RELENTLESS. FORWARD. MOTION – ALBERT VERSTER’S INSPIRATIONAL JOURNEY

They say change is as good as a holiday… and who doesn’t like a holiday?

One of the most rewarding aspects of being a coach is getting to witness the change that takes place in a person’s life once they commit to the journey – the journey of pushing the limits, discovering more about yourself, living better, healthier and at the end of the day, happier. Whatever that may entail, each individual has his own story to write by living the life they chose to live.

Meet, Albert Verster.

An ordinary everyday hero, father to 3 kids and a lovely wife, Tania. At the young age of 52 Albert is making waves in training and racing.

Before committing to an active lifestyle, his life as he puts it was very sedentary by having poor eating habits as well as being a smoker and regular alcohol consumption. His business role at the time also required a lot of traveling and entertaining which was the was the excuse for general poor heath.

 Albert’s “defining” moment came one day when he went on a camping trip with new friend. They were mountain bikers and he decided to organize a mountain bike for the weekend… Albert loved the experience and its safe to say, the bug had bit.

After this new and exciting experience, Albert got into the habit of regular exercise and decided to enter for a sprint distance Triathlon. With the after-event adrenaline high, he also entered the IRONMAN 70.3 Durban race… Once the adrenaline subsided, he had a rude awakening remembering how far 600m was swimming breaststroke… It became clear to him, he needed to find somewhere to swim, and more importantly, someone to teach him how to swim!

Albert and his daughter after his first Sprint Triathlon race.

Enter Coach M Multisport…

We asked Albert to give us his thoughts about if working with a coach is something he thinks made a difference and if he would recommend it?

His response was quite straight forward.

“YES!! Structure, experience and optimization – Training for a Triathlon or any endurance sport requires a big investment – Financially, emotionally and physically. You need to know that that it costs money to get started as well as sacrificing time with your friends and family.

Finding a good coach helps ensure you use your time more effectively by following a tailor made, personalized program based on your schedule, fitness levels, strengths and weaknesses and lastly the goals you’re working towards. This personalized training program ensures you doing the correct training and volume, at the right intensities as well as optimizing cross training benefits. Yes, of course there are cheaper generic programs available all over but that’s all they are… Generic plans = generic results.

Albert further explains –

Once you start getting into something new – you want to learn as much as possible from someone that has extensive knowledge (hopefully your coach) in that particular field. Based on his / her experience you can somehow fast track the process to a degree… in other words, you get the most out of each session by limiting the potential trial and error element. We live in a world where time seems to be limited. By finding the right coach, he / she should help you train better, smarter and more effective by means of planning sessions based on their experience and the athletes goals.

Yes, you can get opinions from experienced friends or the internet, but you need to be very careful of what you consider as good advice. More often than not, people tend to take “snippets” of info from people / websites / podcasts that suit them. But, by adopting this approach, I’ve found that the information is used out of context and that leads to some form of undesired results and time wasted. This is a common mistake made by many athletes. I can guarantee you, it’ll become overwhelming and lead to ineffective training or racing – this is a no go!

Lastly, and not so obvious or replaceable – If you find the right coach he/she should have the ability to monitor or assess your progress. In other words, guide your training, and racing, to get the best outcome for you. Some days an interval set with brick run is more important for your self-confidence than another session. Or maybe, pitching up to a session and after a brief chat with your coach, he makes the call to skip the session… ending up recovering better, before for the next session. Yes consistency is key but the human element is absolutely key – someone helping you make certain decisions which just makes life easier.”

Fast forward a couple of years and Albert is reaping the benefits of that quite literally life changing weekend. He still enjoys eating and drinking a much deserved beer. Everyday stress levels are much better, by being better directed. His fitness… is incredible! Through consistent sustainable growth and a significant decrease in injuries it could only get better.

Since the start if this new chapter, Albert has raced many different events. But, for Albert, here are some of his biggest personal achievements.

– First MTB stage race – Waterberg.

– 360One Cycling race.

– Knysna EXTREME Triathlon 2023 – 4th position overall

– IRONMAN African Champs 2024 – 9th. 50-54 AG.

Albert also has big ambitions for the future. He was entered to race the PATAGONMAN in December 2024 – An extreme Triathlon in Patagonia. Frustratingly, as life goes, work and other life commitments has sidelined his plans for this race but  Albert still has his sights locked in on his next big goal – The IRONMAN African Championships! He also has his sights set on arguably the toughest triathlon on the global triathlon calendar – The Norseman Extreme Triathlon.

Albert’s final thought on this journey…

“My fitness/sport journey in many ways became a catalyst for many positive lifestyle changes, being more present with my family, meeting amazing people (being inspired by so many people)… It shaped me into the person I knew I could be for 4 decades…. There are very few things as rewarding and humbling as running through the Knysna Forest in the dark of night with not a soul in sight.”

Our final thoughts on his journey…

Albert is an ordinary guy who decided it was time for a change. Without any special abilities or shortcuts, he made the tough decision to give up his old habits and commit fully to a healthier, more positive lifestyle. He faces the same everyday challenges as anyone else — work stress, social temptations, and the occasional self-doubt — but, he pushes through, making the hard choices and staying dedicated. His strength comes not from superpowers but from his unwavering desire to improve himself and live a better life. Albert is proof that real transformation is possible for anyone willing to put in the effort.

Last but not least.

Something for the reader to think about-

Where are you in your journey / story?
What would you say is the title of the chapter you’re busy writing?
Are you actively working towards your goal(s)?
Are you, happy?