.”
Who is your favorite author and what is their best work?
Daniel Brown, Boys in the Boat.
What’s the best training advice you’ve ever received?
Never give up.
How did you get started in your sport?
Pro Cycling: I hosted women from the Australian Institute of Sport who were racing the Women’s Challenge in Idaho in 2000 and they took me on bike rides.
Triathlon: When I moved back to Boise after college I did a local sprint triathlon as a “challenge” with my lifeguard buddies.
What’s the worst advice you’ve ever gotten?
I would never be an “elite” athlete again after my Rheumatoid Arthritis diagnosis in 2007 by my physician.
If you had to be shipwrecked on a deserted island, but all your human needs—such as food and water—were taken care of, what two items would you want to have with you?
A deck of cards and a large block of clay.
When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up?
A firefighter.
Describe your first bike.
Ciocc steel road bike. It was very uncomfortable, but I learned about the freedom the bike gave me.
What's the craziest thing that’s ever happened to you?
I accidently blew up a friend's car on the return drive home in France from a stage race.
Describe yourself with one word.
Positive.
Guilty pleasure food item?
Marshmallows.
Where is your “happy” place?
With my husband wherever that takes us.
What is your most memorable meal?
Italian food in general in Italy.
What is something that you learned from a parent or grandparent that has guided you in life?
To stop and smell the flowers.
Who is your greatest mentor and what did they teach you?
Kristin Armstong - Aside from hours on the bike discussing coaching, training and life. Not leaving anything on the course and “how bad do I want it?”
Tell us about your pet(s).
Limoncello is a new rescue female leopard gecko with a very sweet personality, Gary is a male leopard gecko rescue who has been through a lot of trauma and starvation but survived, he is our original pandemic pet.
What’s your favorite sound?
Ocean waves.
What’s your favorite smell?
Coffee.
When I’m not riding/running or otherwise crushing it in my sport, you’ll find me:
Hanging out with our leopard geckos Limoncello and Gary.
