Brett Sutton
Encyclopedia
Brett Sutton (born c. 1960) is an Australian triathlon
coach and a former professional boxer, boxing coach, greyhound trainer, racehorse trainer and swimming coach, who is currently head coach of the triathlon team teamTBB. He has coached many World and Olympic champions, including current Ironman
world record holder Chrissie Wellington
and Olympic champion Emma Snowsill
. He is known for his forthright views on training methods and strong criticism of the International Triathlon Union
(ITU) and its officials. In 1999 he pleaded guilty in an Australian court to five sexual offences committed in the late 1980s against a teenage girl swimmer whom he was coaching. After the court case, in which he was given a suspended sentence, he was banned for life from coaching in Australia, and Sutton's marriage ended in divorce.
He has been described as "the coach with the most formidable résumé in triathlon", "widely recognised as one of the best triathlon coaches", and "widely considered to be the best and most unorthodox coach in the sport".
Sutton took up boxing in his early 20s. After training dogs and horses, Sutton returned to swim coaching, and became a nationally qualified swimming coach. His appointment as coach to the Australian national triathlon team was controversial, as he had not been to college, nor had he any formal training. Rob Pickard, the high-performance manager of Triathlon Australia before the 2000 Olympics said, "I wasn't on the panel that appointed him, but I was glad it did." He added that unfavourable rumours that Sutton "destroyed" and "brutalised" his athletes were started around the same time by rival coaches, jealous of his appointment. Sutton said, "I have no respect for the coaches who haven't paid their dues. In swimming, coaches work their way up over a 15-year time span. From the age of 15, I was coaching all the time."
, where, as he told Chrissie Wellington
, "there are six times in every race where you enter a dark place of doubt and must have that passion to overcome." Examples of the importance of mental strength given by Sutton include: determination; the need to remain calm and composed when things go wrong; building on mistakes rather than dwelling on them; dealing positively with injury rather than fearing it; resting the mind as well as the body—these are "the makings of a great triathlete", otherwise "success will always be elusive." When asked the three most important components for Ironman, Sutton replied, "Consistency, strength and self discipline."
Sutton has an authoritarian coaching style, in which the athlete is expected to trust the coach completely, and to follow instructions without question. At the start of her trial period with Sutton, he told Chrissie Wellington that she needed to "switch off" her mind and "follow orders and not question everything"—something she found very difficult to do.
He is sceptical of gadgets such as power meters
and heart rate monitor
s, and prefers instead to draw on on his experience as a swim coach and as a trainer of greyhounds and racehorses. Greg Bennett, whom Sutton coached in the late 1990s and who become an Olympian and double World Cup
winner, said, "He has learned how to read animals that are fatigued", a skill which, Bennett says, enables Sutton to push athletes to the limit, but not over it. Sutton regards interval training
as a very important part of his programmes, saying, "If it's not long, it's got to be hard." He is infamous for his "black days", such as "Black Wednesday"s, when he requires a seemingly endless succession of hard intervals, or of other very hard sessions. The value of these sessions lies, in Chrissie Wellington's view, in psychological toughening.
Sutton believes that blood lactate testing can be valuable, but only if applied sensibly, for example Loretta Harrop
did not run fast enough to get a proper base reading, but she could swim fast enough for lactate testing to be useful in the pool; for other athletes the reverse may be the case.
He argues that Tudor Bompa
's theory of periodization
is not valid for aerobic
sports such as triathlon, calling it "bullshit".
Sutton has a reputation for being hard on his athletes, and was described as being "infamous for his tough training sessions." Sutton says that his training depends on the individual athlete, and that he spends most of his time slowing his athletes down, giving as examples Chrissie Wellington and James Cunnama, who trains less under Sutton than in his "first 5 years in the wilderness". On the other hand, Hilary Biscay once ran 65 km as a training run under Sutton, but Sutton said, "I saw her in 3 years get her dream. I saw her win an Ironman, I saw her get on a great deal of podiums and I saw her beat some great athletes whose talent dwarfed hers. It is about the individual and their needs."
, was coached by Sutton from 4th place to win two World Cups
and an ITU World Championship
. In January 2011, she described Sutton as, in her opinion, "the best coach in the world", adding, "He is an incredible man, and deserves nothing but the utmost respect for the incredible work he has achieved."
