Health first.
Performance follows.
Coaching that respects the full complexity of an athlete's life — not just the training file. Built on published research, lived endurance experience, and a coaching philosophy that starts with the person.
Coach the human.
Not just the file.
Most coaching platforms optimise the training plan. Summit optimises the decision that shapes the plan — by understanding the full load an athlete carries.
Life Load Coaching
Your training doesn't exist in a vacuum. Work stress, family demands, sleep quality, and recovery capacity all shape adaptation. We account for all of it.
How it worksResearch-Led Practice
Published in peer-reviewed journals. Grounded in a PhD exploring how triathlon coaches actually make training load decisions — and where practice can be optimised.
Read the researchHealth-First Philosophy
Performance is an outcome of health, not a replacement for it. Every coaching decision starts with long-term wellbeing.
Our philosophyMeasurement + Meaning = Decision
Data tells you what happened. Context tells you why. The Summit coaching model combines objective measurement with situated meaning to produce better decisions — not just more dashboards.
TSS · HRV · RPE
Life Load · Context
"You can't separate sport from life. When life load exceeds your system's capacity, performance isn't just affected — it's governed."
— Leighton Wells, PhD (Sport Science) · Summit Triathlon CoachingA different kind of coaching
- Optimises the training plan
- Relies on TSS and CTL alone
- Cookie-cutter periodisation
- Treats the athlete as a data file
- Performance-first, health-second
- Optimises the decision that shapes the plan
- Integrates Life Load with training metrics
- Adaptive, contextualised programming
- Coaches the person behind the data
- Health first — performance follows
Published & Peer-Reviewed
The Summit approach isn't a marketing framework. It's built on published, peer-reviewed research into how coaches actually make decisions with age-group triathletes.
An examination of how and why triathlon coaches use a suite of technologies in their practice
Read publication →An Interpretive Exploration of Australian Triathlon Coaching Practices: Working Toward Optimal Training Load Practice
Read publication →Differences between Australian triathlon coaching practices and evidence-based training load management recommendations
Read publication →Coached for Real Life
"I reduced my Ironman 70.3 PB by 50 minutes in less than 12 months with Leighton, and he coached me to my first Ironman finish."
"Exceptional, personalised service. Leighton provides great insights and really knows what endurance training is all about. I reduced my Ironman 70.3 time by 40 minutes."
Research that works outside the lab
Beyond coaching individuals, Summit applies its research into athlete context, training load, and coach decision-making through consulting partnerships with sports technology companies and national sporting organisations.
Augo Training AG
Zürich, Switzerland
Contributed research on the ACIP framework and the role of subjective data in endurance coaching decision-making — exploring how objective metrics and athlete-reported context work together to build better coaching systems.
"Most departures from evidence-based practice aren't ignorance; they're adaptations to context. Coaches adjust what they do to fit the real conditions their athletes live in."
Research Themes
- ✦ ACIP — Adaptive, Contextualised, Informed Practice
- ✦ Subjective + Objective Data Triangulation
- ✦ Coach Communication as Early-Warning System
- ✦ Training Load in Real-World Contexts
AusTriathlon
Presented to Olympic-level coaches on training load research. Invited guest at the AusTriathlon×TrainingPeaks workshop at QAS.
Deakin & Victoria University
Teaching Fellow in Sports Coaching Systems and Technology. Bridging research-led practice with the next generation of coaches.
Catapult Sports
Former agency lead. Designed global website, branding for OptimEye and ClearSky products. Worked directly with founder Shaun Holthouse.
Conversations & Presentations
True Business Stories
with Mark Edmonds & Bill Winter
Discussion of the full career arc — from corporate marketing at NASDAQ-listed companies, through founding Australia's largest regional tech event, to sport science and coaching research.
European College of Sport Science
30th Anniversary Congress · Rimini, Italy · Jul 2025
Presented PhD research on long-term training load data in triathlon. International audience of sport scientists and performance researchers.
AusTriathlon × TrainingPeaks
QAS, Queensland · Dec 2024
Invited to present research to High Performance and Olympic-level coaches across two days. Only guest presenter.
Ready to train smarter?
Summit coaching starts with a conversation. Tell us about your goals, your life, and where you are right now. No commitment. No sales pitch.
Applications typically reviewed within 48 hours · or book a time that suits you
Find Summit
Coaching athletes locally in Geelong, interstate across Australia, and internationally. Grounded in the surf coast, built for anywhere.