The Team

Team Traction is a Wellington based training team which focuses on swim, bike, run & triathlon events.

The team is a super group of individuals ranging from entry level to highly experienced athletes. The mix of experience allows for wonderful team spirit and growth. Members can choose to come to swim, bike, run and/or brick triathlon sessions. Therefore athletes maybe at sessions multiple times per week or may simply get a triathlon programme that they follow independently of the group. It really does vary by each persons desires and requirements.

The team is not exclusively Wellington based however the head coach, Jenny Rose, believes that the athlete will benefit the most with regular coach interactions.

A typical week might be made up of swim squad sessions, a run session and a weekend training session. Swim squads are run in Johnsonville however during the summer we also swim in the sea. Bike sessions are carried out both on the road and indoors on bike trainers. There is a weekly Monday night run and during Autumn-Winter period longer run sessions in the weekends at various sites around the Wellington Region.

We are a highly successful team having NZ & World Champions, at varying tri event distances. Total newbies progress quickly towards their own goals and we all have a ball sharing our knowledge and love for swim-bike-run.

Head Coach, Jenny Rose

Jenny has been both a World Champion in Olympic distance and long distance triathlon events. Her career focused on Olympic Distance events and she won the 1994 World Cup series. In 1995 Jenny took a side-step into the World of long distance triathlon and won the Nice World Long Distance Champs in record time: 4 km swim - 120 km cycle - 30 km run. Her time of 1 hr 58 mins for the 30 km run stands out as one of her career highlights, winning the event by 12 minutes. In 1996 Jenny set a record time of 4 hr 13 mins for the Tauranga Half Ironman (This record stood for 13 years). In March of 1996 she finished 2nd in the NZ Ironman, in her first (and only) attempt. Things didn’t go quite to plan that day but a podium finish was a relief for a natural sprint distance athlete! After a serious bike accident later in 1996 she took some time recovering but continued her professional career until May 2000. Jenny has multiple National titles in NZ, France and The Netherlands and remains one of only a few Kiwis to have won an elite level World Triathlon Title. She was part of the winning 1991 Southern Traverse Multi-sport team; retains the Womens NZ Bike Hill Climbing Record (Takaka Hill); and was selected for the Oceania Cycling Team in 1992 but declined due to her love for triathlon.

What makes Jen a great coach (we know athletes aren’t always great coaches ..) - experience, an ability to think laterally and passion for coaching and her athletes.

Jen is 1 of 7 kids who grew up on the family dairy farm in Takaka, Golden Bay. There was always a lot to do on the farm and a degree of competition in undertaking day to day tasks, no matter if throwing hay-bales around or running to the cowshed. She moved to Otago University as a young adult, completing a Degree in Physical Education, before completing a Diploma of Teaching in Christchurch. In Christchurch she developed her triathlon skills under the watchful eye of John Hellemans and within a very strong sporting environment. During the 1990s Jen spent most NZ winters in Europe, based in Paris. She returned home for summers taking a break and recommencing her build up to the next seasons events. Over a 10 year period there were 19 summers!

Coaching is something Jen has undertaken since a teenager in the Takaka Amateur Swim Club. Whilst in Christchurch Jen not only taught maths, science, Physed and Outdoor Education in Secondary Schools but started mentoring and coaching local triathletes. After her Triathlon career she was awarded the Prime Ministers Coaching Scholarship and as part of it completed a Masters in Sport Coaching.

Because Jenny has such a wealth of experience in triathlon, teaching and coaching knowledge she excels in finding pathways for people to improve. She loves her sport and loves her athletes. She is known for going the extra yard and seeing the potential in athletes, that they don’t necessarily see in themselves.

Signing up to Team Traction means comprehensive guidance, fast skill progression and joining in on a fantastically supportive triathlon team.

Contact Jenny to meet up and discuss your dreams over a coffee!