BTR Coach: Alden Basmajian
By the way, who is this guy, Alden?
I'm a dad, husband, coach, teacher, and athlete. I love to be active and outside and definitely get a bit grouchy sitting inside all day if that happens.
In my earlier years of endurance sports, I didn't know how this journey would turn out. Like many triathletes, I saw a broadcast of a race and thought it would be pretty cool to do an Ironman race at some point. And also, I met my wife in a triathlon class in college so I guess you could say the sport has really blessed me. The scenes from the Boston Marathon always motivated me and I thought it would be pretty great to race in that one time.
I ran my first marathon in 2006 and things started to move along from there. While in the NYC area, IM NYC hit the calendar for its one and only time so I jumped right into triathlon. I completed one sprint triathlon roughly 8 years prior to signing up for the Ironman race. Nothing like going all-in from the start. After that race, I was hooked. It's been a steady climb over the last 12 years. I'm constantly learning from my own experiences, my competitors, and my athletes. The triathlon and running communities can be so supportive and I've met some great people through the years.
Running has always been something enjoyable and relaxing to me. I never considered myself to be a fast marathoner. Goals were set, adjusted, met, and set again and I've worked my way down to the 2:41 range. And even after all this time, there's still room to register for a race on a whim and just see what happens. That's the great part about running. You can throw on a pair of shoes and simply head out the door to test yourself.
Training is a calm place for me. Somewhere I can focus on just what needs to be done to execute a certain race. Over the years, I've qualified for and raced the IM 70.3 World Championships several times, raced 9:08 at IM Arizona and competed in the IM World Championships in Kona. One of my highlights was breaking the tape at Rev3 Williamsburg in 2017 with my family. In 2023 I also earned the USAT National Championship for my age group at the 70.3 distance.
There is still work to be done and more chances to toe the line. But I'm looking forward to each one of them and everything in between.
Now that you know about me, it's time for me to learn about you. Let's get started!!
Alden the Athlete
USAT 70.3 AG National Champion (40-44)
IM World Championship - Kona finisher
IM 70.3 World Championship - 3x finisher
2021 top 10 AG IM 70.3 World Championship
2024 top 10 AG World Triathlon Championship
Lifetime bests: 9:08 IM / 4:06 70.3 / 2:41 marathon
8x IM finisher / 16x 70.3 finisher
50+ triathlons / 25+ running road races
>10x USAT All-American
Alden the Coach
14+ years of coaching experience
Coached HS and collegiate athletes, elite level adults, masters athletes
Disciplines coached - running, cycling, triathlon, general fitness and strength
Trained first time triathletes all through World Championship (Kona and Nice) -athletes
Trained new runners completing their first 5k to the most veteran of runners winning a National Championship and competing for Team USA
Notable athletes' accomplishments - IMWC qualifiers and finishers, USATF National Champion, USAT National Champion, Masters top 10, AG marathon/triathlon/half-marathon winners
Head Coach of XC, Indoor and Outdoor T&F
Multi-time league and state championship teams
Multi-time recipient of HS "coach of the year" award in different running seasons voted by peers
Recipient of school coaching award voted by peers