And so the Fighting Koalas team was born.

With much experience as an athlete and five levels of coaching accreditations under his belt, Reid developed a business plan that would see local athletes seek the expertise of a Fighting Koalas coach to obtain their personal best in the sport of triathlons.

The business, which targets individuals 12 years and older, provides individualized plans for each athlete that are configured around their personal goals, family life and work schedule.

An electronic software program especially built for the Fighting Koalas will allow athletes to punch in their training and diet data by logging on to the team’s website. In turn, coaches will have the ability to graph the athlete’s progress and determine what he or she needs to focus on athletically.

“It’s very interactive,” said Reid of the software program. “It will really help the coaches to better coach the athletes.”

Currently, the Waterdown and Hamilton franchises, owned by Reid, train from April to January and use local roadways for the running and cycling components of their practices. The swimming ele ment of the workout takes place at the Flamborough Family YMCA for local athletes and at the McMaster University pool for the Fighting Koalas in Hamilton.

With seven Fighting Koalas franchises currently operating in North America, Reid sees great potential for the team. Already operating in six cities in Ontario and one in Alberta, Reid’s ultimate goal is to see a team of Fighting Koalas in every major city within North America by 2020.

“When people are decided to become a triathlete or to do a triathlon, they will turn to the Fighting Koalas because the name will be so synonymous with triathlons and teams that they won’t even look anywhere else,” said Reid.

So far, the successful athlete has surpassed his high expectations. “To be sitting here in October and saying that there are eight franchises and we are expanding so quickly, it’s just remarkable,” explained Reid of the business that was only incorporated in January.

Roughly 80 athletes have already joined the Waterdown franchise and take part in some of the 12 practices held weekly. Area coaches, including Christine Line who has competed nationally in the sport and Steve Hewick who purchased a Fighting Koalas franchise in Milton, lend Reid a helping hand.

And in order to keep the momentum going, Reid has had to partly step away from the responsibilities associated with owning and operating Runner’s Den-Waterdown. But with a store manager, Patte Beltrame, and his mom, Pat, in charge of the administration side of the business, he can truly focus much of his energy on achieving his Fighting Koalas goals.

Come January, Reid will travel to San Diego to further expand the team’s territory. “During the course of two months, I hope to not only train myself but find a couple of people who want to start coaching...and start running practices,” he said of his soon to be initialized San Diego franchise.

Until then, the business owner and local athlete strives to sell four more teams of Fighting Koalas by 2010. The soon-to-be purchased franchises, currently available for $15,000, will enable Reid to invest in nationwide advertising for the business.

Local athletes looking to join the Fighting Koalas can visit the team’s website at www.fightingkoalas.com . For further information and membership prices, call 905-690-4004.