Meet the Coach

JAMES BECKINSALE M.Sc (Sports Sci), BTF L3

FOUNDER OF OPTIMA RACING TEAM AND AUTHOR OF THE TRIATHLON TRAINING BOOK

Coach. Athlete. Teacher.

James Beckinsale’s journey through sport is not simply a career—it’s a mission. From the boxing rings of his youth and the battle-tested discipline of the British Armed Forces, to the global triathlon stage and Olympic Games, James has been shaped by endurance in its purest forms—mental, physical, and emotional.

The Foundation: From Soldier to Coach

James’s story begins in the boxing rings of his youth, then into the military, where he served with distinction and discovered a passion for physical training. As a Physical Training Instructor (PTI), he learned to lead by example and understood that true resilience is born in hardship. These formative years taught him that endurance is not just about the body—it’s about the mind, the will, and the power of belief.

Athlete and Educator

Transitioning from soldier to athlete, James entered the world of triathlon in the mid-90s. A total novice who couldn’t swim, he transformed himself into a world-level AG competitor, eventually representing Great Britain at the Olympic & Ironman dist Triathlon World Championships. But it was in teaching others—first through Thames Turbo and later as founder of Optima Racing Team—that James found his calling.

Founded in 2000, Optima is more than a racing team. It’s a community. A high-performance environment grounded in camaraderie, mutual respect, and a deep understanding of the athlete's journey. Under James’s leadership, Optima athletes—from juniors to Olympians, from Sprint to Ironman—have excelled globally, but more importantly, they’ve grown as individuals.

The Evolution of Coaching

James’s coaching philosophy has evolved profoundly. Once a directive ex-military instructor, he now champions athlete empowerment and the mental side of sport.

“You can’t shout someone into performance. Coaching now is about creating space for athletes to own their performance. Endurance is 80% mental—we need to train the brain as much as the body.”

His work with mPEAK (Mindfulness Performance Enhancement, Awareness, and Knowledge) introduces athletes to a new frontier: unlocking performance through psychological mastery. It’s here, at the intersection of neuroscience and high performance, where James is building the future of endurance coaching. Jedi-Training for endurance