About
Athlete, coach and teacher for more than 20 years.
I have stood on your side of the start line, and I have spent two decades helping other athletes get there ready.
My story
I grew up in Caracas, Venezuela, and started in the fitness industry in the early 2000s as a Spinning Master Instructor, teaching and certifying instructors across Latin America and the United States. Triathlon followed. I finished my first IRONMAN in 2004 and went on to race as a professional and elite amateur until 2023, all over the world. That included 17 IRONMAN races, four of them at the IRONMAN World Championship in Kona, and 64 half IRONMAN races.
Coaching grew alongside racing. From 2017 to 2025 I coached in the San Francisco Bay Area, where I led the Golden Gate Triathlon Club long distance program for more than five years and coached masters swimmers for over a decade.
Today I teach IB Sports, Exercise and Health Science and coach athletes online, in English and Spanish. I am also a father of three, so I know what it takes to fit serious training into a full life.
After so many years, my goal as a coach has become about helping athletes connect with their bodies and their true selves, and to perform at their best while keeping balance in the rest of their lives. In the end, this sport is more about the journey than the outcome. You will forget your times, but you won't forget the experience.Cesar Valera
Experience and credentials
- USA Triathlon Level 2 Certified Coach
- IRONMAN Certified Coach
- TrainingPeaks Certified Coach
- Professional and elite amateur triathlete
2004 to 2023 - 17 IRONMAN and 64 half IRONMAN races
including four IRONMAN World Championships in Kona: 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016 - Pan-American Duathlon Championships
2012 age-group winner - Spinning and SPINPower Senior Master Instructor
25 years, certifying instructors across Latin America and the U.S. - IB Sports, Exercise and Health Science teacher
- Masters swim coach
more than a decade; U.S. Masters Swimming certified - Golden Gate Triathlon Club
long distance program coach for 5+ years - Burlingame Aquatic Club
former Head Coach, triathlon and masters swimming - Certified life coach
International Coaching Community
What I believe as a coach
My goal is to give you a platform to develop your skills as an athlete, challenge yourself physically, and build tools that serve you every day, in sport and out of it.
The journey matters more than the outcome
Results follow athletes who are passionate, disciplined and present in the process. I coach the process.
Your plan starts with your life
Work, family, sleep and injury history come first. Training that ignores them does not last.
Your numbers, not formulas
Race targets come from your own training and simulation sessions, not from a generic calculator.
Execution is a skill you train
Pacing, fueling and composure under pressure are rehearsed in training until they hold on race day.
Evidence first
I follow the research closely and test new findings against what already works before changing your plan.
Development is a pathway
Each level has its own priorities. Doing the right work for your level beats doing more work.
Why it matters
I have made the mistakes I help you avoid.
Nearly twenty years of racing taught me that the athlete who executes well usually beats the athlete who is only fitter. That lesson is the foundation of the Triathlete Development Pathway and of every plan I write.