“Type 1 Diabetic, Sports Coach. Low-carb expert. Former pro-triathlete”
Diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in 2000 at the age of 17 when he was a junior triathlete, Vinnie had the challenge of becoming the first professional triathlete with diabetes. While there were already information and inspiring stories of high performance athletes with T1D, very little were specific to Ironman triathlons, the world’s one day most grueling one day race in the distance of 2.4m swim/112mi bike/26.2mi run.
After many years of trial and error, Vinnie developed his own glucose management guidelines for training and racing and that allowed him to move up through the ranks and in 2007, Vinnie was the youngest athlete at the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii, with a qualifying time of 8:50:43, which still stands as the quickest ironman time for a diabetic. He retired from racing shortly after to pursue other personal and professional goals.
Currently as a full time sports coach, Vinnie advises athletes of all levels, from beginners to professionals, both diabetics and non-diabetics and his training principles are based on hormonal balance, achieved through a balanced exercise plan that understands the hormonal responses of each workout.
Nutrition is another of Vinnie’s expertise, personally he believes that a low-carb diet has helped him to achieve and maintain an A1C in the mid 5% range for the past years. He also advises his athletes with a personalized diet protocol depending on their backgrounds and goals.
Vinnie’s current mission is to help diabetics to achieve their athletic and fitness goals while maintaining healthy blood glucose values with a flexible lifestyle.
