FAQs

Getting started is simple. Reach out to the team via email at enquiries@norsemendurance.com or send a WhatsApp message to 07949 086 310, and we’ll book you in for a free initial call. This is a chance for us to understand your goals, aims, and intentions, and for you to ask any questions. From there, you can decide whether to move forward with the onboarding process or take some time to think things over.

Once you commit, we guide you through a structured onboarding process to fully understand you before training begins. You’ll have an initial call, complete onboarding forms, get set up on TrainingPeaks, and go through key assessments including our SHIFT framework and goal planning. Once everything is in place and your first payment is received, your coach builds your plan and training begins.

You don’t need a race to need a coach. We coach for consistency, structure, and long-term progress — not just race day.

Absolutely. While we’re based in the South West near Frome, Somerset, all of our coaching can be delivered fully remotely. Using platforms like TrainingPeaks, along with regular calls and messaging, we can support you wherever you are.

There is a one-off onboarding fee to get you set up, followed by a monthly subscription for ongoing coaching. We offer three pricing tiers — Bronze (basic), Silver (our most popular option), and Gold (our premium package). Our pricing is aligned with market rates, with full details discussed during your initial consultation and available on our website. We also offer optional bolt-ons, including run assessments with Fix My Run, sports therapy and rehabilitation through Optimum Health, and sports psychology sessions with our in-house elite psychologist, Mel — all available as one-off add-ons as and when you need them.

If you decide to stop or pause your coaching, the process is simple. Just let your coach know and cancel your monthly payment through your bank. You’ll continue to receive coaching until the end of the final month you’ve paid for (unless you’d prefer to stop sooner). We’ll also arrange a short reflection call to review your experience, helping us continuously improve and refine our coaching for future athletes.

All Norsem coaches deliver training through TrainingPeaks, where your programme is built, tracked, and adjusted. If you don’t already have an account, we’ll set this up during onboarding. You can access your training via the app on your phone, tablet, or desktop, with each session clearly detailing what’s required. There’s also a direct messaging feature within each session, allowing you to provide feedback and stay in regular contact with your coach. In addition, you’ll have scheduled phone or video calls, with frequency depending on the coaching package you choose.

This is entirely individual and will be discussed during your onboarding. Our coaches will assess how much time you realistically have available and balance that against your goals and ambitions to agree a weekly training volume that is both effective and sustainable. The focus is always on consistency — building a plan that fits your life, not one that overwhelms it.

Communication with your coach depends on the package you choose, but as a general rule you’ll have one detailed touchpoint each week — typically a phone or video call to review the previous 7 days and plan the next. In addition, you can communicate as often as you like through TrainingPeaks, using the direct messaging feature within each session to provide feedback and stay connected with your coach.

Injury is something we take seriously from the very start. During onboarding, our in-house sports therapist completes an initial remote assessment — included in your onboarding fee — to identify any existing or previous injuries before training begins. If you become injured during coaching, we adapt based on severity: for more serious injuries, we can pause both training and payments while you recover; for minor injuries, we ask that you seek assessment from a medical professional and share any recommended adaptations with your coach so training can be safely adjusted.

We offer a few ways to assess your swim stroke, depending on what’s most accessible for you. If you’re able to film your stroke using an underwater camera such as a GoPro, you can send the footage to your coach for detailed analysis — noting that you’ll need permission from the pool beforehand. Alternatively, if you’re local or willing to travel, we can carry out the assessment in person during the warmer months at Vobster Quay, or at a local swimming pool, where we can film and review your stroke directly.

Our run assessments are delivered in partnership with Fix My Run and led by Abi, a Certified Running Technique Specialist and HCPC Registered Podiatrist with decades of experience in biomechanics, rehabilitation, and movement analysis. The assessment focuses on how your body moves as a whole — analysing your running technique, identifying inefficiencies, and highlighting any areas that may limit performance or increase injury risk. Using proven methods, the process is designed not just to assess but to retrain movement patterns, helping you run more efficiently, reduce injury risk, and unlock performance. Following the assessment, you’ll receive clear feedback and the option to undertake a structured block of sessions to embed long-term improvements.

Sports therapy is built into the Norsem approach from day one. Lizzie, part of our performance team and owner of Optimum Health & Sports Therapy, conducts an initial assessment during onboarding — included in your onboarding fee — to identify previous injuries, recurring issues, and potential injury risks. This gives your coach the information needed to build a safe, effective training plan from the outset. Beyond this, Lizzie is available for optional bolt-ons such as sports massage, rehabilitation, and strength and conditioning programmes. As an experienced personal trainer who has completed marathons and Ironman events herself, she understands the demands of endurance sport and provides practical, athlete-focused support throughout your journey.