Pete Colson, Ironman and ITU world champion Michellie Jones
's husband and coach, said of Sutton, "If you look at results only, he's the best coach there is, no doubt about it", but added, ""You look at his athletes, they're phenomenal for about two years and then they're gone." Former pro triathlete Alec Rukosuev, who coaches at the National Training Center in Clermont, Florida, said, "Guys like Brett are the ones doing it right. He has a strong personality. All the great coaches do. They are like Napoleon. People will do anything he says."
Ben Bright
, now coaching in England, was coached by Sutton in the 1990s and represented New Zealand in the 2000 Olympics
. He said, "Because of his background in training horses and dogs in his early years he looks at the animal rather than the person when coaching a session. A person can lie to you and tell you they are feeling something they are not to get the outcome they desire. The animal can’t do that, so he sees exactly what is going on and whether he needs to adjust the session he has planned. He also instills a belief within the athlete that they can achieve their goals ... Brett takes away the doubt and just gives them a task to focus on and that helps them keep a clear mind when competing."
in Kona, and M-dot world record six weeks later, he commented, "To drive it to the edge of oblivion when you have a 20-minute lead is complete negligence. It has cost her dearly last season, but there we were busting it again for the triathlon fraternity by the end of the season." He added, "Ironman is not a 200m freestyle swim event, it is a body shattering nine hours. We have always treated it with respect. When you have the win you shut it down and work on recovery for the next battle. We both agree to disagree and that is what I most like about Chrissie. We could discuss everything and no recriminations after, it's one of her many strengths."
, and "we train as we race". Similarly, if the race course has steep descents or tight corners, he prefers to set his female riders up with road drops rather than aerobars or pursuit bars with bar end
gear shifters, saying that "Tri girls have the worst handling skill you have ever seen." Sutton is against aero helmets
because they do not allow the head to loose sufficient heat: "The athletes cook their brain and run a marathon. They've saved a minute-thirty, then run 15 minutes slower."
Sutton describes running shoes with built-up heels, heavy cushioning and stability plates as "injury city". He argues that, for Ironman running, a mid-foot strike is more efficient than landing on the ball of the foot, and is "the safest, injury-preventative, economical running form", so he likes shoes to be low in the heel.
(ITU) and its former president, Les McDonald, believing the organisation has failed to promote and support professional triathletes.
believes that Sutton escaped jail because the judge did not want to cost Australia any Olympic medals. After the trial, Sutton was banned for life from coaching in Australia.
Sutton said he pleaded guilty because he "was not going to stand up in court and rubbish the girl", and because "that was the right thing to do. I believe in doing what is right, to take responsibility for my actions, to take my punishment. It's family values, if you like." Downes reported that Sutton's claim that the sex was consensual was not challenged in court, "because it was not entered as evidence". This contradicts statements by Sutton.
Les McDonald, then president of the ITU, said that triathletes who continued to be coached by Sutton should be thrown out of their national teams. In August 2000, the year following the trial, Dan Empfield
wrote that Sutton had "also paid a price, both professionally and personally. You cannot be more persona non grata
than he is in the world of short-course triathlon. Not only has he been booted out of Triathlon Australia, his athletes have been the subject of persecution as well. Both the ITU and TA have made it clear that if you, as an athlete, are coached by Sutton you do so at your own peril." Sutton replied, "The price most people think I paid is nothing compared to how I really paid every day since" and that "I understand people's right to hold me in contempt."
, whom he described as the "undisputed best in the world", Andrew Johns
("the best human being alive"), Siri Lindley ("one of nature’s kindest") and Joanne King, who won the 1998 world championship, but remained largely ignored because of her association with Sutton. He referred to ITU chief Les McDonald throwing Lindley's winning flowers at her, "along with some obscenities, at the very moment for which she had dreamed for only God knows how long."
In response to criticism, Chrissie Wellington
wrote that she did her "due diligence" before her trial week in January 2007 with Sutton's squad. She stated that "child abuse is a serious crime and one which personally revolts me to the core of my being. And I speak from experience", and said that her decision about Sutton was "based on evidence I gathered, both from Brett and from other athletes who were present at the time the incident took place. I did this, and also spoke at length to the rest of the team about his past. This coupled with my own gut feeling about Brett as a man and as a coach led me to accept the offer of a place on the team."
