Alicia Kendig, MS, RD, CSSD, has worked with various national governing bodies, the USOC, and the United States Anti-Doping Agency to educate athletes on both sport nutrition and dietary supplements. She holds a bachelor’s degree in nutrition and a master’s degree in public health nutrition from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. As a collegiate varsity swimmer and during her time as an assistant coach, she lent her expertise in sport and nutrition to numerous athletes and teams. She has helped athletes of all ages, levels, and backgrounds achieve their performance goals by focusing on fuel for optimal performance. She is currently a sport dietitian with the Winter Sports Group and is the athlete performance lab coordinator with the U.S. Olympic Committee. Alicia enjoys swimming, road and mountain biking, running, hiking, and snowboarding.
Barb Lindquist is one of the best U.S. triathletes of all time. She raced for 10 years as an elite, was ranked No. 1 in the world from 2003 to 2004, represented the United States at the Olympics in 2004 (9th), and is a member of the USAT Hall of Fame. Of her 134 elite races at all distances, she won 33 and was on the podium 86 times. Since retirement from racing in 2005, Barb coaches and works part time for USAT recruiting collegiate athletes. She lives in Wyoming with her husband and coach, Loren, together tackling their most important venture to date: raising twin boys.
Bob Seebohar is a board-certified specialist in sport dietetics, an exercise physiologist, a strength and conditioning coach, and a USA Triathlon certified elite, youth, and junior coach and a competitive endurance athlete. Seebohar was the director of sport nutrition at the University of Florida and the sport dietitian for the U.S. team at the 2008 Summer Olympics. He is the author of the books Nutrition Periodization for Endurance Athletes: Taking Traditional Sports Nutrition to the Next Level and Metabolic Efficiency Training: Teaching the Body to Burn More Fat.
Christine Palmquist, MS, MBA, is an elite-level III USAT coach, an expert USAC coach, and an elite coach for TrainingBible Coaching. Chris was a four-year rower for Cornell University. After working for IBM in Chicago, Chris obtained her MS in education from Northwestern University and began her coaching career as a science and math teacher and track and cross country coach at the middle and high school levels. After her children were born, Chris expanded her coaching and writing responsibilities, eventually coaching for Joe Friel at TrainingBible Coaching, where she has been a regional manager, a coaching mentor to new coaches, and an elite-level master coach since the start of the company. Chris is a coach with the Multisport Madness triathlon team, coaching youth ages 7 to 19 in the Chicago suburbs. Chris has written regularly for Chicago Amateur Athlete and Chicago Athlete magazines since 1994. She is currently a contributing editor for Chicago Athlete. Chris has also written for numerous magazines and contributed to USAT’s coaching education manuals and Youth Championship guides.
George Dallam is a professor in the department of exercise science, health promotion, and recreation at Colorado State University in Pueblo. A triathlete since 1981, Dr. Dallam initiated the USA Triathlon national teams program in 1996 and has served as coach, physiologist, and consultant to numerous elite U.S. triathletes since that time. Athletes coached by Dr. Dallam have included national elite and age-group champions, Olympians, Pan American Games medalists, world age-group champions, and the top-ranked male triathlete in the world in 2005-2006, Hunter Kemper. Dr. Dallam has been involved in numerous research studies and the publication of their results examining various aspects of triathlon as well as diabetes risk factor modification. He has authored numerous articles applying training principles to triathlon and is the coauthor, with Steven Jonas, of Championship Triathlon Training. He is regularly sought as a speaker and expert writer on exercise-related topics, having provided insights to publications such as Runner’s World and the New York Times.
Gordon Byrn is a husband, father, and triathlete based in Boulder, Colorado. He is a champion of Ultraman Hawaii and founder of Endurance Corner.
Graham Wilson, MS, is a USAT level III coach, chair of the USAT National Coaches Commission, and a USAT certified race official. He has been racing and coaching for over 25 years and has completed over 200 triathlons, including 8 Ironman events. He was a member of the British triathlon team before moving to the United States. Graham assists each of his clients in reaching their athletic potential. His oldest client took up triathlon at age 72 and has twice won world championship medals at the Olympic distance.
