#655 - Craig Kirkwood

On 31 January 2026, 16-year-old New Zealand running sensation Sam Ruthe ran a world-record indoor mile time of 3:48.88. New Zealand middle-distance runner Sam Tanner is a two-time Olympian and currently holds several national records and titles. Both Sam's are coached by Kiwi Craig Kirkwood. We chat to CK about his coaching philosophies and his incredible success with the development of young athletes in New Zealand. He emphasises the importance of competition, his experiences of managing injury and the role of plyometrics in training. We also chat to CK about his success in creating a supportive training environment for his athletes and the ripple effect that has in inspiring younger athletes in New Zealand. Shay McLeod won the free race entry to IRONMAN 70.3 Geelong. We find out more about him. SuperTri change their race format to a draft legal, sprint distance – we look at what that might look like for the sport. 00:00 – The Winter Olympics 12:25 – SuperTri 18:16 – Race entry competition for IM703 W Sydney 20:31 – Shay McLeod 35:29 – Craig Kirkwood LINKS: IRONMAN 70.3 Western Sydney at https://www.ironman.com/races/im703-western-sydney Craig Kirkwood at https://www.ckcoaching.co.nz/ Shay McLeod at Symmetry Physio https://symmetry.physio/ SuperTri at https://supertri.com/