Testimonials
Stewart Conway - Ironman World Champ Finisher
Contagious enthusiasm underpinned by a passion for the sport, a wealth of coaching experience and a treasure chest of analogies- in just 6 months in reaching levels I’ve never seen, smashing PBs. Thanks Raya.
Tim James - Ironman World Champs Finisher
I just wanted to give a huge shoutout to my Tridot coach Raya Usher for her help this season preparing for Ironman Worlds in Nice! Doing this race meant a lot of firsts for me and she made sure I was prepared. The Tridot app is great for building your engine, however it doesn't replace the situation specific advice that a coach can give. For example, Nice had gnarly bikes descents in the mountains with hairpin turns. We spent time with her coaching me down descents and how to keep my bike glued to the pavement. Nice was a deep water mass start, her coaching on how to swim best in crowds was invaluable, allowing me to get sub hour in a crowded race without a wetsuit. I'm from Wisconsin where the water is fresh, the land is flat and the temps are cold. Raya made sure I would be ready for the salt, mountains and heat that Nice had to offer. Most of all however, her coaching was fun! I couldn't wait to share the ups and downs of training with my coach. Thanks Raya!
Joyce Gilbert - 70.3 Age Group Triathlete
Ironman 70.3 Distance, AG Athlete I first met Raya at the Quays Open water Swim facility in May 2019 for open water swimming lesson to get my confidence back a week before my first race of the season for my Corps, I was naturally nervous but Raya my mind at ease after an amazing session I felt much better about my race after long chat with Raya. I then decided to contact Raya again about being coached by PRT as I had lost my love for the sport and asked if she would be willing to coach me. I then became a part of the PRT. Raya has helped me in achieving my goals in completing my first 70.3, she always gives detailed structured training programme and tailored to me working around my needs, Raya gives regular feedback on how I am getting on during my training and her motivation and enthusiasm to keep focused on what’s ahead. Raya is more than just a coach she is councillor as well and to have this sort of support has been more than amazing. I really love being in Precision Race Team as it has allowed me to reach my goals and meet some truly amazing and inspirational group of people.
Urszula Donigiewicz - Ironman 70.3 World Champs Triathlete
Raya is an incredibly knowledgeable coach, extremely good communicator, manages me very well and to top off all that she is a great friend. We have been working together for the majority of the past 4+ years and in that time, she has got me to my first Ironman and to a qualification in 70.3 World Championships. Due to the pandemic, I have had a deferral on the World Champs so haven't raced it... yet. What Raya is great at is managing and coaching me in triathlon whilst maintaining balance in other aspects of my life and keeping it all fun and not stressful.
Ginetta George - 70.3 Age Group and aspiring Xterra Triathlete
Raya is like a breath of fresh air and super supportive every step of the way. I am training for my first 70.3 and feel confident that I have a coach that is working closely with me to achieve my goal. Her knowledge across all three disciplines is vast and nothing is too much trouble, even all the novice questions from a first-timer. She is very caring about all her athletes, but always takes time to give individual attention and support with a smile.
Peter Harrris - Ironman Age Group Triathlete
Raya is an incredible coach and all-round amazing person. As a professional athlete she understands what it takes to succeed. Over the last 4 months under Raya’s direction I’ve improve swim CSS by 8%, bike FTP by 39% and 5K TT run by 22%, competed my first Ironman 70.3, Long Course Weekend and ready for Ironman Wales in a few weeks. I must balance training with a young family and a demanding job. Raya’s support and experience has been invaluable - understanding how precious time she is advocates training smart, not always long. She’s like a magician - knowing that not all motion is progress, so be purposeful with training to have the biggest impact. If you want a world class coach to help you achieve your full potential, then it has to be Raya and the Precision Race Team.
