Michael Hagen

“Endurance sports success isn’t achieved via secrets or shortcuts. I believe results are primarily earned through simple hard work — with the important caveat that the hard training must be based on sound principles. This caveat is where coaching provides great value. I strive to provide value to athletes by guiding their training with both scientific and experience-based practical insight — sometimes providing motivation but often, and sometimes more importantly, pulling in the reigns. I feel the most important factor in athletic success is simple consistency, followed by healthy doses of high intensity work, with high volume trailing in significance. The primary service I provide athletes is sharing my knowledge and experience to help them achieve as much as possible with the time they have available, and providing my counsel and support to their efforts, helping align their goals with their experience and available time.”

Endurance sports are a major and rewarding part of my lifestyle. My performance was very mediocre at first, which propelled my pursuit of improvement. I train and race for health and the sense of vitality exercise provides and simply because I enjoy competing. I also enjoy the sense of accomplishment from working hard towards difficult goals. I was an unremarkable high school and collegiate athlete who nevertheless greatly enjoyed endurance sports. I gradually improved, earning a few results such as 1997 USAT Amateur Triathlete and Duathlete of the Year (Age-Group Duathlon World Champion and Triathlon National Champion), five second-place age-group finishes at Ironman Hawaii (but never first),  2013 Xterra National Champion, 2014 Ski Mountaineering North American Master’s Champion, 2015 Breckenridge Epic 6-day mountain bike stage race master’s champion and being ranked first in my age-group by USAT in duathlon, triathlon and Xterra about 10 times. Now I mostly compete within Colorado so my family can join me. My wife and kids race as well. I have a Master’s in Exercise Physiology, taught Physical Education at West Point and commanded the US Army World Class Athlete Program (Olympic training program). I worked at Carmichael Training Systems as the director of coaching where I selected, trained and supervised the coaching staff, including designing and conducting the week long coaching college and six-month coaching internship. I have coached Kona qualifiers, the female overall winner of the San Antonio marathon and the male masters winner of the Columbus marathon.