Triathlon
A triathlon is a multi-sport event involving the completion of three continuous and sequential endurance events. While many variations of the sport exist, triathlon, in its most popular form, involves swimming, cycling, and running in immediate succession over various distances...
coach and a former professional boxer, boxing coach, greyhound trainer, racehorse trainer and swimming coach, who is currently head coach of the triathlon team teamTBB. He has coached many World and Olympic champions, including current Ironman
Ironman Triathlon
An Ironman Triathlon is one of a series of long-distance triathlon races organized by the World Triathlon Corporation consisting of a swim, a bike and a marathon run, raced in that order and without a break...
world record holder Chrissie Wellington
Chrissie Wellington
Christine Ann Wellington MBE , known as Chrissie Wellington, is an English triathlete and the current Ironman Triathlon World Champion...
and Olympic champion Emma Snowsill
Emma Snowsill
Emma Laura Snowsill OAM is an Australian professional triathlete and multiple gold medalist in the World Championships and the Commonwealth Games...
. He is known for his forthright views on training methods and strong criticism of the International Triathlon Union
International Triathlon Union
The International Triathlon Union or ITU is the international governing body for the multi-sport disciplines of triathlon, duathlon, aquathlon and other nonstandard variations...
(ITU) and its officials. In 1999 he pleaded guilty in an Australian court to five sexual offences committed in the late 1980s against a teenage girl swimmer whom he was coaching. After the court case, in which he was given a suspended sentence, he was banned for life from coaching in Australia, and Sutton's marriage ended in divorce.
He has been described as "the coach with the most formidable résumé in triathlon", "widely recognised as one of the best triathlon coaches", and "widely considered to be the best and most unorthodox coach in the sport".
Early life and career
Sutton grew up, under pressure from a father who was a demanding swim coach, in a harsh environment and an extremely violent home. Although he was a poor swimmer, he started swim coaching at the age of 10. Sutton says he comes from "a long line of coaches" and both his parents were coaches. Sutton was thrown out of school at around age 15 for coaching during school time, and immediately started his own swim squad. According to Sutton, the squad was very successful but ran into problems when the parents of his swimmers thought he was too young, so he switched to training greyhounds and racehorses.Sutton took up boxing in his early 20s. After training dogs and horses, Sutton returned to swim coaching, and became a nationally qualified swimming coach. His appointment as coach to the Australian national triathlon team was controversial, as he had not been to college, nor had he any formal training. Rob Pickard, the high-performance manager of Triathlon Australia before the 2000 Olympics said, "I wasn't on the panel that appointed him, but I was glad it did." He added that unfavourable rumours that Sutton "destroyed" and "brutalised" his athletes were started around the same time by rival coaches, jealous of his appointment. Sutton said, "I have no respect for the coaches who haven't paid their dues. In swimming, coaches work their way up over a 15-year time span. From the age of 15, I was coaching all the time."
Triathlon coaching
Sutton emphasises the supreme importance of mental attitude, especially in IronmanIronman Triathlon
An Ironman Triathlon is one of a series of long-distance triathlon races organized by the World Triathlon Corporation consisting of a swim, a bike and a marathon run, raced in that order and without a break...
, where, as he told Chrissie Wellington
Chrissie Wellington
Christine Ann Wellington MBE , known as Chrissie Wellington, is an English triathlete and the current Ironman Triathlon World Champion...
, "there are six times in every race where you enter a dark place of doubt and must have that passion to overcome." Examples of the importance of mental strength given by Sutton include: determination; the need to remain calm and composed when things go wrong; building on mistakes rather than dwelling on them; dealing positively with injury rather than fearing it; resting the mind as well as the body—these are "the makings of a great triathlete", otherwise "success will always be elusive." When asked the three most important components for Ironman, Sutton replied, "Consistency, strength and self discipline."
Sutton has an authoritarian coaching style, in which the athlete is expected to trust the coach completely, and to follow instructions without question. At the start of her trial period with Sutton, he told Chrissie Wellington that she needed to "switch off" her mind and "follow orders and not question everything"—something she found very difficult to do.
