Ever since our inception, Coeur has been on a mission to draw more women into the great sport of triathlon and we try to do this in three different ways.
First, we have our amazing communities like The Collective Beat, the Ambassador Team and our Customers.
Second, we have our First Timer Program where we're purchasing entries to races across the country and giving them to women who want to participate in their first triathlon.
Third...we have our sponsored professionals, and this is the group we're talking about today! This small team of elite women line up multiple times a year at the front of the pack in search of a podium spot and a payday. Even before we started Coeur, we were in awe of these ladies. Then after we established the company and got to know them better, our admiration only grew! We have to admit that even to this day, we're still a bit starstruck and amazed by their raw athletic ability, focus and dedication to the sport.
That being said, speed isn't the only thing we look for in our sponsored athletes. In addition to great splits, we are adamant that everyone we sponsor is a "Good Person". Without a doubt, the five pros that we've signed are indeed exceptionally good people and we are so excited to have them share a bit about themselves!
Please say hello to the Coeur sponsored professional triathletes for 2023.
Kate Bevilaqua
Kate has been with Coeur since its inception and we're so excited to have her back again in 2023.
Kate, tell us a little about your athletic background / How did you get into triathlon? I grew up playing Netball - ( you may have to google that one if you live in the USA 🤩)
Netball would be the most popular female sport in Australia. I loved it and had aspirations to play at the National Level. But unfortunately was consistently being reminded I was too short 🤪 Netball was a winter sport and one year during summer as part of of my “fitness” regime my cousin suggested I try a Triathlon It was fun and enjoyed it. I was wasn’t great at it… but I could see the attraction and continued to dabble in and out of it a few years while focusing on my Netball
After a few years I wanted to get better at this “Triathlon” thing and invested in a coach. Andrew Budge was fantastic, helped in developing a schedule that fit in with the Netball and my full time job as a teacher. Overtime he began suggesting I try a Half Ironman or Ironman, but I wasn’t interested.
He explained in a “nice way” that he thought I would be better at the longer endurance events Eventually he did and I completed Ironman Australia in 2004 and qualified for Kona.
I competed in Hawaii that same year and the experience was brutal. I spent a long time walking out on the Queen K with my glow stick and said I would never do it again. I took some time off Triathlon while doing a Teacher Exchange in Vancouver. But it wasn’t long before the competitive juices were flowing again and I wanted to go back to Kona and do better. I gave up the netball, qualified at Ironman Coeur D’Alene and in 2005 raced the Hawaii Ironman World Champs finished 3rd in the 25-29 AG
When did you turn professional? On my return to Australia my coach informed me “hey, you have qualified for a Professional Triathlon License!” I had no idea what that meant? Or involved? In 2006 I decided to take it for a year and give it a shot In 2008 I had a break through with a 2nd at Ironman New Zealand I quit my job and went full time 🤦♀️🤷♀️
Spending 6 months of the year in Boise Idaho (summer of course!) And 6 months of the year home in PERTH, Australia This allowed me to race all year round
This will be my 18th year racing Professionally and I still love it! I may not be as fast as I used to be at 45 years but I am loving the opportunity to still race with the best and see what my body is capable of doing. 3 x Ironman Titles
Multiple Half Ironman Podiums and Titles An Ultraman World Championship Title I pinch myself with what this career has given me.
What is your favorite thing about the sport? I can't narrow it down to one thing! There are too many! The people you meet. Friends you make. Destinations I would never have considered going. I met my husband 😍 The opportunity to challenge myself, to be the best I can be Fit, healthy and strong!
What are your goals for 2023? I have some Half Ironman / Ironman races lined up And considering some Ultra Endurance events that are on my bucket list
And while doing that - hopefully inspiring others to get out there and “GO FOR IT!” 💪
Jess Smith
Jess is our second most tenured Pro. She also does some work for Coeur related to inventory management and her company Hard Coeur Coaching leads our Velo Club training sessions.
Jess, tell us a little about your athletic background / How did you get into triathlon? I grew up swimming and was a collegiate rower. I always knew I wanted to do a triathlon so a couple years after I finished college I decided it was probably time to buy my first bike and give it a go. I never had a lot of power or speed, but I did have endurance. I knew the longer the race the better, so the first race I signed up for was a 70.3 in 2006 and I did my first Ironman in Coeur D'Alene a year later.
When did you turn professional? I took my pro card at the end of 2011 and Ironman Arizona 2011 was my first pro race.
What is your favorite thing about the sport? While I LOVE training and racing, my absolute favorite thing about this sport is the community of women I have met. I have so many virtual training partners - we spend countless hours on zoom riding, running, lifting, stretching, and sometimes just chatting while we make our morning coffee. When I go to ANY race, I know I wil have a friend, or maybe 10.
What are your goals for 2023? My big goal for 2023 is to qualify for Kona. I think it would be amazing to be part of the first all-female Kona World Championship race. I'll kick off my season with IMTX and go from there.
Amy Cymerman
Amy is returning for her second year as a Coeur Pro and we're so glad to have her back!
Tell us a little about your athletic background. I had an early start to endurance sports, joining a club swim team at the age of 7. Previously, I stayed active with swim lessons, soccer, and baseball. I ended up committing to this swim club and swimming a couple days a week purely for the social aspect up until I entered high school. From there I switched gears and fell in love with cross country skiing. Growing up in upstate NY, there is no shortage of snow so I had plenty of opportunity to embrace the longer winter months. I skied for 6 years of middle school/high school and two years collegiately at St. Lawrence University. After my tenure at St. Lawrence, I went on to grad school at Grand Valley State University where I competed in NCAA Indoor & Outdoor Track and Field at the Division II level. My specialty was the indoor 5k and outdoor 5k where I became the NCAA National Champion in both events. Post collegiately, I started a career in triathlon by first pursuing draft-legal ITU events. Recently, due to a shoulder injury and not being able to allocate heavy volume to pool mileage, I switched over to long course now competing in non draft half Ironman and Olympic distance events.
How did you get into triathlon? I got into triathlon in 2017 by nature of cross training for my run training. During the time I was training to run my first competitive marathon. Unfortunately or fortunately I sustained a foot injury that had me cycling and swimming to maintain fitness. This ultimately got me really excited about the variety that triathlon training offers and I decided to stick with multi-sport. I was definitely sick of the monotony of running high mileage and seeing that I already had a small swim background, I was hooked on the idea of bettering myself across three different disciplines. I competed in my first triathlon in 2018, earned my pro license and haven't looked back since!
When did you turn professional? 2018 at the Clermont Draft Legal Challenge (March, 2018)
What's your favorite thing about the sport? The thing I love the most about triathlon is the places it brings me and the people I meet along the way.
What are your goals for 2023? My goal for 2023 is to simply get back into racing again. I had rotator cuff surgery at the end of December 2022 so I'm looking to return to sport in the safest and strongest way possible. Seeing as I am spending a lot of time on the bike trainer, my goal for this year is to improve on my 2-hour racing power.
Katie Colville
Katie has been a long-time Coeur Ambassador and has recently turned pro.
Katie, tell us a little about your athletic background. My journey in sport started out in the gymnastics world. I dabbled in other sports such as summer league swim team and tennis, but gymnastics was my first love. I also spent a lot of time as a child running around outside playing neighborhood sports such as baseball, football, or whatever sport we were into at the time. We were pretty competitive and there were many trips to Urgent Care
How did you get into triathlon? The summer before I went to college I found out there was a student lead Triathlon Club at my school and this started to get my gears turning-- I found an old clunker mountain bike and ordered a copy of "Triathlon for Dummies" since then have never looked back. I remember showing up to our first swim practice and the swim coach telling us to get in the pool to swim a 500 warm up and I remember thinking to myself "the warm up is a 500? Holy hell, I'm going to drown :) "
When did you turn professional? I decided to apply for my professional license at the end of 2022. I had qualified for my pro card a few times before, but I wanted to feel ready mentally and physically before deciding to make the leap to racing in the pro category. I told myself, "lets see how 2022 goes with 2 World Championship races and then if the year goes well, Ill take the leap"
What's your favorite thing about the sport? My favorite thing about the sport is that I really just think its bad ass. How cool is it to try and become a master of not only 1 sport but 3? Triathlon isn't just about your physical prowess, its also about your ability to control your mind and thoughts when things start to go off plan. I like being able to challenge myself mentally whether it be in a training or a racing scenario. When I get to be out there on the race course and in my element, the sport becomes bigger than me. I am driven by the idea that " I choose to do this" "I choose to be out here working my ass off" and for some reason that makes me feel all the feels. How lucky am I to have a healthy body that allows me to exercises straight for 9+ hours. Movement is how I express myself-- and I really feel the most present when its just me and my breath and my mind. With that being said the mind doesn't always allow me to be present, but when I'm really able to let go and focus that's when the magic happens, that's the feeling I'm searching for and what I love about this sport.
