Meet Tanya and Ben – The Team Behind Everyday Athletes
Tanya – The Running Coach (The Smiling Assasin)
Tanya is kiwi born and bred, having lived right across NZ she has loved returning to the Mighty South where she was born. Tanya has been active all her life, a gymnast in her younger years and playing netball and hockey through the years before taking up running 10 years ago which has turned into a true passion.
Tanya has a story to tell about how she got into running …ask her sometime! Tanya is a qualified running coach, personal trainer and fitness instructor- her passion is helping people reach their full potential through a holistic approach to training.
Tanya also has a passion for strength training and has spent the last five years as a qualified Personal Trainer. Tanya has trained her self in order to compete in body building shows – she enjoys the buzz of lifting heavy things and feeling strong!
Tanya will motivate you, hold you accountable and she will laugh and cry with you every step of the way! Tanya believes it is a coaches role to instruct and teach, so you know not only what to do but why.
Those who know Tanya, know her trademark smile out on a run, along with the motto – if you’re not having fun you’re not doing it right!
Ben – The Motivator and Recovery Guy
Ben is a pom – but don’t hold that against him!, while he may not smile all that much while giving it all out on a run, he’s known for his excitability and infectious positivity!
Ben started his athletic journey many years ago when he took up mountain biking as a hobby in the UK and found himself completing a 100 miler (161 km) MTB event….and loving it!
From there sparked years of triathlons until moving to New Zealand in 2014 when he found our beautiful mountains and many many off-road trails. Since then he has been honing his passion of doing many things ‘epic’ and sharing his story along the way.
Aside from getting out there, Ben picked up the practice of sports massage during his 20’s while living in the UK. He was so intrigued by the benefits of massage that it quickly became a side passion of his.
Now calling New Zealand home, he has looked to further progress his knowledge of sports injuries and rehabilitation. Ben has successfully completed training in the delivery of dry needling, using minute needles to promote pain relief in order to get people back doing what they love again.
Ben plays a supporting role, digging into the facts, figures and research. He provides some awesome mental training techniques for those that want that special edge. He will banter with you all day long, but when it comes down to it he has a passion and an eye for detail. Given half a chance Ben will convert all those geeky facts and figures from your training into an easy to read spreadsheet which he can sit down and analyse with you IF you’re that way inclined!
Ben’s main gig with the team though is recovery and if you are local – or not so local and passing through, Ben will help keep you moving with his sports massage and dry needling.
Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton
