COACHES
MEET THE PINNACLE FITNESS COACHES
The coaches at Pinnacle Fitness are dedicated to helping you achieve your very best. Our coaches are all certified and have a wealth of experience from coaching first-timers to coaching at the Olympic Games. Our coaches have helped many of their athletes achieve goals they never thought possible – whether it was finishing an Ironman, a new personal best time or qualifying for a world championship event.
ONLINE COACHES
PAUL REGENSBURG
Paul is a former National Team Coach for Triathlon and has coached at the Olympic, Commonwealth and Pan American Games. He has a degree in Physical and Health Education from the University of Toronto and a diploma from the National Coaching Institute where he was designated a Master Coach (the highest possible level of certification in Canada). Paul also has coaching certifications in running, cycling and swimming.
Paul is a published author and in 2000, he also provided color commentary for CBC's Olympic coverage of Simon Whitfield's historic sprint finish in front of the Sydney Opera House that brought Canada the gold medal in the Olympic debut of Triathlon.
Paul has assisted dozens of professional and amateur athletes qualify for the Ironman World Championships in Kona and in recent years has coached 5 Age Group World Champions including the fastest time ever recorded by an amateur woman in Kona.
Specializations: Amateurs looking to Improve/Qualify, Developing Elites, Busy Professionals
Janet Nielsen is an NCCP certified Triathlon Coach and holds degrees from the University of Victoria in Exercise Science, Physical & Health Education and a Bachelor of Education. Her coaching experience includes coaching successful on-line athletes, cross-country running programs, Master’s swim programs, Youth Triathlon Camps and other various triathlon, swimming and running programs.
Janet has extensive experience in endurance sport including being a member of the Canadian National Junior Elite, U23 Elite and World Age Group Triathlon Teams. She was awarded “Academic-All-Canadian” for her studies and involvement as a member of the Varsity Cross-Country Running team and trained in the early 2000’s at the National Triathlon Centre where she was surrounded by high-performing coaches and motivated athletes. Janet made a successful transition to Long Distance racing where she had numerous Elite Podium finishes in the Subaru Western Triathlon Series. Janet now has over 25 years of triathlon training experience and enjoys the lifestyle that it offers.
Specializations: Women Athletes, Youth, First-Timers, Age-Group Endurance Events
JANET NIELSEN
LOCAL PROGRAM COACHES
Are you from Victoria or visiting Victoria?
If so, you will meet one of the local training session coaches.
DAN SMITH
Dan is a NCCP and Ironman University certified triathlon coach with over 20 years of coaching experience. He has been around endurance and high-performance sport his entire life, and has also coached/instructed sailing, boardsailing and snowboarding.
In addition to coaching, Dan is a top age group contender in all distances of triathlon having qualified for and competed at the Hawaii Ironman World Championships along with the Ironman 70.3 and Xterra World Championships. Complementing his extensive sport experience is his technical knowledge, especially in cycling, having been involved in that industry for many years.
CINDY MABEE
Cindy is a NCCP Level 3 swim coach with a distinguished coaching and competitive career. She was one of Island Swimming’s Head Coaches from 2002 to 2014 and was named SWIM BC's “Coach of the Year” for several years. Cindy has also been the Head Coach of the Victoria Masters Swim Club and is passionate about the challenge of teaching and training swimmers of all abilities to become more efficient with proper technique.
Cindy also enjoys the competitive aspect of swimming and is currently one of the best Masters Swimmers in the world having broken 15 World Records and over 50 Canadian and Provincial Records. Cindy’s philosophy is that she is still learning the ever-evolving sport of swimming and loves to share her passion with anyone interested in improving their swimming.
EMMA SKAUG
Emma is a Certified Swim Coach who is currently completing her Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology at the University of Victoria. She comes from a competitive triathlon background and currently competes as an Elite Para-Triathlon Guide. Emma has coached youth with Pacific Coast Swimming and also enjoys her role as a Stand Up Paddle Boarding Guide & Instructor.
Bruce brings over 25 years of experience in endurance sport; coaching, managing and competing. He is a natural teacher and mentor who during his career taught engineering at the University of Alberta. His engineering background brings an analytical approach to developing training programs. Bruce is a Certified Coach in Triathlon, Ironman, Swimming and Cycling. As an athlete, Bruce has competed at all levels of Triathlon, including 15 Ironman Races where he has won his division and qualified for the Hawaii Ironman 6 times.
Bruce's philosophy is that anyone can complete a Triathlon, including an Ironman, if they have a good training plan and a positive attitude. He is a strong believer in the power of progression; that is, incrementally increasing workout effort, and the length of the workout over time. This method has successfully helped first time athletes and experienced athletes achieve their goals. He has also had success at rehabilitation of injured and sick athletes by this method.
BRUCE REGENSBURG
ELLEN PENNOCK
Ellen Pennock is a former elite triathlete who has represented Canada in the 2014 Commonwealth Games and 2015 Pan American Games. She enjoyed a 10+ year career where she also finished with a Silver Medal at the 2013 Under 23 World Championships, achieved multiple World Cup podium finishes, and also served as a guide for Paralympian Jess Tuomela, competing together at the 2017 World Championships. Ellen has now turned her ambitions to coaching and promoting women in sport. She is a NCCP certified Triathlon Coach and was selected as the assistant coach for the 2022 Canada Summer Games. Her coaching experience includes Masters swim programs, Youth Tri groups and one-on-one run & swim technical coaching.
JACK HARRIS
Jack is a long-time multisport athlete who is a graduate of the Royal Military College of Canada with nearly 4 decades of military service in Canada and Europe. He was a member of the first Canadian National Biathlon Ski team and later competed as a member of the National Age Group Triathlon Team at the World Championships in Hawaii and Vancouver. He holds a Canadian Ski Instructor Alliance Level 3 certification and has instructed in Europe, coached the United States/Europe Ski team, and competed internationally in military alpine and nordic ski competitions.
Jack has completed several Ironman Triathlons and over 25 marathons in various parts of the world. He enjoys coaching mature swimmers with basic skills to build confidence and improve their swim stroke. Jack is known for his humour, tact, diplomacy and patience.
ANJA KRUEGER
Anja Krueger is a developing elite Canadian triathlete who was a former competitive swimmer at the University of British Columbia. She is a certified NCCP coach who led the swim program for the UBC Triathlon Club during their 2022-23 season and is now studying at the University of Victoria. Anja recently showed her potential by finishing 2nd at the Canadian Elite National Triathlon Championships!
Anja believes that swimming and triathlon are lifelong sports which provide incredible experiences. She is passionate about aiding all athletes in the achievement of their goals, while also helping them to enjoy their individual journey in sport.