What's your favorite thing about the sport? My favorite thing about the sport is that I really just think its bad ass. How cool is it to try and become a master of not only one sport but three?
Triathlon isn't just about your physical prowess, it's also about your ability to control your mind and thoughts when things start to go off plan. I like being able to challenge myself mentally whether it be in a training or a racing scenario. When I get to be out there on the racecourse and in my element, the sport becomes bigger than me. I am driven by the idea that " I choose to do this" "I choose to be out here working my ass off" and for some reason that makes me feel all the feels. How lucky am I to have a healthy body that allows me to exercise straight for 9+ hours. Movement is how I express myself-- and I really feel the most present when its just me and my breath and my mind. With that being said the mind doesn't always allow me to be present, but when Im really able to let go and focus that's when the magic happens, that's the feeling I'm searching for and what I love about this sport.
What are your goals for 2023? This year my goals are simpler than they have been in the past. I just want to race bravely. I will be lining up on the start line with some of my heroes this year, and if I can make it to the start line healthy and happy that's a good goal for me. I'm honestly scared "S***less", but I have to try and if I can show up to my races with a good attitude and a flexible mind I've already won.
Ella Hnatyshyn
We're proud to welcome Ella to the Coeur team this year.
Ella...tell us a little about your athletic background / How did you get into triathlon? I grew up doing a variety of sports but being in the pool was always my favorite. Before starting triathlon, I was a synchronized swimmer, which I totally loved. Then in high school, I was looking for another sport (because it turns out you need to be extremely flexible for synchronized swimming, and like most endurance athletes... flexibility is not my jam). My parents have always been runners and often competed in local road races and triathlons, so I decided to follow in their footsteps and joined the local triathlon club in grade 10. I knew I loved swimming, so I figured, "okay, I just need to learn how to bike and run!"
I was hooked on triathlon from the first race I ever did, and continued triathlon throughout high school. After experiencing injuries and burnout, I took time away from the sport after high school graduation to focus on being a busy university student. One year later, a friend convinced me to try out for the University of Calgary's Cross Country and Track and Field team. After running on the team, I fell back in love with competitive sport and decided to return to triathlon in 2017. I've been going strong ever since!
When did you turn professional? For the majority of my career I have focused on short-course draft-legal races within Canada and the US. Since I competed in the Elite category at a few America's Cups, when I decided I wanted to try racing a 70.3 for the first time in 2022, I was eligible to register as a pro. I was totally intimidated by the distance and the competition, but ended up loving the longer race and surprised myself by getting 9th in the pro women category at my first 70.3 last year in Santa Cruz. I am brand new to the long-distance world but feel it is better suited to my skill set and I'm pumped to focus on these races going forward!
What's your favorite thing about the sport? It's so hard to pick one thing but the first thing that comes to mind is the community. Being part of a supportive community is everything! I am lucky to have an awesome training group in Calgary that I get to see every day, and it's always the highlight of my day. I love going to races and seeing people from different walks of life and different skill levels all out there racing together - it is so cool! Getting to know the community at Coeur excites me a lot!
What are your goals for 2023? I'll be focusing on 70.3 races for 2023 and I'm excited to get more experience at this level. Main goals are to improve on the bike (it's the part that is most different from draft-legal racing), put myself in the mix in the pro category, and stay healthy and happy!