Coach Clare completed her first marathon in 1999 and has been riding bikes and racing triathlons for more than 28 years. Her love of cycling and running started with a 40-mile group ride in 1990 with the St. Louis Touring Cyclists. After finishing a sprint triathlon that summer, she knew she was hooked. In the past 28 years, Clare has competed mostly at the Ironman and Ironman 70.3 distances as well as numerous marathons, along with the famed 1200K Paris Brest Paris, followed by La Marmotte (109 miles, 17,500’ climbing) and plenty of short distance racing thrown in the mix.

She is a solid athlete, competing in back-to-back World Championships in 2018 at both the ITU Long Course World Championships and the Ironman 70.3 World Championships. Branching out from a love of cycling, she added criterion racing, road racing, cyclocross and cross country mountain bike racing to her repertoire. Clare is also a Certified Strength and Conditioning Coach (CSSC), a Certified Personal Trainer with ACSM “the Gold Standard”, and a Certified Sports Performance Coach with USA Weightlifting.

Her early coaching career began in Chicago as head coach to a local marathon program in 2000 and 2001, and during that time she coached 386 people to complete their first marathon through a 26-week program. She also was a pioneer in online coaching as both a running and triathlon coach in subsequent years. She has co-founded and grown numerous triathlon programs and expanded the reach of both cycling and triathlon in her communities.

In 2015, she launched youth cyclo-cross and mountain bike teams and more than forty children rode in 2018 through three programs!

Clare’s athletes range from coaches looking for mentorship, to athletes looking to reach their next level. With both local and online, one-on-one and group training available, she provides a unique training and coaching experience for her athletes.

What makes Coach Clare different is her personality, her professionalism, and her dedication to each individual client. A positive attitude, a dedication to science, continued support, and encouragement enable Clare’s clients to achieve their dreams, to be strong, to be healthy, and to be as much as they dare to be.

What do you want to achieve?

Coach Clare is sponsored by Xterra Wetsuits. Xterra's commitment to excellence mirrors Coach Clare's and they provide incredible technology which allows athletes to be at their best. Clare is also a paddle partner with Xterra Boards

XTERRA Wetsuits strives to make your swim faster and more comfortable, and to offer you the highest performing triathlon wetsuit at the best value. We've been doing this all over the world since 2001. We confidently stand by our claim of making the world's fastest wetsuit, and our sponsored athletes have the records to back it up: An XTERRA Wetsuit, worn by one of the world's elite triathletes, holds the world record for fastest swim while wearing a wetsuit.

Justin S.

Clare is a great coach and has made me a better athlete! Her guidance has been tailored to my individualized needs and goals. When I first starting working with her, I could not swim 25 yards without getting gassed. Nine months later, I swam 1.2 miles in open water in 40 minutes as part of my first triathlon - the Lake Placid 70.3. I can’t thank her enough for meeting me where I was and listening to my goals. She pushed me when needed but also understood my need to prioritize overall health, family and work.

Mark P.

"Yes! Goals achieved! I am quite pumped in what I have accomplished with Clare's direction and pushing. I was able to accomplish quite a bit despite a very hectic schedule and current life happenings.

Clare gave me good direction in terms of: gaining immediate new business, working on short and long term goals for marketing, cleaning up the on-boarding process, and building an online presence.

I am really proud about so much of the work I did with Clare but if I had to choose the highlights, I'd say: website, new business card, and the marketing brochure.

The work was invaluable! With the investment I made into my work with Clare, I was able to double my coaching income. "

Vanessa C.

I can swim! You’re a miracle worker. I’m so excited! Thank you. I can’t wait to get better and better! I feel like I’ve made a major discovery about myself here.

David S.

I was randomly teamed up with Coach Clare by Training Peaks as I sought to attempt some stretch goals for myself. Attempting to achieve these goals on my own I found myself spending more hours training and not moving off the plateau I had reached. Rather skeptically I hired Coach Clare. Immediately was able to train in fewer hours and get STRONGER within weeks. As a bit of a control freak it was hard to let go and trust someone, but I quickly got a comforting sense that Coach Clare was able to connect with me at a personal level, gain awareness of things that were important to me, customize my training plans around the variability of life, and readjust continuously as needed. This Coach was smart! I found someone of quality, someone I could trust, so much so that even I could let go. Simply put it made my training and life easier.

Recently I was able to reach a goal that I set a year ago for myself, one that seemed not possible, a stretch, frightening actually, yet like you perhaps, I was drawn to it. With that accomplishment comes a deep sense of reward, of validation, of having something that you own. Coach Clare created and nurtured that path to success for me. With that came the excitement of learning new things and growing as an athlete, what we all desire. During my event, it all came together, and I heard myself say, her plan was brilliant. It was a tremendously special day, one that will resonate for many, many years. I am stronger, happier, more committed, and smarter with Coach in my life. Clare is no longer Coach, she is My Coach Clare, and love that she has been part of my journey. I hope you are as lucky as I to work with My Coach Clare.

Karla C.

"Clare Zecher is one awesome swim instructor! She pinpointed my problems in the first lesson and after just a few more, had me well on my way. The drills she gave me have continued to serve me well and improve my stroke."

Karen J.

"Clare Zecher is an amazing coach. She has been my coach for 3 years and helped me meet my training and race goals each of those years. I found Clare in 2013 when I decided I wanted to train for and complete my first 70.3 triathlon. I quickly started training with her and within a few weeks knew that this training would be nothing like what I'd done in the past. This training was at a whole new level and I was in the hands of an expert."

Patrick M.

"My swimming has dramatically improved since I started training with Clare. I started training with her as part of my preparation for my first full-length ironman. Clare has created customized workouts based on weekly video analyses of my stroke. As a result, my body position is better, my distance per stroke has lengthened and my overall pace is faster. After a few months, I have gained more stamina and feel much more comfortable in the water."

Publications

• How to Beat That Workout Slump: 5 Tips to Rejuvenate Your Motivation
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