PICKUPS with Natasha van der Merwe
Natasha van der Merwe was South Africa's top-ranked junior tennis player before discovering triathlon — a pivot that launched a decade-plus of elite professional competition. Since 2009, she's coached over 1,000 athletes through her company NVDM Coaching, working with everyone from first-timers to Ironman champions and high-performing CEOs.
We asked her everything — fueling, failure, discipline, and what it actually takes to chase greatness.
How does running make you feel?
Beyond the obvious physical benefits of gaining more energy and overall improved well-being and fitness, running provides me with much-needed solitude in a busy world, allowing me time to think. It tends to strip away anxiety and stress and gives me clarity and peace as well as confidence to face what's in front of me for the day.
Name a woman who inspires you.
All the women that are out there chasing after their dreams and not living small. They see an opportunity and go after it even if the odds on paper may be stacked against them.
What’s something you thought you couldn’t do, but did?
Honestly, the fact that we have built the coaching business we have is still mind-blowing to me. I never thought that would be possible. Especially since I have no business background or collegiate degree. I just got lucky with an incredible team of people around me.
Any races on your bucket list?
I am now fully focused on committing to Hyrox racing and then some Deka racing to support that and for fun.
Which Hettas are you currently training in?
I train in the Alma Tempo and Alma Speed.
You’re at peak difficulty of a workout, race, or run—what one thought keeps you going?
I just like to embrace discomfort and try to overcome or numb out the part of my brain that is telling me to stop. I actually find a lot of joy in that alone.
What is your favorite part of coaching each of the triathlon focus (swim, bike, run)?
I love seeing when athletes feel very accomplished in nailing a big workout or when they learn a new skill in the water that helps them swim more efficiently.
Part of your coaching includes race-specific fueling plans. What’s the biggest nutritional myth that’s still hurting athletes at every level, specifically female athletes?
I think the biggest issue hurting female athletes is their need to be lean while also performing at a high level. That often leads to dieting, cutting out entire food groups, or fasting in an attempt to lean down. We’ve found this has a massive impact on performance and recovery, increasing the risk of injury.
You’ve coached over a thousand athletes, from first timers to world champions. What’s the one belief about endurance training you’ve completely changed your mind about since you started coaching?
I don’t think anything massive has changed, I’ve always believed consistency is king. The key is balancing enough stimulus to build fitness without compromising recovery or the motivation to train again tomorrow. A big lesson this year: less is more. We’re seeing better results by slightly under training—5–10% less intensity and volume of long runs. We have seen success focusing on overall endurance and strength with a sprinkle of quality work.
You started out as a professional tennis player before diving into triathlon. What mindset, discipline, or training principles from your tennis career have you carried with you—and maybe even embedded into how you coach endurance athletes today?
One of the biggest things I learned from coaching tennis is that you have to explain the same principle in multiple ways for it to click with different people. That shaped my approach to triathlon—every athlete is different, so I show up differently for each of them to help them truly understand what I’m teaching. When it comes to racing and training, mindset is everything. If an athlete is struggling, I take a holistic approach—often focusing on what’s happening in their life beyond just the swim, bike, and run.
