The Placid Project
The Placid Project | IRONMAN Lake Placid | July 25, 2027
We've Raced Lake Placid. Now We Want to Get You There.
Coach-built training, course knowledge, and a group racing the same day you are.
Join the Placid ProjectFrom Angela
Hear It From Angela.
The Placid Project
Not a Group Plan. Real 1-1 Coaching.
Everyone in the Placid Project trains together, but nobody follows the same plan. Your coach builds your training in TrainingPeaks four weeks at a time, around your life and your physiology. Move things around each week as you need to, and we'll support every change. Then we build your next four weeks based on how the last four actually went.
What you get
Here's What You Get. All of It.
- Coach-built training in TrainingPeaks, four weeks at a time, with feedback from your coach
- Monthly Zoom calls with us
- Lake Placid course webinars, from coaches who have raced it
- A race week plan and fueling plan
- A race plan dialed in for you
- A private WhatsApp group of athletes chasing the same finish line on July 25
Want Week to Week Coaching?
You can upgrade to our Comprehensive 1-1 coaching anytime by paying the monthly difference.
How we coach
Same Race. Different Training.
Here's an example. Picture two athletes, both six weeks from Lake Placid.
Aerobic Expansion
Her threshold work isn't landing yet because her aerobic base can't support it. This block builds her aerobic capacity and training load first, so harder work has something to stand on.
Base and Durability
His engine is there, but he can't repeat the work. Long days cost him too much, and he's slow to bounce back. This block builds structural durability and makes the work cheaper to repeat, so he can hold up deep into a long day.
Same race, same date, completely different work.
None of This Is a Template.
Your coach plans each week for you. If you train with power or pace, your zones are anchored to your own Critical Power on the bike and Critical Speed on the run, measured from efforts you actually complete. If you don't, we coach you with heart rate, RPE, or both. Each week, we look at how you handled the training stress, using your workout data, heart rate, HRV and how you felt. Then we decide whether your load goes up, holds, or backs off. Physiology sets the direction. Your life sets the dose. Nothing lands in your week by default.
The course
We Know This Course.
Angela and Holly Koksel have both raced IRONMAN Lake Placid. We know where the day gets hard, and we coach you for it.
Lake Placid rewards athletes who pace the bike, fuel well, and save something for the run. We build that into your training from day one.
We Don't Chase the Date. We Keep Pace With You.
Every week, your coach reads where your physiology actually is and weighs it against everything your life is asking of you. Physiology sets the direction. Your life sets the dose. Nothing lands in your week by default, and every session has a reason we can show you.
Your coaches
Your Coaches
Angela Naeth
Founder of Angela Naeth Coaching
She's a pro triathlete in her 20th year of racing, a 3x IRONMAN champion and 19x 70.3 winner. She has raced Lake Placid, finishing 4th overall with other top 10 finishes there. She holds a master's degree in physical therapy and a bachelor's degree in exercise science and nutrition.
Holly Koksel
ANC Coach
Trained in our ECHO methodology. She raced IRONMAN Lake Placid in 2021, finishing 4th in her age group, and raced Kona in 2022. She's also an ultrarunner and holds the 12 hour record at Anchor Down Ultra.
Liz Flaherty
ANC coach
Trained in our ECHO methodology. She has raced many IRONMANs, including Kona.
Live on Zoom
Monthly Zoom Calls With Us.
Once a month, we get on Zoom together, just like our race webinars. You'll get answers to the questions that come up in a real training block, and you'll hear from other athletes going through the same thing.
Topics change with the group and the time of year, and include:
Optional training weekend
Train Where You'll Race. June 25 to 27.
About a month before race day, we meet in Lake Placid. Reading about the Keene descent is one thing. Riding it with coaches who have raced it is another.
Over three days, we'll do a guided swim in Mirror Lake, ride the bike course, and run the run course. We'll also sit down together to talk pacing, fueling and race day, and finish with a team dinner.
The weekend is optional. Details and signups are coming soon.
Race week
Race Week, Together.
You won't show up in Lake Placid alone. Race week, we'll do a group practice swim in Mirror Lake to settle the nerves and feel the water. Then we'll hold a pre-race team meeting to walk through the course, go over your race plan, and answer last-minute questions. You'll get to the start line knowing your plan and surrounded by your team.
Getting started
How It Works.
Pick monthly or paid in full, and join by December 15.
We set you up in TrainingPeaks and add you to the WhatsApp group.
Your coach builds your first four week block.
Training starts January 1. From there, every block is built on how the last one went.
Join
Select Slots. Join by December 15.
The Placid Project runs January 1 to race day, July 25, 2027. Spots are first come, first served, with 25 available right now.
The June training weekend is an optional add-on, with a fee that covers costs.
Q&A
Q&A
Who is this for?
Every age-group athlete racing IRONMAN Lake Placid on July 25, 2027, whatever your goal is.
I'm doing my first IRONMAN. Is this for me?
Yes. Your first one is a big step, and you shouldn't have to figure it out alone. Your coach builds your training around your life, so you get to the start line healthy and confident, not overtrained or guessing. You'll learn how to pace a long day, how to fuel it, and what race week actually looks like. You'll also have a group of athletes asking the same questions you are. Our goal is for you to run down Mirror Lake Drive knowing you were ready for every mile.
I've done a few. How will this help me get faster?
We find what's actually holding you back and build that, four weeks at a time, adjusting based on how you respond. You'll also get a race plan dialed in for this course, so your fitness actually shows up on race day.
I want the podium or a Kona slot. Can you help?
Yes. At that level, the details decide the day: the right training at the right time, pacing that holds up through the Keene descent and the climb back to town, and fueling you've practiced for months. We build your season around that goal.
How is this different from a training plan?
A training plan is a file. This is 1-1 coaching in four week blocks: your coach writes your training, comments on your workouts, and supports you all month. On top of that, you get the group, the monthly Zooms, the course webinars and the education. A plan can't answer your questions the night before a long ride. We can.
Who will coach me?
A mix of Angela and our ANC coaches, all trained in the same ECHO methodology.
When does it start?
January 1, 2027. Join by December 15. Spots are first come, first served.
Can I cancel the monthly option?
No. Monthly payments run through race day.
Do I have to come to the June weekend?
No. It's optional, and details are coming soon.
Can I move up to more coaching?
Yes. You can move to our Foundational or Comprehensive 1-1 coaching when spots are available.