Ashleigh Gentle and Josh Amberger: “There's an opportunity to get faster.”

Words by Laura Markwardt. Photography by Matthias Hohlrieder.

N.B. On 27 July 2024, Ashleigh Gentle went on to win the London T100 Triathlon [3:36:17], taking her back to the top of the series standings. Ashleigh Gentle is counting down the days. It’s the T100 Triathlon World Tour race in London, in just over a week. The Australian triathlete, 33, has already topped the podium in Singapore in April 2024, her first T100 race of the year. With just over 2.5 miles (4km) of the 62-mile (100km) course to go, she cut through brutal 78°F (25°C) humidity to surge away from her rivals, and close a five-minute gap on the lead. Finishing three minutes faster than the second-fastest run time, Gentle overcame a five minute, 33 second deficit out of T2 (the transition from bike to run). Gentle called her dramatic display of dominance over the last 11 miles (18km) a “gritty” yet “composed” win. 

Indisputably one of the best runners on the T100 and middle distance circuit, Gentle is both feared and revered for her ability to dig deep at those crucial moments. “I've got more to give, and I like to push the boundaries in training,” she says. That formidable form is set to define her season. 

Gentle’s put in well over the obligatory ten thousand hours to make it this far — and this decorated — as a pro. The two-time Escape from Alcatraz triathlon champion, and two-time Olympian, keeps latent power as her bonus card. One that’s always useful to play — and thrilling to watch — with a chase up ahead. 

Weeks later, Gentle’s triathlete husband, 10-time Ironman 70.3 champion, Josh Amberger, took on Ironman Cairns, in Australia, and finished in the top ten. Just as Gentle takes the run, Amberger’s reputation for his swift open water stroke sets him up in every race. Often leading out of the water, he’s currently ranked 4th swimmer in the PTO swim rankings. 

Amberger, 35, didn’t kick on a gritty last leg at Cairns, but the joy of the chase remains. He reflects on his position, “One of the hardest things in professional sports is balancing the highs and the lows, and sometimes it’s more one way than the other. But I’ve found new enjoyment [in triathlon] and I plan to keep showing up.” 

A partner who lives the training grind, one who celebrates your wins, gives counsel, and supports your goals across converging journeys and continents, is another type of bonus card. “Josh helps me out in a lot of aspects [of my mindset]. Hopefully I balance him out as well,” says Gentle. 

Gentle and Amberger met as young triathletes racing around the Gold Coast, where they both grew up. They raced on the same team at the 2007 Junior Worlds in Hamburg. Today, they live together in Brisbane. 

Shared dreams. Shared coach. Both Gentle and Amberger have trained under the guidance of Finland-based Brit, David Tilbury-Davis, since 2021. Gentle’s training volume — up to 26 hours a week — isn’t typically as high as some other elite triathletes. “Ashleigh responds to specificity, she doesn’t respond to six-hour rides,” says Tilbury-Davis. Factoring in conditioning work, her week is broken up as six to seven hours in the pool, eight to 12 hours on the bike, and anything from 4.5 to 6.5 hours of running.

“Over the last few years, getting used to the TT bike and cycling has probably been the priority,” Gentle explains. “My running hasn’t changed too much. The running suits me, and I still do quite a bit of speed work.”

Amberger maps that time across the Aussie training ground on their doorstep, “You develop a very good intuition for your effort level here. And your coping mechanism in the heat is obviously getting trained every day. Some of the workouts and numbers might not look too special on paper, but your environment makes a huge difference.”

Heat training as standard, and routes that offer some of the world’s most beautiful views; Melbourne-based OAC Oceania coach, and in Gentle’s words, “absolute legend” Craig Mottram, also champions the Australian landscape as an elite athlete’s playground. 