Ian Murray has been a full-time triathlon coach for over a dozen years. His is certified by USAT as an elite coach as well as USAC and ASCA. Ian is the host and writer of Triathlon Training Series DVD and head coach for the LA Tri Club. He has served as head coach for the USAT elite athletes at 2010 ITU WCS Madrid, 2010 ITU PATCO Championships, and 2009 Duathlon World Championships. He was named USAT’s Development Coach of the Year in 2006.
Iñigo Mujika earned PhDs in biology of muscular exercise (University of Saint-Etienne, France) and physical activity and sport sciences (University of the Basque Country). He is a level III swimming and triathlon coach. His research interests include training methods and recovery, tapering, detraining, and overtraining. He has performed extensive research on the physiological aspects associated with endurance sport performance, published over 80 articles in peer-reviewed journals and 2 books and 13 book chapters, and given over 160 lectures in international conferences. Iñigo was senior physiologist at the Australian Institute of Sport, physiologist and trainer for Euskaltel Euskadi cycling team, and head of research and development at Athletic Club Bilbao football club. He is director of physiology and training at USP Araba Sport Clinic, physiologist of the Spanish Swimming Federation, associate editor for the International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, and associate professor at the University of the Basque Country.
Jackie Dowdeswell was born in the UK, where she earned a BSc honors degree in physiology and biochemistry. Being fit and motivating people have always been Jackie’s passions. She is a triathlete who enjoys competing locally. Jackie is a USA Triathlon level II coach, ASCA level 2 coach, USA Cycling level 3 coach, ACE personal trainer, ACE lifestyle and weight management consultant, and certified stroke technician. Jackie also has many athletic achievements: overall female winner of Pittsford Triathlon 2009 and 2010, 4th in age group at Sprint National Championships 2008, qualifier for intermediate-distance national championships 2008, and Lake Placid Ironman Triathlon 2007 and 2010.
Jess Manning is an athlete, coach, founder, co-owner, and CEO of Bricks MultiSport and Fitness and head coach for Team Bricks, the leading multisport team in the Mid-Atlantic region. As a business leader, Jess has inspired others to reach their potential as athletes. As USAT race director, Jess offers many race and fitness opportunities in which athletes of all abilities can participate. He is a USAT level II coach, USA Cycling and AFFA personal trainer, and Spin instructor. He has concentrations in elite and youth multisport coaching. His personal athletic highlights include three-time consecutive winner of Trisports Events Super Ultimate Challenge running series, Boston Marathon finisher, fastest first-time triathlete, New Jersey Genesis Sprint Triathlon finisher, fastest first-time ultradistance triathlete, Ford Eagleman Ironman finisher, 2009 and 2010 Piranha Sports age-group champion, and Florida Ironman finisher.
Joe Friel, MS, has trained endurance athletes since 1980. His clients have come from all corners of the globe and included national champions, world championship competitors, and an Olympian. He is the author of 11 books on training for endurance athletes, including the popular and best-selling Training Bible series. He holds a master’s degree in exercise science and is a founder and past chairman of the USA Triathlon National Coaching Commission.
Joe Umphenour has been a professional triathlete since 1997. He is a USA Triathlon level I certified coach. His top racing results include 2008 Hong Kong ITU Triathlon (1st), 2008 Asian Aquathlon Championships (1st), 2008 Elite National Championships (2nd), 2001 ITU World Championships (11th), 3-time Ironman Hawaii finisher (best finish 53rd in 1994), 2004 ITU Cornerbrook and Newfoundland World Cups (2nd), and 12 top 12 World Cup finishes.
Karl Riecken earned a master’s degree in health and wellness and applied exercise physiology from the University of Central Florida. During his undergraduate years he was a cross-country runner but fell in love with triathlon before he graduated. Karl has worked for the sport performance departments of both USA Swimming and USA Triathlon, conducting research and helping to coach world-class athletes at the Colorado Springs Olympic Training Center. He has been an assistant coach for youth triathlon teams and for USA Triathlon Elite Development Camps. Karl coaches and provides coaching education for Vanguard Triathlon, working with all levels and all ages of athletes and coaches. Karl holds certifications from the National Strength and Conditioning Association, USA Triathlon, USA Track and Field, USA Cycling, USA Weightlifting, and the Road Runners Club of America.
