Tom Ward - Founder, Owner & Head Coach at Infinite Evolution
“Accomplishment is my passion in life. Accomplishment for myself and for others.”
Tom is the co-founder of Infinite Evolution and Passion Fit Coaching. He is a mathematics graduate and worked in the banking industry for 17 years where he specialised in customer service, sales and performance coaching.
Tom played 20 seasons as Premier League and Division One hockey player, both indoor and outdoor, over a 20 years career. He retired from top level hockey at the age of 36, he then transferred his passion for sport and fitness into the world of triathlon.
Tom has extensive fitness industry experience. In 1998 he assisted in the launch of his family’s independent health and fitness club which stayed open until his fathers passing in 2019. He has worked as a personal trainer, fitness club manager & swimming coach in the past as well as being fitness coach to many of the hockey clubs he played for.
Since 2015 Tom has worked full time as a professional triathlon, fitness & performance coach. He now predominantly works with triathletes who range from novices to full time professionals.
In recent years Tom has dedicated himself to the development and application of his own innovative Accomplishment Behavioural Coaching©️ concept.
Tom has drawn on many of his own experiences to assist him in the development of Accomplishment Behavioural Coaching (ABC)©️. Tom is a self coached athlete & coach and has used the ABC to effectively aid his own progression towards unlocking his potential as well helping other athletes unlock an exceptionally high levels of their own potential.
Tom is a domestic abuse & PTSD survivor and has used the ABC coaching concepts to help him overcome the ongoing trauma that can be associated with his experiences. In recent years, he has found that the same approach can be used to help other individuals better equip themselves to deal with the a challenges modern day life brings to the sustainability of overall physical and mental well-being.
Personal information:
Husband to Loren
Cheltenham resident
Raised in Dursley, Glos to an Anglo Indian father and Scottish mother
‘Father’ to Logan
Domestic abuse and PTSD survivor
Used sport as a means to overcome personal mental health challenges
Infinite Evolution & Passion Fit Coaching:
Co-founder of Passion Fit Coaching & Infinite Evolution
Professional Accomplishment Behavioural coach and endurance sports specialists
Coaching Strategy Creator, Passion Fit Coaching & Infinite Evolution
Pioneer of Accomplishment Behavioural Coaching and I.P.S.A.T.I.V.E goal setting
6 years as a specialist coach to triathletes from novices to world class professionals
Post trauma mental health support through exercise as a result of personal experience
Co-founder of Phoenix Evolution cycling consultancy
Triathlon:
Elite self coached amateur triathlete since 2011
Ironman (long distance) and 70.3 (half Ironman) specialist
18 times age group winner and 24 times a podium finisher
5 times Ironman World Championship Hawaii qualifier
17 times Ironman 70.3 World Championship qualifier
Ironman PB of 9:16 (Zurich 2019)
Half Ironman PB of 3:56 (Dubai 2020)
Current age group 45-49
Historic Corporate Professional:
BSc Hons Mathematics graduate from Bristol University 1997 (yes, really!). Not a lot of people know this
17 years working in financial services - 10 of those years as a performance coach/manager specialising in turning around under performing teams
Historic Athletic & Sports Experience:
20 seasons of Premier League and National League Div 1 hockey (indoors and outdoors) from the age of 15 to 35
Extensive fitness industry experience over two decades
Jointly launched family health and fitness club business in 1998.
Worked as a personal trainer before moving to a 17 year banking career
20 years experience as a coach & fitness coach to numerous hockey teams and players
Loren Ward - Co Owner & Coach at Infinite Evolution
Loren’s background consists of 16 years in the commercial fitness industry as a Fitness Instructor, Personal Trainer, Group Exercise Instructor and Gym Management. Gaining a wealth of experience in how to help people achieve their athletic fitness, nutritional and lifestyle goals.
After taking herself on a journey from competing in her first ever triathlon where she was beaten by an 8 year old boy and finished last, to an Ironman 70.3 Age Group winner and World Championship qualifier, she wanted to share her passion by helping others to see and believe they can be so much more than perhaps they had first realised, if they apply themselves in the right way and focus on the things that really matter, without getting distracted but those that do not.