“The Australian environment’s made us adaptable in more ways than one,” continues Gentle. “It’s home, but all the big races are in the Northern Hemisphere. From a young age, we were away for a long time. You get comfortable being uncomfortable. Now that we're older and more experienced, we’ve built the skills to thrive. We’ve got great support, and we make life easier for each other when we’re traveling.”

“When you’re trying to get to a race, everything has to go smoothly,” says Amberger, “but when it doesn't [Amberger was held in US detention with Visa issues, and missed the Couples Championship triathlon he was planning to race with Gentle in 2022] you need to have the patience and ability to problem-solve. And yeah, try to not freak out completely.” 

Human nature has a thirst for absolutes, but Gentle and Amberger think in terms of ‘bets’. Your strongest hand is your best bet. “It’s still not a perfect world, things can go wrong,” says Gentle. “But that attitude has given us longevity,” replies Amberger. ‘It’s ok if you don’t win, but that drive is always there. Yeah, and when you do [win], it’s like, f*ck that felt good.”

Both athletes have their share of ‘feel good’ moments. A week after Amberger was held back from the Couples Championship, Gentle channeled her energy towards dominance at CLASH Miami, Florida. In the first breakout race of her career after making the call to focus full-time on middle distance racing, her resilience in the face of the brutal 32°C (90°F) heat kicked in. She set records for bike and run splits, and was the first woman to break three hours (2:59:41) for the race.

One year — and one wedding later — in 2023, the couple showed their collective strength in Malaysia with a joint win at the Ironman 70.3 Asia Pacific Championship, Langkawi. “It was such a nice moment on the course,” says Amberger. “I was just so happy for Josh,” responds Gentle. “Honestly, I didn't really think it was about us, but it was so cool we won as a couple.”

“It’s not like we get to do many of the same races, and I hope it’s not the last time,” reflects Amberger. “But that’s the thing. It could be. You never really know, right? I've gotten better at appreciating each moment, especially the last few years.” 

Experience — and having each other — brightens the wins, and softens the stakes when things don’t go as planned. Both continue to learn about themselves, while there are more gains to be chased in the game.

“Physically, just from my training response, I haven’t hit that plateau yet — especially after the new stimulus going into middle distance,” confirms Gentle. “There’s new gear and technology too. I want to invest in a few things this year — bike gear options, and racing in new On shoes. There’s an opportunity to get faster.”

Amberger’s goals are holistic, “I’m working on my self-belief to get more out of myself on race day. New tech too [Amberger wears the Cloudboom Strike]. You know, nutrition, recovery — there's all these things we can improve but I think my maturity has been building over the past years, and I’ve definitely seen the results of that.”  

Gentle, who signed to On in February 2024 [Amberger has been with On since 2020], continues, “As an athlete, you need to learn what works for you — everyone is different. It took me over 10 years to work that out, but it's been worthwhile because it's made triathlon more enjoyable. I’m a happier person. It's improved me as an athlete, and improved my results too.”

What does life look like over the next few years? Channeling his creative energy, and documenting his adventures on Instagram, comes easy to Amberger. He’s open to multiple career pathways in the future. And while he won’t “pigeonhole” himself “too early” — there are always new opportunities, ready to reveal themselves. “I don’t know the next door that’s going to open, but I don't feel like I could get the most out of myself today if I was already planning too far ahead.”

Gentle too, holds her cards close, but loosely, “I could have four or five more years of really high-level competition, but then you know, there's the matter of starting a family when the time's right and how that fits into what we're doing.”

In the racing season here and now, there’s no sitting back. Both keep pushing to lead the pack. “Everyone’s getting better,” says Gentle. “Everything’s evolving. You can’t think, ‘well, this worked really nicely for the last two years.’ You don't want to drastically change anything, but you can't just expect that if you do the same things, you’ll just keep getting the exact same results.”

Triathlon, like life, gives first the test, and then the lesson. Luckily, Gentle and Amberger race fast, and learn faster. “When we cross that line, whatever happens,” says Gentle, “it’s important for us to stay true to who we are.”