Katie Baker, MS, started working for the United States Olympic Committee in 2011 as the sport performance manager, serving as a liaison between the USOC and various national governing bodies, including USA Triathlon. Before working at the USOC, Katie was employed by USA Triathlon for over 11 years in various capacities, including membership coordinator, national teams program coordinator, and national teams program manager. During her time as national teams manager, Katie served as the team leader for duathlon, long-course triathlon, Winter Olympics, and Olympic triathlon. She also served as the 2008 Beijing Olympic triathlon team manager. Katie earned a BS in journalism with a minor in fine arts from Indiana University and an MS in sport administration from the University of Northern Colorado. Katie coaches high school swimming and works with a local kids’ triathlon club. She is a USAT level II certified coach.
Krista Austin, PhD, CSCS, is a distinguished physiologist and nutritionist who has worked for the United States Olympic Committee and consults for the Nike Oregon Project, top-tier track and field athletes, USA Triathlon, and USA taekwondo. Her expertise includes exercise training, performance nutrition, dietary supplements, obesity, diabetes, and elite athletes. She has worked for and achieved tremendous success as a performance nutritionist for the English Institute of Sport and England’s cricket team.
Austin authored the book Performance Nutrition: Applying the Science of Nutrient Timing. As a member of the American College of Sports Medicine and National Strength and Conditioning Association, Austin writes for accredited industry publications and serves as a referee for multiple scientific journals. As an associate editor, Austin contributed to the International Journal of Sports Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism.
Kristen Dieffenbach, PhD, is an assistant professor of athletic coaching education at West Virginia University and is a consultant certified by the Association of Applied Sport Psychology. Currently she is the coaching education representative on the NASPE sport steering committee and is on the board for the National Council for Accreditation of Coaching Education. She also serves as an advisory board member with the USA Cycling coaching education committee. Kristen is a professional coach with a category 1 (elite) USA Cycling license and a level II endurance specialization from USA Track and Field. She has coached for over 15 years at the high school, collegiate, recreational, and elite levels.
Kurt Perham is a lifelong endurance athlete and coach. Starting as an elite cyclist, Kurt transitioned to multisport in the 1990s. He has competed at both national and world championship events in multiple cycling disciplines. Kurt has coached for nearly 15 years, and his athletes’ accolades include IM world champions, AG worlds medalists, and national champions in cyclocross. He holds the highest coaching credentials from USA Triathlon and USA Cycling. He guides athletes worldwide.
Mathew Wilson is a cardiovascular exercise physiologist at Aspetar, Qatar’s orthopaedic and sports medicine hospital. He was the laboratory director at the Research Centre for Sport and Exercise Science at the University of Wolverhampton, UK. He was also the screening manager for the CRY Centre for Sports Cardiology at the Olympic Medical Institute for 5 years. In conjunction with Professors Sharma and Whyte, he has screened over 10,000 athletes for cardiac conditions.
Michael Kellmann is head of the sport psychology unit in the faculty of sport science at Ruhr-University Bochum in Germany. Michael served six years on the executive board of the German Association of Sport Psychology and is on the editorial board of The Sport Psychologist, the Zeitschrift für Sportpsychologie, and the Deutsche Zeitschrift für Sportmedizin. Michael’s current research activities include prevention of overtraining and recovery enhancement, sport psychology diagnostics and intervention, coach behavior during competition and practice, and personality and performance competence of coaches in sports. Michael’s work has appeared in several publications. He is coauthor of Recovery-Stress Questionnaire for Athletes: User Manual and edited the book Enhancing Recovery: Preventing Underperformance in Athletes.
Mike Ricci is a level III USA Triathlon certified coach and has been coaching endurance athletes since 1989. Mike has coached multisport athletes, swimmers, and runners of all abilities from all over the world. Mike is the head coach for Team D3 Multisport, the University of Colorado triathlon team (2010 national champs) and has been the track coach for the Boulder Triathlon Club since its inception. Mike has coached hundreds of athletes to their first triathlons and more than 70 one on one who have earned the right to call themselves an Ironman. Mike also wrote the training programs for the USA World Championships from 2003 to 2009.
