On the heels of leading Stefan Daniel to his sixth World Triathlon Para Championship title and Leanne Murray to a Paralympic bronze medal, Carolyn Murray is stepping down from her head coaching role with Canada’s Para triathlon program for a new career opportunity.
The nation’s long-time Para triathlon coach has accepted a new position as summer-sport high performance advisory with Own the Podium.
“I think the end of any Paralympic quadrennial provides a natural time for all of us to pause, reflect and decide what is next,” said Murray. “After dedicating all of my energy to Triathlon Canada’s Para program over the last decade, I felt it was time for fresh thinking, new ideas but also for me to continue to grow and learn from new challenges while working under other sport leaders in Canada.”
Originally from St. Albert, Alta., Murray has dedicated her life to Triathlon Canada.
After competing in five World Championships and finishing as the top Canadian woman at the 2008 Olympic Games in triathlon, Murray was looking for a profession that would involve helping others. She was approached about coaching and before she knew it, a 10 hour a week hobby grew into to a full-time occupation.
She began her new career working with junior-level athletes at the Commonwealth Triathlon Club. Shortly after she joined Triathlon Canada as a development coach based at CSI Pacific where she coached from 2008-2012 where she became head coach of the National Performance Centre Victoria.
With Para triathlon’s inclusion into the 2016 Paralympics, Murray took on head coaching responsibilities of the Canadian program in 2014 where she played a key role in developing Stefan Daniel from a teenager taking his first strides into the sport to one of the world’s best athletes in the sport. Under Murray’s guidance, Daniel went on to win two Paralympic medals – silver (2016) and bronze (2020) – along with eight World Championship podiums including six gold.
Coaching with her core values of kindness and respect at the forefront of her interactions in the daily training environment, Murray recruited, developed and guided an impressive list of triathletes in addition to Daniel – Jessica Tuomela, Leanne Taylor, and Kamylle Frenette – in Canada’s Para program to the podium at all major events including: Paralympics; Commonwealth Games; World Championships; World Cups; and development level races.
“It is an amazing role to work with such talented, resilient, and driven individuals,” said Murray, who lives in Victoria with her husband and two children. “I came with a high-performance mindset and not putting limitations on what the athletes could do. I think they really appreciated that. Right away I felt it was such a great environment to be in. I care for all of them so much and it has been extremely rewarding to watch every one of them come through this program grow and develop both in high-performance sport and life.”
A four-time recipient of the Petro-Canada Coaching Excellence Award, Murray was the 2015 BC Sport Female Coach of the Year and Triathlon Canada Elite Coach of the Year in 2015 and 2016.
“Carolyn is a calm, confident leader whose skillset and experience as an athlete and coach in all facets of triathlon’s high-performance sport community were critical to growing Canada’s Para triathlon program into one of the best in the world,” said Phil Dunne, chief executive officer, Triathlon Canada. “People-focused, driven and committed to seeing and valuing the individual behind every athletic achievement, Carolyn got the best out of every athlete, support team member or partner who touched this program. While her presence and expertise will be missed as a valued leader in our community, we recognize this tremendous opportunity to further advance her career and wish her all the best with Own the Podium.”
Murray will begin her new position with Own the Podium on January 6. She will continue to support Triathlon Canada’s high-performance team with the transition until that time.
Triathlon Canada is the governing body of the sport in the country. Triathlon Canada’s more than 22,000members include athletes, coaches and officials from the grassroots to elite levels. With the support of its valued corporate partners – 94 FORWARD, Training Peaks, Subaru Canada, Z3R0D, Aquaman, Tribe Solutions, Champion System Canada, BOCO Gear Canada, ZiZU Optics, Outway Performance Socks, SCICON, SportShare, WestJet and FulGaz – along with the City of Victoria, Government of Canada, Canadian Olympic Committee, Canadian Paralympic Committee, and Own the Podium, Triathlon Canada develops Olympic, Paralympic and World Champions in all race disciplines. For more information on Triathlon Canada, please visit us at www.triathloncanada.com.
Media contact:
Chris Dornan
chris.dornan@triathloncanada.com
403-620-8731