John Hart - Ironman 70.3 Triathlete
Raya and I have been working together for just over 3 years to date. I was coaching myself but lacking the time to do it properly. After a 1-week training camp with Raya as a sort of trial, I never looked back. A few reasons why: - She’s fun to work with. She has a good dose of humour which makes communicating easy. Not many people would read my post training rants about the old ladies blocking the lanes in the pool – She’s serious where it matters. Training, how you are feeling, everything that is about making you a better athlete, she takes seriously. - If you’re expectations don’t match reality, she will tell you - She understands that life goes first and that for the vast majority of us, it is our past time, a challenge and sometimes training has to be amended. - She understand that every athlete is different and approaches need to be tweaked for all In the last 3 years, A lot has happened. - I crashed off my bike because of a car. Raya got me back on my bike and back to triathlon - I was burning out the candles at both ends at work, getting extremely stressed and starting to dislike training and getting stressed about it. Raya got me to enjoy myself again. I’ve completed multiple 70.3 triathlons which is not bad for someone who got below average in PE at school and who has poor lung capacity - The above mentioned crash ruptured the ligaments in my shoulder and yet with a long rehab in 3 years we have shaved about 40s on my swim threshold - I’m 3 years older and yet I feel stronger and faster than I ever was.
Huw Allanson - novice triathlete, aspiring to Ironman
So to start with I will give some context about me. I’m someone that wants to be an Ironman. When I set this goal for myself 2 years ago, I would say that I was a terrible swimmer and pretty much a complete novice cyclist and runner. Now I would say that I’m ok at all 3.
Precision race team is a great team, full of some really inspirational people including many age group winners, I’m one of the less competitive athletes shall we say!
When I decided to start doing triathlon I went to the pool and managed 18 lengths in 23 minutes. I was out of breath, tired but also pleasantly surprised I had managed 18 lengths. From there I booked a 70.3 in 6 months time and started a training plan. I had some swim lessons and there was a big improvement but I was never really finishing all the sessions and I rarely did them in the times I was supposed to.
In the run up to the 70.3 I booked an Olympic triathlon as a practice to get ready for the big day. I managed about 50m of the swim before cold water shock set in, I panicked, grabbed onto a buoy and waited for the boat to save me. I tried once more but there was no use, I just couldn’t do it. I was fished out along with another person and in the boat back to the start I thought to myself this is just a set back, need to get straight back to it as I’ve only got 6 weeks to go.
The next week I went back to the lake to try again but the same thing happened - cold water shock. I was so scared, had no confidence in my swimming and I knew deep down I wasn’t where I needed to be. I had an open water swim lesson, tried going to the lake with a friend but it was no use, every time it happened and I was paralysed with fear, I just couldn’t push past it.
There was an option due to covid to do the 70.3 without the swim so reluctantly I took it but whenever I told anyone about the race I always said I didn’t do the swim even if I didn’t know them, I just felt like I wasn’t a triathlete (mainly because I wasn’t!)
Shortly after this I spoke to Raya. I explained what had happened and how I felt. I knew that Raya herself is an expert swimmer as well as a multiple ironman. We talked about how she could help me with this so she became my coach. This was in October and the goal was Staffs 70.3 the following June.
To start with Raya gave me sets in the pool that I could finish, 800m, 1km, to build my confidence. Then we ramped the distance up. Every week I got better in the water but still in the back of my mind there was the fear of doing it in the open water. We discussed it but Raya said not to think about it and to focus on what I was doing in the pool. I had read about coach/athlete relationships, or what makes good ones so I trusted what she said to me but all along I was worried as I knew I would have to face the fear.
When it came time for my first open water swim, Raya said she was coming with me. I had been hoping she would say this so I felt better but still when we got there I was shaking. Raya gave me a swim buoy (didn’t even know what that was - I did say I was a novice!) and we talked about how I could motivate myself on in the water. Next we acclimatised (not something I had done before) then we swam a 500m lap together. I did wobble a couple of times and we used the swim buoys for a rest but Raya was right next to me the whole way round which really reassured me. When we finished, Raya said ‘right, now do it on your own’. I wasn’t sure but I couldn’t let my coach down right in front of me so I did and it was the confidence I needed.
