Half Ironman Program

Welcome to the DC Triathlon Club's general informational page about the Half Ironman Program (HIP). With such a large membership and with the success of the club's New Triathlete Program, we saw a desire from our members to create programs to help our triathletes conquer the longer distance races. And so in 2010, we created the Half Ironman Program. With feedback from each year's class, we are constantly bettering the program to meet the demands of the participants.

Registration for the 2024 program is open now! Click here to access our registration page (you must be logged in as a DC Tri Club member to access registration)

• Registration Status: Open! Registration for the 2024 program is open now! Click here to access our registration page (you must be logged in as a DC Tri Club member to access registration)
• Program Kickoff Meeting: January 2024, date TBD
• HIP Members Only Web Page: 2024 participants web page
• HIP WhatsApp Group: Coach Stephan will add you upon registration

The Half Ironman Program will commence in January and conclude in October. While the goal race occurs in July, the training plans can be adjusted to fit the needs of athletes competing in other races. However, the clinic schedule will revolve around this target race and athletes will benefit most from the clinics and group workouts by doing the featured goal race or another race close to this time frame.  The HIP goal race for 2024 is:

• Selected Goal Race: Ironman 70.3 Eagleman
• Race date: June 9, 2024
• Race distance: Half Iron (1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run)
• Distance from Washington, DC: ~ 85 miles / 2 hours driving time

• Beginner: An average of 6 workouts per week (2 swim, 3 bike, 2-3 run); participants will have on average one day per week off for rest and recovery. Initially, participants will be required to do an 1:30 hour long ride and a 1 hour long run (like the intermediate plan for ease of training partners). However participants will require less training time throughout the week. You will still require enough volume to complete a Half Ironman. Thus the overall volume of the beginner program will continue to ramp up to assure success and requires commitment on the participant's part.
• Intermediate: An average of 7 workouts per week (2-3 swim, 3 bike, 2-3 run); participants will typically do one workout per day however they will not have an official day off per week for rest and recovery. The third bike workout will remain optional each week for those participants that chose to take a day off each week. Active recovery days and weeks will be incorporated into the training plan. There will be a scheduled day off during each recovery week. Initially, participants will be required to do an 1:30 hour long ride and a 1 hour long run. The long rides and runs will increase from this point. In comparison to the beginner program, this plan will incorporate an additional run/brick on most weeks throughout the season. Again, this plan will require dedication and commitment from the participant in order to assure HIM success.
• Advanced: An average of 8-10 workouts per week (2-3 swim, 3 bike, 3-4 run); participants are typically seasoned, competitive athletes that want to improve their overall performance. This training plan will closely correlate with the Intermediate plan (for ease of training partners); however this plan will incorporate an additional bike each week (and possibly an addition run/brick). Group workouts will be held monthly and will coincide with one of the Informational Clinics. Participants will be provided with Google Group access to use for coordinating other group workouts on their own.

We have identified several areas that we believe are essential to success in a Half Ironman event. The specific clinic topics include:

• Injury Prevention & Functional Strength Training: The purpose of this clinic is to demonstrate exercises and stretches to help participants avoid injury and improve performance. We will focus on core/abdominal strength, shoulder strength and flexibility, hip flexibility, quadriceps, glutes, balance and other key areas for triathletes.
• Bike Handling and Maintenance Review: While we do not anticipate anyone having significant bike fit or handling issues at this experience level, the challenge of riding 56 miles in an aero-position is significantly different than riding 40K in that position. We will do a brief review of strategies to avoid potential injury and unnecessary energy exertion. Additionally, we will review basic group riding etiquette and bike handling techniques as well as review basic bike maintenance.
• Half-Ironman Nutrition: One of the biggest challenges to successfully making the transition from an International Distance race to a Half-Ironman is taking in the right amount of nutrition at the right time. While the primary means of learning what works occurs during training itself, we believe that a clinic to review the basics and provide suggestions will help everyone to accelerate their learning process.
• Foam Rolling: This clinic is hands on and walks you through the key areas for recovery from the affects of long course training.
• Race Planning: In order to be prepared and organized for your goal race, this clinic will talk about the important areas that must be addressed during training and before race day to ensure optimal performance on race day.
• Swim Clinic: The swim clinic will help participants work on their swim-stroke technique and drills. Participants will receive feedback from a brief swim-stroke analysis.
• Open Water Swim Strategy: The open water clinic will provide participants with an opportunity to practice open water swimming. Additionally, participants will learn strategies for mass starts, turning, drafting and efficiency during racing.
• Run Form Clinic: Running off of the bike provides different challenges for the half ironman race distance. Running form and efficiency play a key role in a participant’s success. This clinic will address the most often ‘denied’ area of the triathlon competition.

