Coach Reujen Lista is a businessman, sang for the Filipino rock band Advent Call, and is the head coach of Rockstar Gold Tri (Rockstar Triathlon Coaching). He is a Hammer Nutrition Philippines coach and a World Triathlon Level 2 certified coach, has finished 20 IRONMAN and more than 40 IRONMAN 70.3 races, raced the IRONMAN World Championship in Kona in 2022 and the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in Marbella, and is a two-time Marathon des Sables finisher. Philstar calls him "the Rockstar coach known for producing champions". Follow him on Instagram at @reujensensei.
Two Marathon des Sables finishes
The Marathon des Sables is a self-supported, multi-stage foot race across the Sahara, often called the toughest foot race on earth. Runners carry everything they need for the week on their backs.
- 39th edition (2025): 250 km.
- 40th edition (2026): 270 km, 20 km longer, through a relentless storm of sand and rain. He finished faster than the year before, in 55 hours total.
He came home with lifelong friends from tent 142 and has since met runners in Tokyo at the race's Asia caravan.
Coach of the Rockstars, leading by example
Coach Reujen does not only coach from the sidelines. He races alongside his Rockstar Gold Tri athletes, in triathlon, on the trails and on gravel, and leads by example. His motto, found all over his posts, is "Walang mahirap sa mayabang" (#walangmahirapsamayabang): roughly, nothing is too hard for the bold.
He leads the team's taper swims, rides out with them before IRONMAN Philippines and IRONMAN 70.3 in Subic, and sends them off on race weekend. Hammer athlete Anthony Cunningham races with the Rockstar Team.
As resident coach and team captain he also runs open trail sessions, like the 10K trail runs at Arden in Tanza, Cavite, where athletes of every level are welcome.
Trail, ultra and gravel
- Mt Sembrano Trail Run, 33 km.
- ATTCK Unrstrktd Pacific Coast, 100 km gravel: 7th in the 50 to 59 age group.
- OVRLND GRVL 2026, the UCI and PhilCycling Gravel National Championships: a top 10 finish.
- A back-to-back trail weekend: the Spartan Trail 50 km at Mt Malepunyo on the Saturday and the Marcado Trail 32 km on the Sunday.
Next up is a race almost every weekend, all the way to Chiang Mai by UTMB, the Lavaredo Ultra Trail and Paris-Brest-Paris in 2027. See the Rockstar Gold Tri race season calendar.
How he fuels
For long gravel races he carries Perpetuem in his vest bladder. For the big ultra blocks, his box of fuel holds Perpetuem, Hammer Gel and Recoverite for recovery.
The rock star
Before triathlon, music came first. Coach Reujen sang for the Filipino rock band Advent Call and played his first concert at Concert at the Park in Manila while under the tutelage of National Artist Ryan Cayabyab. He still performs gigs today, and recently shared the stage again with Ryan Cayabyab and Geneva Cruz at the media launch of the AIA Rock 'n' Roll Manila run.
Watch Coach Reujen
Going long? See our Half or Full Iron Distance, 50k Trail Run and Gravel Grinders fuel guides.