He is sceptical of gadgets such as power meters
Cycling power meter
A cycling power meter is a device on a bicycle that allows measuring of the power output of the rider. Most cycling power meters use strain gauges to measure torque applied, and, combined with angular velocity, calculate power...
and heart rate monitor
Heart rate monitor
A heart rate monitor is a personal monitoring device which allows a subject to measure his or her heart rate in real time or record his or her heart rate for later study...
s, and prefers instead to draw on on his experience as a swim coach and as a trainer of greyhounds and racehorses. Greg Bennett, whom Sutton coached in the late 1990s and who become an Olympian and double World Cup
ITU Triathlon World Cup
The ITU Triathlon World Cup is an annual series of triathlon races staged around the world. The series is organised by the International Triathlon Union , the world governing body of the sport. BG Group was the title sponsor of the series from 2000 to 2008...
winner, said, "He has learned how to read animals that are fatigued", a skill which, Bennett says, enables Sutton to push athletes to the limit, but not over it. Sutton regards interval training
Interval training
Interval training is a type of physical training that involves bursts of high-intensity work interspersed with periods of low-intensity work...
as a very important part of his programmes, saying, "If it's not long, it's got to be hard." He is infamous for his "black days", such as "Black Wednesday"s, when he requires a seemingly endless succession of hard intervals, or of other very hard sessions. The value of these sessions lies, in Chrissie Wellington's view, in psychological toughening.
Sutton believes that blood lactate testing can be valuable, but only if applied sensibly, for example Loretta Harrop
Loretta Harrop
Loretta Harrop is an Australian triathlete.As a teenager she attended Cavendish Road State High School along with her siblings and as of 2007 has a house named after her. Harrop house which will go by the colour red.Harrop competed at the first Olympic triathlon at the 2000 Summer Olympics...
did not run fast enough to get a proper base reading, but she could swim fast enough for lactate testing to be useful in the pool; for other athletes the reverse may be the case.
He argues that Tudor Bompa
Tudor Bompa
Tudor Bompa is the father of periodization, a training system developed by the Soviets that aimed for optimal performance by varying the training stress throughout the year rather than maintaining a constant training focus. Bompa's training theory was laid out in his seminal work Theory and...
's theory of periodization
Sports periodization
Periodization is an organized approach to training that involves progressive cycling of various aspects of a training program during a specific period of time. It is a way of alternating training to its peak during season. The aim of periodization is to introduce new movements as you progress...
is not valid for aerobic
Aerobic exercise
Aerobic exercise is physical exercise of relatively low intensity that depends primarily on the aerobic energy-generating process. Aerobic literally means "living in air", and refers to the use of oxygen to adequately meet energy demands during exercise via aerobic metabolism...
sports such as triathlon, calling it "bullshit".
Sutton has a reputation for being hard on his athletes, and was described as being "infamous for his tough training sessions." Sutton says that his training depends on the individual athlete, and that he spends most of his time slowing his athletes down, giving as examples Chrissie Wellington and James Cunnama, who trains less under Sutton than in his "first 5 years in the wilderness". On the other hand, Hilary Biscay once ran 65 km as a training run under Sutton, but Sutton said, "I saw her in 3 years get her dream. I saw her win an Ironman, I saw her get on a great deal of podiums and I saw her beat some great athletes whose talent dwarfed hers. It is about the individual and their needs."
Assessments by other coaches
Siri Lindley, currently coach of 2010 Ironman world champion Mirinda CarfraeMirinda Carfrae
Mirinda Carfrae is an Australian professional triathlete who won the Ironman 70.3 World Championship in 2007. In 2009, she achieved a silver medal at the Ironman World Championship in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, her first attempt at the full Ironman distance...
, was coached by Sutton from 4th place to win two World Cups
ITU Triathlon World Cup
The ITU Triathlon World Cup is an annual series of triathlon races staged around the world. The series is organised by the International Triathlon Union , the world governing body of the sport. BG Group was the title sponsor of the series from 2000 to 2008...
and an ITU World Championship
ITU Triathlon World Championships
The ITU Triathlon World Championships have been held annually since 1989, the same year as the formation of the International Triathlon Union – the world governing body of triathlon...