I went on to complete Staffs 70.3 and become a triathlete, amazingly the swim was the only part that went well! I’m now training for a full ironman this year and can honestly say that the swim is not the thing that is scaring me the most because I know I can do it.
I can honestly say that I would never have got over this if it wasn’t for Raya and it’s actually now one of my proudest achievements.
Steve Palmer - GB AG Athlete, European Middle Distance, 70.3 Worlds
I had been training for triathlons pretty seriously for about 18 months when I met Will but I had reached a performance plateau and recently been injured. Will helped me to recover well from my injury with the help of the medical staff at Precision Coaching and build my training up while working around the injury.
Since I've been training with Will he has pushed me to levels of performance that I would not have thought possible before, constantly beating the goals I set myself culminating with racing 70.3 IRONMAN World Championships. I've now set my sights on Kona.
I would recommend Will and Precision Coaching to anyone but be prepared you will work hard.
Mollie Pearse - GB Age Group Middle Distance Triathlete
I have recently started my journey with Raya and the Precision Racing Team. I got the sense immediately that they have an extremely professional and experienced set up; from thorough and specific training plans through to physiological assessments to ensure you’re fit to train effectively from the outset.
I love the attention to detail that Raya has given me already, there is a clear recognition that to get the best out of athletes you must look at the entire athlete; physiology, work load, mental capabilities, sleep, nutrition and personal goals. I am so excited about working with such a great teams, to see what I can achieve.
Ben Rollinson - Ironman Athlete
Raya and PRT have been fantastic in helping me achieve my triathlon goals. Raya provides a clear and easy to use structured training programme online. I get regular feedback on my performance and efforts and her enthusiasm to help me meet my goals is a great motivation. I highly recommend Raya to anyone with triathlon ambitions!
Charlotte Houston - GB AG Athlete, European Middle Distance, 70.3 Worlds
In five months of training with Will and Precision I took over 30min off my IRONMAN 70.3 time!
I really enjoy having a structured training plan that's tailored weekly around other commitments. Being part of the Precision Race Team has introduced me to some fantastic people and some excellent training buddies.
Alicia Wilson - British Swimming
Alice Tourell-North's expertise and all-round personal skills have really helped me over the past few years. Her strength and conditioning programme has platformed me onto an international level in swimming through becoming physically stronger and mentally resilient.
Alice is unique in that she not only composes S&C programmes that are specifically targeted for each individual, but her pastoral support- which has proven key for the demands the sport- is also incredible, and any athlete that has the privilege of working with her will discover this.
Overall, from Alice’s sessions over the last two years, I was able to surpass my goals for each season and come away with new and in-depth knowledge of such gym work, whilst also forming a close bond with her.
Gerry Frewin - Middle & Long Distance Athlete
Will and the Precision Coaching team came with the highest recommendation from HUUB Design.
I'm committed to the sport but wasn't improving and having obliterated any previous PB (single or multi-discipline) within 12 months of meeting Will and the team I can say hand on heart I'm exactly where I want to be in the sport. Enjoying every day and each element.
Olivia Littlechild - Triathlete
Joining PRT and being coached by Raya is one of the best decisions I have ever made. Not only is she a great coach who challenges you at every turn and manages to squeeze performances from me that I never felt possible but she is just a great human being who understands a busy work and home life environment. I have made gains in all 3 disciplines and have massively PB’d my 70.3 time. As well as offering great coaching, the whole PRT community is very welcoming and make you feel you are part of a family. We have all become so much closer during COVID lockdown by riding and racing with each other virtually. I would recommend this team to anyone.
