Marty Gaal | The Athlete Village

Coach Marty Gaal has been coaching swimmers, runners, and triathletes professionally since 2002. His athletes come from all walks of life and live across the globe. Some are looking to qualify for Kona or Boston, while others just want to finish their race with a sense of satisfaction and a smile. Coach Marty encourages his athletes to achieve goals that will make them happy...not someone else. Marty continues to study both the science and application of training methods and works to educate all his athletes in both the why and how of endurance training.

Marty has a broad range of coaching experience. His specialty is working with time-constrained athletes towards competitive race goals. Marty has coached first-time Ironman athletes to success with under ten hours average per week training, as well as competitive triathletes who manage work and family demands while qualifying for World Championship events.

Marty's personal training and coaching philosophies can be summed up with just a few thoughts - Training smart; having fun; learning from experience; mental toughness; proper nutrition; and excellent athlete-coach communication. Marty works to bring out the best in his athletes through positive motivation and feedback, intelligent application of training methods, and constant, ongoing support.

"My goal at OSB is simple. I want to help you improve your performance, learn how to train effectively, and have a good time. It's not rocket science!"

Marty is a NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) and is a registered coach with USA Triathlon. In a previous life, he has an MBA and an MA in Technical Writing.

Marty is also a member of the American Swim Coaches Association (ASCA) and runs the TAC-OSB US Masters swim team at the Triangle Aquatic Center in Cary, North Carolina. One Step Beyond produces the Powerstroke: Speed through force and form swim instruction DVD.

As an athlete Marty has qualified for the Boston Marathon and Ironman World Championships. Marty finished third overall at USA Triathlon Nationals in 2003 and remains competitive as a triathlete in North Carolina - he finished second in the North Carolina Triathlon Series in 2007.

In 2009 Marty studied for and earned the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians - EMT-Basic (EMT-B) certification in order to provide an additional layer of support and response for personal training, camps, and clinics.

Coach Marty doesn't believe that being a good athlete makes a good coach - knowledge, wisdom, the ability to listen, and coaching experience do. However, if you're into it, some of his PRs are below.

Ironman triathlon - 9:27 (2002)
Half-Ironman (70.3) - 4:17.53 (2007)
Half-Marathon - 1:22 (2001)
Olympic distance triathlon - 1:56.20 (2003)
10k run - 35:25 (2003)
5k run - 16:52 (2003)
1,000 yard freestyle - 9:40 (1990)