Simply Stu     "Coach Mike: What can I say? He took a 16+ hour Ironman guy. A DNF guy. He took a head case guy. Yes, I was a TOTAL head case. He took that and helped me go 12:47. This was also a 12:47 without a med tent. What do I mean? I always promised my family I would never race to the point I needed to go to the med tent. So he taught me how to race. I still think he feels I can go much faster. I believed in him, but he taught me to believe in me. After Ironman Wisconsin , I finally do! Let me just give facts and you can decide if you need a coach like Mike : Just the facts: 3 Main races: All 3 I had PRs. Not just PRs, but a 30 min PR in my half and a FOUR HOUR PR in my Ironman. Oh yeah, that includes a flat tire and no swim goggles. Ha! Went from an FTP of 130 to 211. That’s a gain of 81 Watts or 62% over 8 months! I averaged MORE power for SEVEN hours now than I could average for 60 min when I first started. How about that! I ran a 20 mile race (not an "A" race) where Coach told me to hammer that last 5 miles. I laughed when he told me that. He was nuts. I did the race and run each of the last 5 miles in the 6's - that was AFTER 15 miles. At that point I still did not believe in myself. I learned to trust a coach. Coach told me to WALK the helix. I said no way (to myself), but on race day, I said, "Come on Stu, do like Coach Mike said." I walked the Helix, and it set me up for a perfect day. I finally believe in myself. That is a FACT! You can take everything else away. This FACT alone is worth it to me. Thanks Mike! You ROCK!." Simply Stu IMWI Finisher, 4 hour PR     "I used D3 Multisport coaching to shave 2.5 hours off of my Ironman PR in 2007. Of all the tools available to make yourself a better triathlete, I found that great coaching is the most valuable. You can buy a better bike, train harder but not smarter, and spend lots of time and money on gear, but the knowledge that great coaching can give you is usable for a lifetime and will never wear out.     Mike Ricci 's services were incredibly professional and always available. His techniques were unbelievably solid and improvements were easily identifiable. One touch that I especially enjoyed was that he informed me ahead of time if he would not be reachable for any period of time. I always felt like he was paying attention to my training 24 hours a day, 7 days a week." Brett Blanker IMWI Finisher 2007 Brett Blanker Tracy Korn     "I can't believe how much I've improved this year working with D3. I took 20 minutes off my Ironman bike time, negative splitting, and PR'd my half-Ironman time by 40 minutes thanks to Mike and his focused, but personable approach. The man knows his stuff! He helped me the most however by really understanding what it's like for a woman with a full-time career and family to train for Ironman. I was seriously a person with the maximum commitment in every direction, and he worked one-on-one with me to customize my training to fit my schedule and stress-loads.     I think I appreciate Mike's 200% commitment to his athletes even above his enormous amount of knowledge and experience. He talked to me for hours about the psychology of sport, how to get my head in the right place and shift my attitudes and perceptions onto a productive, forward moving path when I really needed it the most. See, I was coming off of a hypothermic DNF at the cold and rainy 2006 Wisconsin Ironman, and he took into account not only the physical training preparation needed for my 2007 comeback attempt, but my personal mental game as well. He listened when I felt insecure about my run and wanted to do more (I was seven miles from the finish line in 2006), and instead of saying hey, it's my way or the highway, he was flexible in building more runs into my last big workout weeks even though he knew I didn't physically need them. I mentally needed them though, and he knew they physically wouldn't hurt me at that point, so made the call that would help me *feel* I could perform as well as he *knew* I could. I finished Ironman 2007 feeling awesome all the way through the race, strong and happy on the run straight through to the other side of the tape. Mike, you just rock! Thank you for everything!" Tracy Korn IMWI Finisher 2007     "I came into triathlon from a competitive swimming and running background. I'd been fortunate enough to work with some excellent single-sport coaches throughout my career, but until the '07 season I'd never worked with a triathlon coach to bring all three disciplines together. Under my own tutelage, I managed to finish 3 ironman races within 10 minutes of each other (consistent, but not particularly impressive in the improvement department!). Working with Coach Mike focused my training efforts and allowed me to have the season that age group triathletes dream of. I qualified to be the Illinois representative in the Best of the U.S. series. I qualified for the 70.3 World Championships, Finally, I nailed my race at Ironman Wisconsin and qualified for Kona! I would highly recommend D3 Multisport coaching to anyone wanting to take their racing to the next level! Thanks Mike!" Chris Sweet IMWI Finisher 2007 Kona Qualifier Chris Sweet Michelle Brost     "My 2007 racing season has just ended and I find myself already strategizing and setting goals for 2008. To me, this is the measure of a great coach. I have the desire to continue to improve and the confidence to know that I can. I feel this is largely due to Mike 's effective coaching.     I came to D3 Multisport with little athletic experience or triathlon training knowledge. From the beginning, I felt comfortable with the direction and plan for the season. Mike was easily accessible via phone or email and always promptly answered my questions. Basically, I just did what he told me to do and the positive results followed. Obviously, the physical training wasn't that simple, but I trusted his knowledge and am a better racer because of it.     This past season I frequently placed in the top three in my age group at races in Wisconsin and Minnesota . I PR’d by over 30 minutes at one of my Half-Iron distance races. I finished my season with a 12:33 at my first Ironman in Wisconsin . Thanks Mike! " Michelle Brost IMWI Finisher 2007     "I began racing marathons in 1981, triathlons in 1986, and adventure racing from 1998-2004. That’s 25 years of some serious endurance and Multisport racing – over 40 marathons (four or five Boston Marathons and a 2:42 PR), four Ironman races (two in Kona), three Eco-Challenges, and many, many more. At 50 years old, though, I have never been as fit, strong, or confident in my ability as now, and I owe that to the training I have done under the close guidance of Mike Ricci. In the four or five months leading up to my recent Ironman Japan experience – my first triathlon since IM Germany in 1997 – my time training was optimized and there were absolutely no junk miles or workouts without a very specific purpose. Not only did all the training make a lot of sense and work to continually challenge and improve my fitness; but, also, it was fun! I never thought I’d say that about riding alone in the mountains for six hours, but it was. As a result, I had a wonderful experience at Ironman Japan in May, 2006, and am eager to go out and seriously race my next Ironman effort later this year; of course, with Mike’s complete guidance." Barry Siff 5430 Sports Race Director Finisher, IM Japan 2006 Finisher, IM New Zealand 2007 Finisher, IM Arizona 2007 Barry Siff Martina Young "Training under Mike's guidance made me not only a stronger and smarter triathlete but also a happier one. I was in bad spirits when I started working with him and he quickly saw that the first thing we needed to do was get my love for the sport back. He was not afraid on cutting back my training so we could focus on my psyche. In fact, I do not think that he is ever afraid of any challenge. He approaches every problem with such confidence. Mike understands me because he takes the time to listen. Not to mention his vast pool of knowledge. With Mike I know that not matter how tough a training day, a race or recovery from an injury is going to be, at the end, I will be alright. I am doing my first IM this year, and I am not scared, quite the opposite, I am thrilled. How couldn't I be? I have the best coach in the world." Martina Young 1st Place AG Rock-n-Roll Half Ironman 2005 3rd Place AG at Slovenia Championships Finisher, IM Austria 2007 More Testimonials >>>

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