There's nothing like a little marital rivalry to fuel performance improvements and Northern California couple, Joe Terry and Katie Parr, have been enjoying some friendly competition since they began participating in triathlon 12 years ago. Joe is the CEO of Corporate Visions and Katie is a run coach. The two live in Pleasanton, California with their twin teenage daughters.

The pair came to triathlon from very different athletic backgrounds. Joe played professional football with the Seattle Seahawks as a middle linebacker while Katie swam on a community swim team but was never serious about sports until she began training for and racing triathlon.

In Katie's case, her decision to get involved in triathlon was a question of 'if you can't beat them, join them,' after Joe signed up for an Ironman. "I was never particularly athletic but after spectating one Ironman, I decided that I would rather race than watch it," she says. "It is exhausting to be support crew!"

Since joining Purple Patch Fitness more than 3 years ago, both have ascended new heights in their triathlon careers, earning PRs and scoring slots to the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championships in Mooloolaba, Australia on September 4th.

This will be Joe's third time in three seasons of qualifying for the World Championship race and he's hoping for his best performance yet. In 2016, he has been focusing on his run performance as his wife repeatedly out-splits him on the run. Since the Purple Patch coaching team is well aware of his goals for the season, Joe likes "that I don't have to think too hard about training, I just follow the program and that frees up my mind to concentrate on family, friends and my company/employees." Joe and the Purple Patch team's efforts paid off with a solid run at IRONMAN Vineman, boosting his confidence ahead of the upcoming race in Australia.

Katie has qualified for the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championships for the first time in 2016 and she credits her work with Paul Buick. She has worked with Paul at Purple Patch camps and gained confidence in her riding skills, as well as confidence in her ability to work a harder on the bike. Indeed, Katie recounts that Matt Dixon told her at a recent camp to stop watching butterflies and rainbows on the bike. She responded with a 5:54 bike split at IRONMAN Vineman which, with her already strong run, propelled her to her first top 3 AG finish in a full distance race.

We're wishing both of them the best of luck down under!