Typical Training Week — T100 / 70.3 Build
Hayden's week under his new three-coach setup is built differently to his Craig Kirkwood years. Volume stays at 23–25 hrs, but rides are longer and more TT-specific, run sessions are extended (10–12K quality vs 7–8K), and the week structure has shifted — no Saturday run session, a midweek double quality day, and longer recovery windows.
The Three-Coach Model
After 9 years with Craig Kirkwood, Hayden assembled three world-class specialists. Each owns their discipline. They communicate via a shared app — Javier coordinates as the de facto overall planner. The four have never been in the same room.
Performance coach at UAE Team Emirates — Tadej Pogačar's coach. Also coaches Martina Dogana in triathlon. Data-driven, works from the ground up on Hayden's weaknesses (sprint power). Doubles as de facto program coordinator — feeds data to all three coaches.
Husband and coach of Paula Radcliffe. Has coached Mo Farah, Bashir Abdi (Olympic marathon silver 2024) and a squad of elite East African runners. Based in Monaco / Font Romeu — accessible from Andorra and the French Riviera.
Based in Antibes / Nice. 6 Olympic campaigns with the Spanish team. Also coaches Summer McIntosh — 3 gold medals at Paris 2024, multiple world records. Has worked with Hayden for 4 years on biomechanics and sustained pace improvements.
Intensity Distribution — T100 Build Phase
Hayden's distribution is unique in this series — he is building from the bottom up on sprint power, a weakness identified by Javier Soler. The first phase of the year is sprint-heavy on the bike. As the season progresses, longer TT work takes over. Run sessions remain quality-focused year-round.
Old vs New — Craig Kirkwood vs Three-Coach Model
Hayden is emphatic: the change wasn't about what Craig did wrong — it was about finding the extra 1% and not finishing his career with "what if." Here is exactly what changed.
| Area | Craig Kirkwood era (ITU / short course) | New model (T100 / 70.3) |
|---|---|---|
| Run sessions | 7–8K total (incl. w/up, c/down) | 10–12K+ total, longer threshold volume |
| Run frequency | 6–7 runs / week | ~4–5 runs / week (fewer but longer) |
| Saturday run | Hard session on Saturday | Removed — long ride instead |
| Long run | Shorter, intensity-focused | 20–25K easy, up to 85–100 min |
| Ride duration | Peak ~3 hr | 3.5–4 hr standard, TT-specific |
| Bike focus | Road bike, draft-legal aerobics | TT bike, sprint power from ground up |
| Brick runs | Rarely done | Now being introduced pre-race |
| Run recovery window | Session close together through week | Larger gaps between quality runs |
| Accountability | Coach-directed | Athlete-owned, coordinated by three specialists |
Hayden's Exact Key Sessions
All sessions sourced directly from Hayden's own words in the podcast, supplemented by verified research on his coaching setup and race history. These reflect the early-season 2025 build heading into Singapore T100.
3 hr ride: activation + 6 × 20 sec at 600W+ (5 min rest)
Hayden's signature new session under Javier Soler. One-minute activation effort (~320W) in the first hour to wake the legs. Then 6 sprints of 20 seconds at well above 600W with 5 full minutes rest between each. Hayden's top-end sprint power is identified as genuinely low for his level — "my sprint power is trash." Building this from the ground up before shifting to longer sustained efforts later in the season. The mental benefit is also real: sprints make 3 hours feel fast because the recovery intervals take up most of the ride time.
3.5–4 hr TT bike ride (aerobic + threshold blocks)
Hayden now does two long rides per week — a shift from his ITU peak of ~3 hr maximum. Both rides are on the TT bike, building position tolerance and race-specific aerobic capacity. In Andorra, these are often done with Cameron Wurf ("Big Cam") and Pavel Sivakov (Pogačar's domestic), riding long loops in the mountains. The rides are primarily aerobic but include threshold sections. This volume is essential for 80K TT race legs where Hayden had previously been light on preparation.
10 × 1K OR descending set (1K / 800 / 600 / 400)
The main track session under Gary Lough. Two formats: 10×1K for sustained threshold volume (the big step up from Craig's 7–8×1K), or a descending pyramid (1K, 800, 600, 400) that builds heat toward the end. The 1K reps are the signature change — previously doing 7–8, now doing 10–12. This extra volume at threshold is specifically designed to prevent Hayden from "imploding in the later stages of the run" in T100 races. Preceded by a 5K / 20-minute warm-up. Total session: 15–18K including warm-up/cool-down.
Tempo effort + faster finish · 10–12K total
The Friday road session is the second key run of the week, placed to allow recovery from Tuesday's track work while maintaining mid-week quality. Structure varies — typically a sustained tempo effort at the start then slightly faster work toward the finish, or a flat tempo throughout. Hayden keeps this one close to his chest ("I'll keep you guessing on that one"). Key feature: it is a road session, not a track session — different surface, different mechanics. Later in the race build, this session transitions to a brick run off the bike.