Nici Cahusac - GB Age Group Standard Distance Triathlete
I’ve been part of PRT since 2019 and was part of its predecessor, OneTri RDS, for a few years before that. I love the community that comes with being part of PRT. The joy of technology means that while some of us are in far flung parts of the UK (and the world), if you want to be, you can be and feel fully connected to everyone and I can genuinely say that everyone is lovely and relentlessly encouraging. We come in all stages and ages but share a love and passion to get the most out of our sport. Lockdown has meant a lot of online training, cycling and swim bands mainly, but it has consequently built a strong foundation within the community as there is the opportunity to ‘see’ each other and chat several times a week. As we head back into real life we still have the very active WhatsApp Chats for those that want that, and you can get pretty much any question answered whether it’s related to Tri or the latest movie or TV series worth watching!
Anel Meyer - GB Age Group Standard Distance Triathlete
I joined this amazing team in August 2018 and one of the best thing I have done for my training and progress. I have only formally started training for age group qualifications in 2017 and had a steep learning curve about training and competing in triathlon. This team has given me amazing helpful and like minded people to train with. Enjoying chats on group rides but also being very competitive in training rides that push you to be better. I have won my age group in qualifying races and qualified for ETU, with the hope to finally compete in the near future. It is so important to love the training and doing it with precision race team is just such a privilege for me, especially the last year being in lockdown having great online training session to look forward to.
Andrew Jones - Triathlete
Since meeting Will way back in 2015 then being introduced to and working with Raya, Alice and John i can firmly say my training has been completely transformed. I have always been used to being part of a profesional coaching setup coming into triathlon from a semi professional rugby background for over 20 years, and a county swimmer since the age of 8.
Here at Precision race team they offer the whole package. Dedicated, detailed bespoke and professional coaching plans for swim, bike and run. Access to a strength coach, nutritionist and physiotherapist all who operate at a very high level complete the overall package.
The feedback on individual training sessions is second to none and the results speak for themselves. This team has the experience to coach you through to your first super sprint triathlon right up to a word championship qualifying slot. The attitude and mindset is exemplary and no stone is left unturned in the quest to make you the best version of yourself, performing the best you can do, most importantly with a smile on your face.
The reward partners and sponsors also offer the best advice, kit and discounts in the business and we only deal with the best on the market, tested tried and proved products. Team training days are a must as the dynamic is quite simply brilliant and the adaption of late for remote sessions has been a saviour.
Wholeheartedly, I’ve not looked back since joining Precision coaching, and I’d recommend these guys to anyone.
Spencer Littlechild - Triathlete
I have only been with PRT since last July and it’s a real privilege to be trained by Raya who understands how my working and family life needs to be worked out my training plan and is happy to change my needs when necessary and that’s all you want from a coach. I have been made very welcome into the PRT family. Even throughout the covid pandemic training/webinars have been on par. Bring on 2021.
Rob Melhuish – Olympic Distance Triathlete
Will and Raya and PRT have been fantastic in helping me work towards achieving my triathlon goals during lockdown. In the first two months of training with Will, I have increased my FTP by 15% and have seen my swimming and running endurance stamina increase dramatically over the Winter. Will’s advice and assistance is invaluable with years of experience, giving me bespoke and one-to-one training online, Zwift meetups, RGT races and Zoom workouts during UK lockdown.
Will’s training has been supplemented by Alice Tourell-North's expertise as a BTF triathlete and PT instructor. Her triathlon focused S&C circuit classes are specifically targeted for each member using minimal equipment to build muscular endurance and stamina for triathlon racing. Also on the team is John Allen, a Team GB physio who helped me rehabilitate from an ankle injury before Christmas, allowing me to train at intensity whilst recovering from a lower limb injury.
As well as offering great coaching, the whole PRT community is very welcoming and make you feel you are part of a family. We have all become so much closer during COVID lockdown by riding and racing with each other virtually. I would recommend this team to anyone.
I cannot recommend Will, Raya and the team at Precision Coaching enough to anyone but be prepared you will work hard to make those gains!