Loren now primarily runs and owns ‘Passion Fit Coaching’, which is a performance coaching company that specalises (but is not restricted to) triathlon and endurance events.
We use exercise and training as a way of supporting people in feeling accomplished as well as focusing and learning new concepts that can be applied to both their athletic and personal lives to become better versions of themselves.
Personal information:
Wife to Tom
Cheltenham resident
Raised, born and bred in Gloucester
‘Mother’ to Logan
One of the most important elements to me in sport is the social aspect. I enjoy training with people and the camaraderie created from that.
Triathlon:
Age group triathlete coached by husband Tom
Compete across all distances from Sprint up to full Ironman
2018 IM 70.3 Lanzarote age group winner
2019 Ironman 70.3 World Championship qualifier
Current age group 30-34
Lydia Dant - Professional Triathlete
In three years, Lydia has gone from Novice to Professional triathlete. Since starting her triathlon journey with Passion Fit, her life has taken a very different trajectory…
In 2018 Lydia decided to enter Ironman Wales after feeling that a sense of purpose and meaning was missing from her life, historically she had found this through sport. It was more than just having a goal to train for, it was to be part of something and have a true sense of meaning. Lydia found that none of the local running and triathlon groups quite had the culture that aligned. Whilst on the search for a coach to help her prepare for Ironman Wales, she found the Passion Fit community and started being coached by Tom.
After re aligning her goals (after a very honest conversation with Tom) she decided that she had not left herself adequate time to prepare for a full distance triathlon. Lydia also realised that triathlon was not going to be a one moment in time or bucket list item - this was to be a sustained lifestyle change. With consistency in the training and racing established, Lydia started to started to think differently about how her triathlon journey might look. Physiologically it looked promising that she might have the ability to race as a professional triathlete but this was never the goal. The goal was was to continue work towards unlocking as much of her potential as possible and if this resulted in attaining a professional license, that would be part of the journey…
In 2021, alongside a change in life circumstances Lydia decided to take a leap of faith. She sold her house, handed in her notice and launched Phoenix Evolution (a bike fitting and cycling consultancy business) and athletically looked to continue to see how much more of her potential could be unlocked. Lydia had no triathlons entered for the 2021 season (with the pandemic race cancellations) but two opportunities arose to race at Outlaw Half and Staffordshire 70.3. She won both the female races overall. Outlaw Half was a gateway event which meant as 1st female, Lydia was eligible to apply British Triathlon to race on a professional licence. Her professional status was granted and she decided to make her professional debut in October at Lanzarote 70.3
During this journey from Novice to Professional athlete, she has been coached by Tom on the application of the Accomplishment Behavioural Concepts. The impact this has had is evident through the level of progression and development Lydia has seen, not just athletically but personally. Once the consistency of the physical training train has been established, the mindset is where the biggest opportunity lies to continue to unlock more of your potential…
Personal Information:
Raised near Oxford
Living in Cheltenham for the past three years
Used triathlon as a way to find sense of meaning, purpose and fulfilment in life
Leads Phoenix Evolution (bike fitting and Cycling Consultancy)
Triathlon:
Professional Triathlete coached by Tom using Accomplishment Behavioural Concepts
2021 Staffordshire 70.3 Overall Female Winner (by 17 mins)
2021 Outlaw Half Overall Female Winner
2021 Volcano Triathlon Overall Female Winner (previous female winner was Lucy Charles)
Half Ironman PB of 4:07 (including a 1:18 half marathon)
Holds Elite XC Mountain Bike licence with British Cycling
Has been trying to complete a full distance Ironman since 2018… 2022 is going to be the one!
Historic Corporate Professional:
Hold an MSc in Water Science, Policy and Management from the University of Oxford
Worked for 7 years in the Water Industry for NGOs through to water companies in a range of areas such as; water efficiency & smart technology, Incident Management, Network Management and Renewable Energy Operations & Asset Management
Athletic background:
Played Hockey for Loughborough university (2009 - 2011)
Participated in a range of cycling disciplines; track, time trial, road and MTB