Sports psychology is integrated into our Gold package, where you’ll receive a monthly call with Mel, our in-house Sport and Exercise Psychologist. Mel has over 20 years’ experience working with elite, national, and international athletes, including Olympians, and currently works with Exeter Chiefs Rugby. Her approach focuses on developing confidence, managing anxiety, and building consistent motivation to improve both performance and enjoyment. If you’re not on the Gold package, you can still access her support through one-off bolt-on sessions. This is particularly valuable for athletes dealing with pre-race nerves, open water anxiety, or those looking for marginal gains and a competitive edge on race day.

Nutrition is a key part of performance, so we support athletes with practical, evidence-based guidance around fuelling and recovery. For personalised diet plans or specific needs, we work alongside qualified nutrition professionals to ensure you get the right support.

Triathlon is our foundation, but endurance is our expertise. Whether it’s swim, bike, run, or something more, we’ll pair you with the right coach to progress.

Absolutely — this shouldn’t stop you. Many people assume everyone in a triathlon is an elite swimmer, but that’s far from reality. You’ll see athletes of all abilities, including plenty swimming breaststroke. The swim is only around 20% of the race, and any time lost can easily be made up on the bike or run. With a few simple drills and techniques, most people quickly improve their confidence and efficiency in the water — and our coaches are here to support you every step of the way.

You don’t need anything fancy to get started. Our coaches will work with whatever equipment you already have, and this will be discussed during onboarding. We’ll also look at what facilities you have access to — such as swimming pools, gyms, or indoor training options — and build your training around that. As you progress, we can guide you on any worthwhile upgrades, but there’s no expectation to invest heavily from day one.

SHIFT stands for Social, Health, Inspiration, Finance, and Time — the five pillars that underpin everything we do at Norsem Endurance. Before we prescribe any training, we look at these areas of your life to understand what you can realistically commit to and where support is needed. By building training on this foundation, we ensure it fits within the constraints of real life — not an idealised version of it — helping you stay consistent, balanced, and progressing alongside work, family, and everyday pressures.

What makes Norsem different is simple — we coach in the real world. Our coaches are formally qualified, but more importantly, we’ve lived this. We’ve trained for Ironman while working full-time, raising young families, running on little sleep, and juggling real-life pressures. We’ve made the mistakes — wasted money on fads, chased the wrong metrics, bought the gadgets — and learned what actually works. If you want to be a professional athlete, there are coaches for that. If you want to perform at a high level within the reality of your life, that’s where we come in. Everything we do is built on our SHIFT framework — ensuring your training fits your Social, Health, Inspiration, Finance, and Time before we ever think about sessions.

Norsem Endurance coaching is built on a blend of formal qualifications, real-world leadership, and extensive endurance experience. Coaching aligns with the standards of the British Triathlon Federation pathway and is delivered fully insured and within current scope of practice — ensuring athletes receive coaching that is both structured and grounded in real-world performance.

As a coach with Norsem Endurance, you remain fully independent while becoming part of a wider performance team designed to support your growth. We take a percentage of your coaching fee, but in return we handle the time-consuming front end of coaching — attracting and recruiting athletes, assessing their suitability, managing onboarding documentation, and ensuring they complete a fit-to-train assessment with Optimum Health before training begins. We then carefully match each athlete to the coach best suited to their goals, experience, and personality, meaning you receive athletes who are aligned with your coaching style from day one. You’ll also feature on our Performance Team page, gain exposure through our marketing channels, and benefit from being part of a credible, growing brand — while we actively promote your independent coaching business as a Norsem partner. In return, we ask for mutual promotion and alignment with the Norsem approach, creating a collaborative environment where you can focus on coaching, not chasing clients.

The Norsem name comes from our co-founders’ strong Scandinavian roots and the mindset that underpins endurance sport. Warren’s surname, Allison, traces back to Viking heritage, his DNA testing showed 97% Scandinavian ancestry, and he grew up in York — once the Viking capital — now living close to Edington, where the Vikings fought their last major battle in England. Ben’s surname, Hansell, also has Danish origins. Beyond heritage, the name reflects the Viking ethos of strength, resilience, and perseverance — qualities that sit at the heart of endurance sport and the athletes we coach.

This is entirely your choice and will be discussed during onboarding. You can feature as much or as little as you like, and we will always respect your preferences and privacy. Nothing is ever shared without your consent.

Not yet but this is in the pipelline!