Sage Rountree is a USA Triathlon level II certified coach and author of The Athlete’s Guide to Yoga, The Athlete’s Pocket Guide to Yoga, and The Athlete’s Guide to Recovery. A frequent contributor to Runner’s World, she co-owns the Carrboro Yoga Company and coaches triathletes from her hometown of Chapel Hill, North Carolina. She competes in triathlons of all distances and raced with team USA at the 2008 Short-Course World Championships.
Sara McLarty is the fastest swimmer in triathlon. She was a 15-time NCAA All-American swimmer at the University of Florida and collegiate triathlon national champion. After narrowly missing the 2004 Olympics in the 400-meter freestyle, she won a silver medal in that event and bronze in the 5K open water at the world championships. Sara is currently training to qualify for the Olympics, writing the swim training column for Triathlete magazine, and coaching triathletes in Clermont, Florida, at the National Training Center.
Scott Schnitzspahn has been a coach for more than a decade at USA Triathlon, where he has held various volunteer and salaried positions, including sport performance director for the 2006 through 2010 seasons. He was responsible for the development of elite triathletes and coaches and served as team leader for the 2007 Pan American Games and 2008 Olympic Games. Scott moved from USAT to the U.S. Olympic Committee as the high-performance director overseeing triathlon and cycling among other endurance sports.
Sergio Borges is a top age-group triathlete. Since 1994 he has been dedicated to studying the art and science of triathlon training. He has competed in hundreds of races of all distances, including 20 Ironman races around the world and over 50 half Ironmans, qualifying for the Hawaii Ironman World Championships seven times. Sergio has also been nominated as All-American by USA Triathlon 6 times. After over 10 years of investment banking, he decided to apply his expertise to triathlon coaching. Sergio is a certified level III USA Triathlon coach and level II USA cycling coach. He coached the U.S. elite, junior elite, and U23 team at the World Duathlon in Switzerland in 2003 and the U23 Tri national team in 2004. He also has worked with USAT at the collegiate national camps and recruitment camps. He lectures at the levels I and II coaching clinics and writes for three sport magazines. Sergio was involved in the first-ever paratriathlon camp organized by CAF and is the founder of the JCC Triathlon Master Program and the Kids XTeam Triathlon Club.
Sharone Aharon holds an MS in exercise sciences. He is a USA Triathlon level III coach and the founder and head coach of Well-Fit Triathlon & Training, a coaching company in Chicago. Sharone started coaching in 1988, focusing on endurance athletes and in the past few years elite athletes.
Steve Tarpinian is the president of Total Training, Inc., a fitness consulting company specializing in swim, bike, run, and triathlon workshops. He was a member of the USAT National Coaching Committee and a certified USAT level II coach.
Suzanne M. Atkinson, MD, FACEP, is an emergency medicine physician who founded Steel City Endurance in 2005. She has been coaching triathletes, cyclists, and swimmers for events of all distances from supersprint to Ironman triathlons and endurance mountain bike races, including 24-hour racing and the Leadville 100. She founded two women’s bicycle racing teams in Pittsburgh and specializes in swim technique and stroke mechanics as well as bicycling skills development for road racers and triathletes. Her continuing education includes certification by USA Triathlon level II, USA Cycling level II, and total immersion teaching professional. Suzanne worked as an instructor for Outward Bound School from 1991 to 1998 before attending medical school at the University of Pittsburgh.
Timothy Carlson has finished 40 triathlons, including 6 half Ironmans. He wrote a series of columns of interviews with experts who offered advice for beginning triathletes on equipment and training strategies. He also ran dozens of road races, finished 10 marathons, and wrote about his successful quest to qualify for the Boston Marathon, which involved heart rate training under internationally renowned coach Dick Brown. He wrote an extensive feature for Inside Triathlon on the physiological effects of triathlon training.
Yann Le Meur, PhD, is a sport scientist at the research department of the National Institute of Sport, Expertise and Performance in Paris. He earned a PhD in physiology of exercise (University of Nice-Sophia Antipolis) by working on the factors of performance in Olympic-distance triathlon. His research interests focus on performance analysis, fatigue, overtraining, and recovery. Dr. Le Meur has published in prominent peer-reviewed journals in sport and exercise science. He is involved in the scientific following of several French Olympic teams, including triathlon, cross-country mountain bike, synchronized swimming, modern pentathlon, and track cycling (team pursuit).