. In January 2011, she described Sutton as, in her opinion, "the best coach in the world", adding, "He is an incredible man, and deserves nothing but the utmost respect for the incredible work he has achieved."
Pete Colson, Ironman and ITU world champion Michellie Jones
Michellie Jones
Michellie Yvonne Jones is an Australian triathlete. She has won two ITU Triathlon World Championships, an Olympic Silver Medal, and the 2006 Ironman World Championship.-Athletic career:...
's husband and coach, said of Sutton, "If you look at results only, he's the best coach there is, no doubt about it", but added, ""You look at his athletes, they're phenomenal for about two years and then they're gone." Former pro triathlete Alec Rukosuev, who coaches at the National Training Center in Clermont, Florida, said, "Guys like Brett are the ones doing it right. He has a strong personality. All the great coaches do. They are like Napoleon. People will do anything he says."
Ben Bright
Ben Bright
Benjamin "Ben" Clifford Bright is an athlete from New Zealand, who competes in triathlon.Bright competed at the first Olympic triathlon at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. He took thirty-eighth place with a total time of 1:52:17.26.Later on he took up the job of coaching Mantas, a local swim...
, now coaching in England, was coached by Sutton in the 1990s and represented New Zealand in the 2000 Olympics
2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
. He said, "Because of his background in training horses and dogs in his early years he looks at the animal rather than the person when coaching a session. A person can lie to you and tell you they are feeling something they are not to get the outcome they desire. The animal can’t do that, so he sees exactly what is going on and whether he needs to adjust the session he has planned. He also instills a belief within the athlete that they can achieve their goals ... Brett takes away the doubt and just gives them a task to focus on and that helps them keep a clear mind when competing."
On world records
Athletes can shorten their careers, believes Sutton, by trying to break records in Ironman races. He said, "I’ve seen plenty of people bust themselves and have bad seasons because they’re chasing records." and "This sport is the ultimate tough test, each race hurts your body so much at the top level." Referring to Chrissie Wellington's world record in Roth, her subsequent withdrawal from the 2010 world championships2010 Ironman World Championship
The 2010 Ford Ironman World Championship was held on October 9, 2010 in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. It was the 34th such Ironman Triathlon World Championships, which has been held annually in Hawaii since 1978. The 2010 Championship was won by Chris McCormack and Mirinda Carfrae...
in Kona, and M-dot world record six weeks later, he commented, "To drive it to the edge of oblivion when you have a 20-minute lead is complete negligence. It has cost her dearly last season, but there we were busting it again for the triathlon fraternity by the end of the season." He added, "Ironman is not a 200m freestyle swim event, it is a body shattering nine hours. We have always treated it with respect. When you have the win you shut it down and work on recovery for the next battle. We both agree to disagree and that is what I most like about Chrissie. We could discuss everything and no recriminations after, it's one of her many strengths."
On equipment
Sutton says that disc wheels are not appropriate for female Ironman competitors, arguing that girls can't get the bike above 40 kilometre per hour over the Ironman distance. In any case, they are not allowed at KonaIronman World Championship
The Ironman World Championship has been held annually in Hawaii since 1978, with an additional race in 1982. It is owned and organised by the World Triathlon Corporation and is currently sponsored by Ford...
, and "we train as we race". Similarly, if the race course has steep descents or tight corners, he prefers to set his female riders up with road drops rather than aerobars or pursuit bars with bar end
Bar End
Bar End is an area of Winchester, Hampshire, England. It lies on the east bank of the River Itchen to the north of St. Catherine's Hill and is the location of a park and ride car park serving the city centre....
gear shifters, saying that "Tri girls have the worst handling skill you have ever seen." Sutton is against aero helmets
Bicycle helmet
A bicycle helmet is a helmet intended to be worn while riding a bicycle. They are designed to attenuate impacts to the skull of a cyclist in falls while minimizing side effects such as interference with peripheral vision...
because they do not allow the head to loose sufficient heat: "The athletes cook their brain and run a marathon. They've saved a minute-thirty, then run 15 minutes slower."
Sutton describes running shoes with built-up heels, heavy cushioning and stability plates as "injury city". He argues that, for Ironman running, a mid-foot strike is more efficient than landing on the ball of the foot, and is "the safest, injury-preventative, economical running form", so he likes shoes to be low in the heel.
