Coaching Runs in the Family for Nuree Greenhalgh

This piece was produced by Te Korowai / Sport Performance Coaches New Zealand (SPCNZ) and reproduced with permission.

Becoming an athletics coach was never part of the plan for primary school teacher Nuree Greenhalgh.

Despite coming from a family of coaches and having competed nationally in the 400m and 800m, Greenhalgh was content supporting her daughters from the sidelines until a pivotal moment changed everything seven years ago.

Judy Revell-Lewis, the mother of then-promising young athlete Lex Revell-Lewis, reached out and asked if Greenhalgh would consider coaching her son.

“I immediately thought, ‘I have absolutely no idea how to coach,’” recalls Greenhalgh. “But I didn’t want to say no. Lex was clearly talented, and I wanted to help him.”

From the outset, Revell-Lewis made his ambitions clear—he wanted to break the longstanding national 400m record, set in 1998 by Shaun Farrell. After several near misses, Revell-Lewis achieved his goal in March, running 45.88 seconds at a meet in Melbourne—becoming the first New Zealander to break the 46-second barrier.

Now based at Waitakere Athletics Club, Greenhalgh coaches a dynamic group of twenty athletes.
At the 2024 New Zealand Track & Field Championships in Dunedin, eighteen of her athletes competed, collectively winning ten national titles.

It’s a long way from the coach who once doubted her capability

Greenhalgh’s own athletics career included representing New Zealand at the Oceania level.
She stepped back from competition to support her husband, James Greenhalgh—a former Davis Cup team captain and now a tennis coach—in his professional sporting career.
Their two daughters, Hayley and Sophie, have followed suit, coaching in gymnastics and tennis, respectively.

“Our dinner table conversations are often debriefs of training sessions,” she says with a smile.
“For years, with James travelling and me home with the girls, I kept thinking, ‘my time will come.’ I feel like this is it—and I’m so grateful for my family’s support.”

Keen to grow as a coach, one of Greenhalgh’s first steps was to seek out mentors.
She connected with respected athletics coach Gary Henley-Smith and power physiologist Angus Ross—both of whom have generously supported her development.

Greenhalgh has actively sought opportunities to grow her coaching knowledge, recently graduating from High Performance Sport New Zealand’s Te Hāpaitanga programme. She describes it as a turning point.
“I was a bit of a hot mess going in,” she says with a laugh. “There was huge room for growth, and I’m committed to that journey.”

One of the most valuable takeaways from Te Hāpaitanga was getting clarity on her role as a coach.
“They don’t need parenting—they already have parents,” she says. “I realised I’m their coach, and that’s a real privilege.”

Through the programme, she also had the opportunity to travel to Australia to observe Andrew Iselin—coach of sprinter Lachlan Kennedy, who recently clocked 9.98 seconds in the 100m. Greenhalgh brought several of her athletes along for the experience.

“It made a huge difference,” she says. “Seeing how they trained, and watching our athletes rise to the occasion—it was special to see their confidence grow.”

While Greenhalgh has surrounded herself with strong mentors, she’s also fostered a deeply supportive community within her squad.

Greenhalgh will shortly head off to the World University Games in Rhine-Ruhr Germany as a team coach.
“I never expected athletics to take me round the world as a coach.”

In just a few years, Greenhalgh has emerged as one of the country’s most successful national-level coaches. And, after initially feeling like an imposter, she’s now proud to own the title.
“I’m a good coach. I’m exactly where I should be—and I absolutely love it.”

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