Coach Bowden is a top New Zealand coach and has been coaching athletes professionally in New Zealand and USA since 1995. He has coached some of New Zealands top athletes for the Athens and Beijing Olympic games, as well as the Commonweath games and world championships.

John is a Athletics NZ cross country, road, track and field selector and is himself a former world record holder in the 4 x1 mile relay. John was a professional roader racer in the United States for six years between 1986 and 1992 and brings a significant amount of experience and coaching ability to the team.

• Kate Mcilroy - former World Mountain Running champion
• Nina Rillstone - New Zealand marathon rep at Beijing Olympics
• Dale Warrender - New Zealand rep at the Athens Olympics and current NZ road champion
• Esther Keown - World high school cross country Champion 2008
• Scott Winton - NZ 10k track and field Champion 2007
• Hannah Barker - NZ rep at world junior track and field champs 2008

..but you don't have to be a world champion to get advice from John! John truly loves coaches runners at all levels, whether you just want to be able to complete a 5k event or a marathon, John will give you the right techniques and a personalised plan to help you perform at your very best.

Coach Magee is one of the greatest running talents of the 1960’s, coached by Arthur Lydiard since he was a teenager, Barry has used this knowledge and experience to help other talented runners from many parts of the world over the past 40 years. Fitness Mentor are lucky to have Barry on the team to help answer athletes questions and impart coaching wisdom.

Amazingly, Barry was still running sub 2:30 marathons at age 48 and 49 - and at age 65 years was still ranked among top runners for his age group. Pictured here aged 66 at Lovelock track, Barry has had numerous great achievements including:

• 1960 Bronze Medallist in the Olympic Marathon in Rome - 2:17:18
• 1960 Fukuoka International marathon winner - 2:19:04
• 1961 4 x 1 mile word record holder - 4:17:20
• 1961 Ranked #1 in the world for 10,000m - 0:28:50
• 1961 Ranked #1= in the world for Marathon - 2:18:54
• 1961 Ranked #2 in the world forf 5,000m - 13:39
• 1963 Ranked #2 in the world for 30,3000m - 1:34:55
• 1964 Ranked #2 in the world for 30,3000m - 1:34:47

Mikki completed her Masters degree in Human Nutrition investigating childhood obesity at the University of Otago and is a lecturer in Nutrition at AUT University in Auckland. She also holds a Physical Education degree and is studying towards her PhD in public health. She is a keen runner, formerly holding the Rotorua marathon women's title - and well able to appreciate both the practical and theoretical side of sports nutrition!

She specialises in tailoring nutrition plans to individuals that fit in with their lifestyle and their training goals, whether it be to maintain energy levels during training, lose weight along the way or simply to learn how to eat a healthier diet. Mikki is able to work with you to develop training nutrition plans, daily nutrition plans or both, depending on your nutrition goal.

Caryn is a New Zealand Registered Dietitian and an accredited sports nutritionist with 13 years of consulting experience in the health / fitness industry. In her practice, Caryn consults with a variety of clients, including the general population, recreational sports people and elite athletes (contracted to the New Zealand Academy of Sport). Caryn was the Dietitian with the Vodafone New Zealand Warriors for 3 years and she is currently the Adidas Auckland Marathon Dietitian.

As well as being a specialist in sports nutrition, Caryn also consults with, and runs nutrition seminars for corporate clients and companies, seeking general nutrition advice on numerous topics (weight control, general health and wellbeing, family nutrition, medical conditions, food allergies). She is also a senior lecturer at AUT where she teaches and researches aspects of sport and public health nutrition. In 2004 she completed her Master’s degree in sports nutrition and she is currently undertaking her PhD focusing on workplace weight loss.

Stephanie is our personal training guru and extraordinary motivator. In addition to being a certified personal trainer, she has extensive experience in training and motivating including 7 sears as a senior instructor with outward bound, and 10+ years as an international outdoor adventure guide.

In addition to the personal training, she currently coaches 3 different women’s running and walking groups in track and long distance, as she is a certified long distance running coach.

Stephanie not only brings personal training and motivational talent to Fitness Mentor, but with her masters in cross cultural communications is happy conversing with customers in Japanese, Spanish, Nepalese, Greek, and English.

With 10 years experience working in the fitness and exercise industry and a Masters Degree in Exercise Rehabilitation, Jamie Mannion has a firm understanding of how exercise and effective training can produce desired physiological benefits, and is able to differentiate between training myths and exercise facts.

Jamie currently supervises an exercise rehabilitation clinic and works with clients ranging from people with musculoskeletal injury and chronic pain, to elite athletes who need to evaluate their recovery from injury. Jamie understands the science behind exercise and training and is experienced in the practical aspects of performing a specific exercise programme.