On the ITU
Sutton is an outspoken critic of the International Triathlon UnionInternational Triathlon Union
The International Triathlon Union or ITU is the international governing body for the multi-sport disciplines of triathlon, duathlon, aquathlon and other nonstandard variations...
(ITU) and its former president, Les McDonald, believing the organisation has failed to promote and support professional triathletes.
Sex offences
In 1999 Sutton pleaded guilty in an Australian court to five offences against a girl swimmer, the first offence occurring in the late 1980s, when the girl was 14 years old, and he was her coach. The judge said that Sutton had "interfered with her sexually in a gross and disgraceful way" and "abused [his] role to an inexcusable degree". Sutton was given a two-year sentence which was suspended partly because, in the words of the judge, "a large number of leading athletes will suffer disadvantage from your absence from the scene". Reporter Steven DownesSteven Downes
Steven Downes is a British sports journalist, television producer and a contributing writer for the Sunday Herald.-Career :...
believes that Sutton escaped jail because the judge did not want to cost Australia any Olympic medals. After the trial, Sutton was banned for life from coaching in Australia.
Sutton said he pleaded guilty because he "was not going to stand up in court and rubbish the girl", and because "that was the right thing to do. I believe in doing what is right, to take responsibility for my actions, to take my punishment. It's family values, if you like." Downes reported that Sutton's claim that the sex was consensual was not challenged in court, "because it was not entered as evidence". This contradicts statements by Sutton.
Les McDonald, then president of the ITU, said that triathletes who continued to be coached by Sutton should be thrown out of their national teams. In August 2000, the year following the trial, Dan Empfield
Dan Empfield
Dan Empfield is an entrepreneur in the world of multisport, inventor of the 'triathlon wetsuit' in 1987, and the "tri-specific racing bike" in 1989. The original designs were manufactured by the Quintana Roo company, which he founded in 1987....
wrote that Sutton had "also paid a price, both professionally and personally. You cannot be more persona non grata
Persona non grata
Persona non grata , literally meaning "an unwelcome person", is a legal term used in diplomacy that indicates a proscription against a person entering the country...
than he is in the world of short-course triathlon. Not only has he been booted out of Triathlon Australia, his athletes have been the subject of persecution as well. Both the ITU and TA have made it clear that if you, as an athlete, are coached by Sutton you do so at your own peril." Sutton replied, "The price most people think I paid is nothing compared to how I really paid every day since" and that "I understand people's right to hold me in contempt."
Athlete discrimination
Some athletes have experienced criticism for joining Sutton's squad, or have actually been discriminated against as a result of doing so. In May 2000 Sutton wrote, "The sport does not have the right, either morally or legally, to persecute athletes who have done nothing wrong", outlining discrimination against Loretta HarropLoretta Harrop
Loretta Harrop is an Australian triathlete.As a teenager she attended Cavendish Road State High School along with her siblings and as of 2007 has a house named after her. Harrop house which will go by the colour red.Harrop competed at the first Olympic triathlon at the 2000 Summer Olympics...
, whom he described as the "undisputed best in the world", Andrew Johns
Andrew Johns (triathlete)
Andrew Johns is a male triathlete from the United Kingdom. Johns is a former European and World Cup Champion as well as a World Championship bronze medalist....
("the best human being alive"), Siri Lindley ("one of nature’s kindest") and Joanne King, who won the 1998 world championship, but remained largely ignored because of her association with Sutton. He referred to ITU chief Les McDonald throwing Lindley's winning flowers at her, "along with some obscenities, at the very moment for which she had dreamed for only God knows how long."
In response to criticism, Chrissie Wellington
Chrissie Wellington
Christine Ann Wellington MBE , known as Chrissie Wellington, is an English triathlete and the current Ironman Triathlon World Champion...
wrote that she did her "due diligence" before her trial week in January 2007 with Sutton's squad. She stated that "child abuse is a serious crime and one which personally revolts me to the core of my being. And I speak from experience", and said that her decision about Sutton was "based on evidence I gathered, both from Brett and from other athletes who were present at the time the incident took place. I did this, and also spoke at length to the rest of the team about his past. This coupled with my own gut feeling about Brett as a man and as a coach led me to accept the offer of a place on the team."