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Meet the athletes

Simon runs. A lot.

Simon Pearce is a road and trail runner from Aldinga Beach, South Australia, and the first NxsTech Performance athlete to join the team. Six marathons, more half marathons than he can be bothered counting, and in August 2026 his first ultra. He wrote the part below himself.

Simon Pearce running
Simon PearceRoad and trail. In August 2026 he finished the Federation Ultra Trail at Monarto, a 56 km trail race, and won his age category.
  • LivesAldinga Beach, SA
  • FromUnited Kingdom
  • WasPolice officer, retired
  • RunsRoad, trail, parkrun
  • Favourite distanceHalf marathon
  • AlsoCycling, hiking, yoga
  • With NxsTech sinceJuly 2026
In his words

Hi, I'm Simon Pearce

I'm 61, a retired police officer living in Aldinga Beach, South Australia, originally from the UK.

I am very focused on my health, wellbeing and fitness. I like to cycle, hike, and do yoga and meditation.

And I love to run.

I always kept myself fit for my work as a police officer (it's not all coffee shops and donuts), but I didn't start running for enjoyment and entering events until I was approaching my 50th birthday. That's when I decided that running my first marathon would be a good way to celebrate.

So in August 2015 I ran the Adelaide marathon in 3h57m. Since then I've run a few more marathons and numerous half marathons. The 21.1 km half marathon is my favourite distance.

I ran the Barossa marathon on my 60th birthday in August 2025 in 3h44m. I was hoping to beat my previous marathon PB of 3h37m but had to settle for a chorus of Happy Birthday from the finish line crowd.

For my 61st I decided an ultra marathon would be appropriately crazy. I finished the 56 km trail run in 7h26m. Slow, but I finished, and I won my age category. Yes, there were others in my age group.

I'm now attempting to beat my PB for the 12 km City-Bay run in Adelaide on 20 September, and I hope to beat my half marathon PB of 1h31m in December with a sub 90 minute run.

I'm also a devotee of parkrun and I'm hoping to beat my PB for the 5 km distance, which I set in December last year.

I have always trained myself and did some training as a run coach a few years ago, but now I've associated with NxsTech to give my training a boost. I have learned a lot from NxsTech about nutrition and the importance of recovery in particular, and I know the running programme is effective because it closely mirrors my own programme that I developed.

Wish me luck, and I'd love you to follow my progress.

Simon Pearce, written for this page in September 2026, before City-Bay
Since he wrote that

Simon raced City-Bay on 20 September and ran 53:43 for the 12 km, which is 3:48 outside the 49:55 he was chasing. He went through halfway 39 seconds down on the plan and the back half was the part that went. His 49:55 still stands. He executed every session of the block at the prescribed duration, which is the part of it worth keeping.

He is now nine weeks out from the Victor Harbor half marathon on Sunday 6 December, the same course where he set his half best last year.

Personal bests

Where the ceiling currently sits

All set in events, all his own. The marathon best still stands from 2017.

5 km
19:37
Aldinga Beach parkrun, December 2025
12 km
49:02
Great Southern Bolt, Myponga, 2025. Second in age group
Half marathon
1:31:12
Victor Harbor, December 2025. Third in age group
Marathon
3:37:45
Barossa, 2017

His City-Bay course best is 49:55, set in September 2025 on the same course he raced again this September. His ultra distance has one entry against it, which is how first ultras work: 7:26:20 for 56 km at the Federation Ultra Trail, Monarto, August 2026, first in age group.

What he is chasing

Next up, and the numbers are his

Victor Harbor, Sunday 6 December 2026. His favourite distance, on the course where he set his half best last December. He set three tiers for himself rather than one, which is a better way to race than all or nothing.

Happy: anything under 1:31:12A new best on his favourite distance. He has never run this course fresh.

Aiming at: under 90 minutes4:16 per kilometre for 21.1 km. He has been chasing this one for a while.

On a great day: 1:28:00His words, and his stretch. It asks for about 95 seconds off where he is now.

He also wants his parkrun 5 km under the 19:37 he ran at Aldinga Beach in December 2025. These are Simon's targets, set with his coach. Nothing here is a prediction by NxsTech.

Race history

Every event, 2014 to now

Thirty seven events across twelve years, from a 10 km at Orroroo in 2014 to a 56 km trail ultra and a City-Bay he will want back. Nothing has been left out to make the list look better.

Times as recorded by each event. AG means age group.
EventYearDistanceTimeNotes
Orroroo201410 km44:50
Barossa201521.1 km1:47:09
Adelaide201542.2 km3:57:49First marathon
McLaren Vale201521.1 km1:40:08
Adelaide201621.1 km1:42:21
Lisbon, Portugal201642.2 km4:16:17
Orroroo201721.1 km1:40:18
Barossa201742.2 km3:37:45PBMarathon best, still standing
Adelaide201721.1 km1:35:40
Barossa201710 km44:32PB1st AG
Great North Run201821.1 km1:47:23
Orroroo201921.1 km1:39:10
Airlie Beach201921.1 km1:36:38
McLaren Vale201921.1 km1:37:40
Adelaide202042.2 km3:53:50
McLaren Vale202021.1 km1:36:09
Great Southern Run, Aldinga202121.1 km1:35:13PB
McLaren Vale202121.1 km1:36:59
City to Bay202212 km50:25
Great Southern202221.1 km1:42:17
McLaren Vale202221.1 km1:32:47PB
Victor Harbor202210 km47:241st AG
Myponga202319 km1:40:121st AG
Great Southern Bolt, Myponga202321.1 km1:36:57
Granite Island Run202410 km47:17.472nd AG
Myponga202419 km1:38:361st AG
Victor Harbor202410 km47:01.80
Great Southern Bolt, Myponga202512 km49:02.95PB2nd AGQuickest 12 km on record
Great Southern, McLaren Vale202521.1 km1:33:276th AG
Barossa Marathon202542.2 km3:44:06Run on his 60th birthday
City to Bay202512 km49:55Course best1st AG
Victor Harbor Half Marathon202521.1 km1:31:12PB3rd AG
Park Stampede20265 km20:02.88Team bronze medal
Dementia Australia202610 km46:56.37th overall. Course measured 10.66 km
Coastal Fun Runs, Easter202621.1 km1:35:013rd overall
Federation Ultra Trail, Monarto202656 km7:26:201st AGFirst ultra
City to Bay202612 km53:43Went out on the 49:55 and did not hold it

37 events shown

Times are as recorded by each event, which is why some carry hundredths and some do not. Where his own summary and his watch disagree by a second or two, the watch time is used. The parkrun 5 km best of 19:37 is not listed above because parkrun is a weekly run rather than an event series he enters.

The rest of it

What Simon is actually on

Simon runs on the Elite plan. That is a written review of every session the same day it lands, a daily brief, nutrition built around how he actually eats, and recovery treated as part of the training rather than what happens afterwards. His data comes off his own watch and strap. The September race review told him plainly that he had missed his target and where the time went, because a review that only shows up after good days is not worth having. He had fifteen years of running behind him before any of this, and the programme he was already using is close enough to ours that he says so himself, which is a better endorsement than one we could write.

If you want the same thing pointed at your own training, start with what you are trying to do. The plans, and which one fits, are one click away.

See the plans How a session review works

Published with his written permission. Race results are his own and are exceptional rather than typical.  ·  Privacy  ·  Terms