20–25K easy (85–100 min) — the new Sunday anchor
In the Craig Kirkwood era, Hayden's long run was shorter and intensity-based. Under Gary Lough, Sunday is now a true easy long run of 20–25K (85–100 min maximum). In Andorra, this may shift to Saturday to free Sunday for a long group ride with Cam Wurf. Easy pace throughout — Gary is "working out what works for me" and the long run is in a slow build phase. No pressure on pace. The purpose is pure aerobic volume and the leg durability that only comes from time on feet — essential for T100's 18K run and future 70.3 racing.
Technique + sustained pace · ITU-speed carry-over to T100
Hayden has been with Fred Vergnoux for 4 years, focusing heavily on biomechanics and sustained pace. The T100 swim (~2K) is almost as fast as a WTCS swim, but the field is 20 athletes not 70 — making front-group positioning more achievable for Hayden. His insight: "fighting 20 guys instead of 70 makes my life a lot easier." The swim work continues year-round at the same intensity as his ITU years. The 2025 May bike accident impacted his shoulder, creating major swim challenges for the latter part of the season.
Bike session → 10K quality run (first time doing this regularly)
Brick runs are being introduced for the first time as a regular session under the new coaching setup. Hayden says he "never really did a lot of them" under Craig. The early 2025 version: bike session (not defined publicly — "I'll keep you guessing"), then a 10K run immediately after. The exact session structure is being developed. This is specifically designed to prepare Hayden's legs for what T100 and 70.3 racing actually demand — arriving at T2 after 80K and immediately running hard. A gap in his preparation that the new coaching team is directly addressing.
4-Week Training Block — T100 / 70.3 Build
Built from Hayden's own description of his 2025 training structure under his new coaching team. The block moves from sprint power and aerobic base through to threshold and race specificity. The progression on the run mirrors his early-season approach: start conservative and extend the sessions week by week as the body adapts to the longer quality volume.
The most important thing Hayden communicates about his new program is accountability and ownership: "It puts more accountability into my corner and makes me feel more involved in what's going on." When athletes understand why each session exists, they execute it better. The three-coach model forces Hayden to be an active participant — not just a program-follower. Build this into how you coach: explain the purpose of every session, every week.
Hayden's sprint power work on the bike is the least intuitive part of his new program for a triathlon audience. Most triathlon coaches focus on sustained threshold power for long-course racing. Javier Soler is starting from Hayden's identified weakness — very low one-minute and 20-second power — and building from there. The reasoning: a higher peak power base makes sustained threshold efforts relatively easier. You cannot build a pyramid from the middle. Build the foundation first, then the sustained TT work follows later in the season.
The Friday brick introduction is the critical change for Hayden's long-course development. His 70.3 World Champs implosion at 15K was partly attributed to not being accustomed to running long at race pace after a hard bike. He had fuelling issues too, but the brick training gap was also real. "I never really did a lot of them" — this is direct and honest. For coaches: athletes who come from short course often have this gap. The brick session is not just a physical tool. It teaches the athlete what their legs feel like at 15K into a run after a hard bike, so race day holds no surprises.
Hayden's Paris lesson is the most transferable insight in this file: he went into the Olympic run in perfect physical shape and perfect fuelling, but was underprepared for 90% humidity and 34 degrees heat. "It was just not prepared for that sort of heat." As a coach, the preparation checklist extends beyond physical training. Heat acclimatisation, altitude timing, fuelling precision — these are the marginal factors that Hayden acknowledges contributed to both his best and worst performances of 2024. The 70.3 Worlds loss (nutrition) and Olympic loss (heat) were both correctable. The fitness was there both times.
Why It Works — Coaching Keynotes
Hayden Wilde's blueprint is the most unique in this series — a 2× Olympic medalist leaving a 9-year coaching relationship at the peak of his powers to work with three world-class specialists across disciplines. These keynotes explain the philosophy and the lessons that apply to every coach and athlete.
Data Sources
All training data in this blueprint is sourced from the athlete's own public statements, verified interviews, and published race data. Nothing is inferred or fabricated.
The Triathlon Hour (2025) — Hayden Wilde Interview
The primary source for this blueprint. Hayden describes training philosophy, methodology, key sessions, and race preparation in their own words. All quoted material and specific numbers in this blueprint trace directly to this interview.
Supplementary Research — Published Race & Training Data
Race results, split data, and training context cross-referenced from published race data. Used to verify the plausibility of stated training numbers and to contextualise the athlete's competitive trajectory. No training data comes solely from this source without primary-source corroboration.