Meet, Tanya Deeks.
Cornwall-based triathlete, cyclist and all-star multisport coach.
Tanya is an athlete, a wife, a fur mom, a professor of Economics, and a multisport coach. She is the owner of Unleash The Beast Multisport Coaching, and one of the longest standing RacedayFuel Ambassadors. We couldn't be more proud to support Tanya's journey over the years.
"As an athlete, I love pushing myself to see what my body can do. It is not a social thing, it is a personal journey. The more technical the sport the better as it allowed me to learn how to fine tune technique and find efficiencies. I find the mental side of sport fascinating and challenging. For me, sport needs to be fun but also a challenge. The harder the workout the better yet I appreciate the rest days where I can just go play in the woods.
Being an athlete has always been a part of me. There is no separation. My father was a hard core skier his whole life who put me on skies the minute I could walk. Sport was a part of our lives and playing different sports was the norm."
Outside of Tri, cycling and coaching, Tanya takes every opportunity to participate in as many sports as she can, including equestrian (dressage for the most part), skiing (nordic and alpine), ice climbing and mountaineering, and cross triathlon (off road tri - swim - mtb - trail run). She has even had the opportunity to represent Canada twice at the Cross-Triathlon World Championships.
We caught up with Tanya for a little Q&A:
RDF: Tell us one neat fact about you that doesn’t come up in typical conversation:
TD: I hated statistics in university and yet my career was as a researcher. Also, I'm short, LOL.
RDF: Do you have hobbies and interests outside of your athletic pursuits?
TD: Camping, canoeing, SUP, hiking, gardening, reading, my dog.
RDF: Tell us about your favourite past event/trip/race/active vacation:
TD: Oh my, so many for so many different reasons.
The world championships in Sardinia was amazing. Wonderful experience representing Canada on the world stage, pleased that I finished 4th, and had so much fun exploring Sardinia.
Month long trip in the rockies will always be a favourite despite wiping out on the mtb and having deep gashes on my hamstrings that resembled a grizzly bear attack. Did I mention it was my honeymoon? lol!
Hiking the Chilcoot trail with my father (he was in his late 60's) - amazing!
Mtbing and fly fishing in Montana where they filmed "A River Runs Through It".- beautiful.
Overnight backcountry trip with my dog - nothing is more wonderful than being in nature with your pup and watching them love life and everything about it.
So many wonderful trips. I'm very fortunate.
RDF: What does a typical weekend look like to you?
TD: It's all about sport - Early mornings are spent training, late morning is spent hiking with my dog, afternoons are spent with clients or working on other coaching matters, evenings are always dedicated to my husband and dog.
You can find Tanya lecturing and coaching her varsity cross-country team at St. Lawrence College, and tearing of the road and trails near Cornwall, Ontario. If you're in the Ontario Tri circuit you may have raced beside her. If you're looking to improve on your endurance and overall athletics you should call her for consultation and coaching opportunities with Unleash The Beast!
Stoked to have you on the team again, Tanya!
Curious how Tanya fuels? Check out her athlete profile here to find her “Top Fueling Picks”.
While you’re at it, fuel up with 10% off when you use Tanya’s promo code TANYAD10.
