Meet the Coaches
TriBy3 Performance Coaching has a number of coaches to meet your training needs. Coming from a variety of athletic backgrounds, TriBy3 coaches pull from a breadth of knowledge to tailor our approach to the individual needs of each and every athlete. Our coaches are based in New York City, New Hampshire, and Florida, and we do a combination of in person and online coaching to work with you wherever you are. Check out our bio's below!
Greg Close
Qualifications: Professional Triathlete, USAT level-1, USAC level-3, USATF level-1, Slowtwitch Swim Certified, Ironman University Certified, and Pose Method of Running Coach
Greg grew up being supremely mediocre at team sports like baseball and basketball, above average at obscure and unknown sports like rowing, and extremely talented at telling people what to do. So it only made sense that the idea for TriBy3 Performance Coaching would begin to take shape while Greg was dabbling in triathlon, getting his Masters degree in Political Science at Lehigh University, and coaching women's crew.
As a lifelong athlete, Greg rowed through high school and college (Rutgers University '01-'05, Penn AC '00-'05) before making the jump to multisport racing in grad school. He took to long course racing early on, focusing on half and full distance triathlons, and earned his professional license in 2011. Greg has a number of top 10 performances in international Ironman events, and his Ironman PR, set in 2017 at Ironman Louisville, is 8:26.
Coaching has been a passion for Greg from the beginning. Whether it was coaching learn to row programs on Boathouse Row in Philadelphia, working with Division 1 athletes in college and grad school, training adults to finish their first 5k, or helping professional triathletes win on the international level, Greg's driving motivation has always been watching athletes achieve their goals. When a knowledgable coach takes a vested interest in the success of an individual athlete, there is limitless potential. This belief served as the impetus for Greg's founding of TriBy3 in 2010.
Darbi Roberts
Qualifications: Professional Triathlete, USAT Level I, Total Immersion Certified Swim Coach, US Masters Swimming Level II, Adult Learn-To-Swim Certified Coach (ALTS), EQ Certified Coach
Darbi comes to TriBy3 with the most diverse athletic background of all of our coaches. Darbi was a competitive swimmer for years as a child and rowed for Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA. Following graduation, Darbi played Rugby 7’s in Qatar for 3 years. While there, she developed a love of long-distance cycling and running, and–coupled with her strength as a swimmer–translated that into triathlons when returning stateside in 2010. Darbi finished as 1st amateur woman at Ironman Louisville in 2012 (her first Ironman) and blew onto the national stage from there. She repeated the feat again at Ironman Mt. Tremblant in 2013, placing in the top 10 overall women (pro and amateur). After finishing 5th in the women’s 25-29 Age Group at the Kona Ironman World Championships in both 2012 and 2013, she began competing as a professional in 2014. Top finishes since turning pro include Syracuse 70.3 2014 (3rd FPRO), Princeton 70.3 2014 (3rd FPRO), IM Barcelona 2014 (8th FPRO), IM Arizona 2015 (4th FPRO with a PR of 9:05:10 including a 4:55 bike split and a 51:41 swim split), IM Arizona 2016 (6th FPRO), and the 2016 Ironman Wales CHAMPION (PR swim of 49:30).
Darbi’s coaching experience is similarly diverse, having worked with swimmers, runners, soccer players, and rowers of all ages and experience levels over the past 10+ years. Her love of coaching and teaching carries over into her academic and “alternative” professional life, too. When she's not training or racing, Darbi is the Executive Director of International Student Services at Southern New Hampshire University in Manchester, New Hampshire, and holds a doctoral degree in International Education Development from Columbia University's Teachers College. She is a firm believer in work-life balance and is confident that even the most busy professionals, parents, or students can find time in their day to practice the YFTYT™lifestyle.
Lauren Chandler
Lauren fell into triathlon almost by accident. As a former high school and college rower at Lehigh University, she found herself after college just working out by running, walking and the occasional spin or yoga class, aimlessly trying to stay healthy and fit. Her boyfriend at the time (now husband) decided to sign up for a triathlon…to which she said “ok have fun, I’ll watch”. Two weeks before the race, having never ridden a road bike, having not swam in 4 years, and not running any significant distance, Lauren got a case of the "me too's" and signed up as well. MOST FUN DAY EVER! Even though she panicked in the swim, she had a blast on the rented road bike, and realized that she was a pretty decent runner. Team Chandler had their first win that day, with Lauren and her husband Mark both winning their respective categories.
Since that first triathlon in 2008, Lauren has fallen in love with endurance racing and can’t help but share her knowledge and passion with others. She is fascinated by the human body, and what it can endure, and how we can train it to do things we never thought possible. Throughout her own training and racing, she has learned that athletes need to be smart while adapting their bodies to avoid injury and setback, which is why she decided to become a triathlon coach. She wanted to help others plan and execute their training so they can maximize performance and avoid injuries. Coaching has been a large part of Lauren’s life for the past decade; in addition to coaching adult triathletes, she has also coached elementary through high school track, cross country, and swimming, collegiate rowing, and even started a youth triathlon team in south Florida. Lauren also teaches spinning and yoga, and personal trains clients in Orlando.
Lauren has completed many events in her decade of racing, from 5k to marathon, super sprint to full Ironman events, although her favorite continues to be the Half Ironman. She has even recently started racing cyclocross in the off season to keep things fun! As a coach, Lauren believes in a “whole athlete” approach, seeing each athlete as an individual with his or her own needs, strengths and challenges. She believes that with planning, preparation and passion, every goal can be attainable.