• Is the training plan personalized to each participant?
  No, the training plan is not customizable to each individual athlete. As a club program, this issue has been debated over at length: how best to provide a training program for members trying to attempt an Half Ironman distance race while doing so at an affordable cost. Personalized trainings designed by a coach will cost an athlete from $150 to $500 per month for the duration of the program (5-6 months). This may not be economical for many athletes so the club decided to make some concessions to bring the cost of the program down. Working with a coach, three training plans were developed that can accommodate athletes of various backgrounds and various goals. However, for these reasons, it is recommended that participants have previous triathlon experience to participate in this program.
• How will the training plan be delivered?
  The training plans will be delivered via the TrainingPeaks.com website. All participants will be given a 6-month premium athlete account with TrainingPeaks. The club has arranged a significant discount on the accounts so that every participant has full access to all the tools within the website and is able to move workouts around, if desired, and upload their workouts to review and to use the site's analysis tools to really delve into their workouts to look at how their training is proceeding.Through the TrainingPeaks website, your training plan will be entered into the system and adjusted so that the start date is appropriate for your chosen goal race. However, there will be no further customization or tailoring to the plan. The plan will consist of five months of workouts designed to take an athlete with prior International Distance Triathlon experience and bring him or her to the point where he or she can comfortably complete a Half-Ironman Distance race. The program is also appropriate for athletes who have completed a Half Ironman distance race but would like to improve their results. Participants must have previous triathlon experience (minimum of international distance triathlon) to participate in this program.
  • Important: After you have registered, you will receive a Welcome Email with all details about the program including, how to register for Training Peaks and how to choose your training plan option. If you are signing up for a race different from the featured race, your training plan will not start until 20 weeks out from your chosen race date. Thus, you will not receive a training schedule until your are within this 20 week period. In addition, please allow us several days from DC Tri Club registration and completion of this email for us to process this information and get your appropriate training plan loaded.

• Where should I be, training-wise, upon starting the Half Ironman Program?
  The Half Ironman Program is NOT a couch-to-Half Ironman training plan. Even with a 20-week program, coming from a "sedentary" base level is not recommended and greatly increases your risk of injury during the ramp up in training. Therefore, we recommend that you have a baseline level of fitness going into the program. Recommended base level before program begins:
• Minimum/average distances per workout:
  • Swim: 1500 meters
  • Bike: 1.5 hours (approximately 24 miles)
  • Run: 50 minutes (approximately 5 miles)
• Total time/distances per week:
  • Swim: approximately 3000 meters
  • Bike: 2.5 hours (approximately 40 miles)
  • Run: 1 hour 30 minutes (appoximately 9 miles)

• Will there be group workouts?
  Yes, group workouts are held on a regular basis. These will coincide with regularly scheduled DC Tri Club group workouts however program participants will generally form up and ride or run together following the workouts prescribed in their respective training plans. This is a great way to find training partners and meet other club members.
• What kind of interaction will I have with the coach, Co-Leaders, and fellow participants?
  • Half Ironman Program website: You will have access to a dedicated, restricted part of the DC Triathlon Club website forum to facilitate communication between the coach, coordinators and the participants the forum will also enable you to connect with your fellow Half Ironman Training Program participants to schedule workouts. Future communication will be established on this forum rather than your individual e-mail addresses.

• What is the cost of the program?
  The program cost is $450 per participant from November 24, 2023 to December 4, 2023. The cost will increase to $500 December 5-31, 2023 and $425 January 1, 2024 until program closing. Participants must be active members of the DC Triathlon Club. Race registration fees are NOT included in the cost of this program.The maximum number of participants will be set at 30. Please make sure that if you sign up for this program, you are at least 20 weeks out from your chosen race. This will give you the benefit of the full program as well as involvement in all of the informational clinics. (Race registration fees are NOT included in the cost of this program.) There is a no refund policy for this training program.
• Please tell me about the coach!
  We would like to introduce you to your coach: Stephan Weyers. Stephan is the Co-Founder of Wingman Multisport. A Sports Lawyer by trade, his multisport journey took him from Ironman "bucket list" wanna-be-athlete to multiple Ironman finishes to coach. Leading by example through his dedication to training and continuous improvement, Stephan has built a core of athletes who have consistently been able to beat their personal best times at events. Cheerleader at heart, but firm in approach Stephan masterfully combines a data-driven approach with the wisdom and insights of his own personal journey to help you tap into your fullest potential. Stephan is an Ironman Certified Coach, the gold standard of Ironman coaching and also holds accreditations from USAT, TrainingPeaks and Primal Endurance. Fully embracing the motto that “Genetics loads the gun, lifestyle pulls the trigger” Stephan’s coaching secret is a powerful combination of intellectual know-how and unshakeable commitment to seeing you at the finish line. As the coach of DC Triathlon Club’s Half Ironman Program, Stephan looks forward to sharing his knowledge and inspiring others in the DC Triathlon Club.