Athlete Bio

Tom "legend" Aaker - athlete bio

Cliff Scherb ·

Athlete Bio

Age: M55-59

Geography: Tristar Athletes Southwest

State: California, Redondo Beach

Fun fact: Tom Aaker has been consistently putting down endurance events for his entire life including a memorable 26.2 marathon race at the North Pole!

Tom has raced many Ironman races (Getting faster ever since he joined team Tristar with age + moving up AWA ranks..) all with a more applied training approach. A chance encounter with Coach Cliff in 2017 walking his dog on the beach took him down the path of refining his endurance life with greater training precision. Tom was training for Ironman Wisconsin then and training upwards of 20hrs a week.. being more than 6 months away from the event Coach Cliff cut those training hours in half and focused in on the quality and intensity of Tom’s training. Tom “ran” with it (increasing SBR economy and FTP at all three legs of triathlon) and has been PR’ing various distances ever since. The goal one day is to qualify for the Ironman World Championships.

Bio, goals and races: Recently 7th in his age group at our Ironman Lake Placid race/camp, -9minutes off his ironman PR at Ironman Wisconsin set in 2018. His Lake Placid race could be viewed as his true PR being a much tougher course to complete. Next up the Granite Man three day stage race and the Cabo 70.3.

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  • Tom has one of the strongest FTP’s for the run on our team and his age group. …You might be hearing Tom’s footsteps behind you if you are in a race as he comes to mow you down!

  • Sleep is “king”. Tom recognizing the value of recovery sleeps 8-10hrs per night and credits this to a lot of his training and racing success - we agree!

  • Trains with a Wahoo Kicrk/Zwift setup to deliver his training peaks sessions with accuracy.

  • Continues to learn how to race at the front end of the age group and chase the “perfect race”.

  • ELITE team member and all around great guy!

“Training plan-for success” - Tom’s recent knowledge base for training and racing

Custom training plan + advanced education to support this athletes races, training and goals.

Meet the Coaches

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Kyle Halloran, TSA Level III Coach
Kyle Halloran, TSA Level III Coach

Kyle is an All-American triathlete looking to shift his focus towards coaching and helping other triathletes realize their potential, physically and mentally. He knows the impact an informed and empathetic coach can have an an individual’s life, and hopes to have a similar impact on the lives of others he will coach. 

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Suzanne Turner, TSA Level II Coach
Suzanne Turner, TSA Level II Coach

As the adage goes, there is no ”I” in team and I want to join your team, helping get you to the start and finish lines of your races.  I enjoy creating individualized training plans that reward discipline and consistency as well as providing experienced guidance to achieve your goals." —Coach Suzanne Turner

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Attila Kelemen, TSA Level III Coach
Attila Kelemen, TSA Level III Coach

"Consistency trumps 'big days'. Continuously making deposits in the fitness bank, as small as they may sometimes seem, will make a big withdrawal on race day that much more manageable. That said, every so often 'life happens' and some course-correction is inevitable - that's where the TriStar coaching approach, backed by science and experience, is guaranteed to make a difference." —Coach Attila Kelemen

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Adam Daniels, TSA Level III Coach
Adam Daniels, TSA Level III Coach

Adam Daniels is a coach, ultra runner and triathlete based in Boulder, CO. Adam developed his passion for triathlon after many years as a runner and much encouragement from his peers to give it a “tri”. After suffering an injury, Adam started swimming and biking to satisfy his need for an active lifestyle. “It was a much needed break from the thousands of running miles logged training and racing. I developed a whole new competitive drive”. So Adam set out to take on the triathlon world.

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Cliff Scherb, Principal Coach TSA Level III
Cliff Scherb, Principal Coach TSA Level III

Cliff Scherb  – Internet endurance consultant is an active triathlete and head of the TriStar Athletes North American and Global Teams.  As the founder and principal coach of TriStar Athletes LLC, he works with the ELITE and MENTORSHIP teams to help athletes, balance training stress, nutrition, and peak for top performances.  Coaching for 15+ years with over 250+ life years of coaching experience, Cliff imparts this knowledge to aspiring athletes and coaches. 

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Haluk Sarci, TSA Level II Coach
Haluk Sarci, TSA Level II Coach

Haluk has been helping elite athletes achieve their maximum potential for over fifteen years. Haluk is excited to be part of the TriStar coaching team, bringing a wealth of racing and coaching experience to all of his athletes.

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