Founded in 1982, USA Triathlon is proud to serve as the national governing body for triathlon in the United States. The organization is the sanctioning authority for more than 4,000 diverse events, ranging from grassroots to high-profile races nationwide. USA Triathlon works to create interest and participation in a variety of programs, including camps, clinics, races, and educational opportunities. USA Triathlon’s 150,000 members are made up of athletes of all ages, coaches, race directors, officials, parents, and fans striving to strengthen multisport.
On the elite level, USA Triathlon is responsible for the selection and training of teams to represent the United States in international competition, including the world championships, Pan Am Games, and Olympic Games. It conducts national camps and clinics and provides coaching education programs. On the developmental level, USA Triathlon fosters grassroots expansion of the sport, which is facilitated by the sanctioning of age-group events and triathlon clubs and certification of coaches and race directors. National and regional championships are held for triathletes from junior to senior age divisions.
The USA Triathlon mission is to encourage, support, and enhance the multisport experience in the United States while promoting fitness and health through exercise, the spirit of competitiveness, and the pursuit of excellence.
Linda Cleveland MS, CSCS, is a USA Triathlon LII certified coach and the coach development manager at USA Triathlon. She has a BS degree in exercise fitness management with a minor in health promotion from the University of Wisconsin– Oshkosh and an MS in exercise and wellness from Arizona State University. She has been an adjunct faculty member at Arizona State University; worked in corporate wellness at Motorola in Phoenix; and coached triathletes, cyclists, and runners since 2004.
Linda has been with USA Triathlon since 2005. As the coach development manager, she is responsible for overseeing a variety of programs in the education department, including coaching certification clinics and curriculum, mentorship opportunities in elite coaching, performance coaching newsletters, USAT University, webinars, and youth clinics. Since joining USAT, she has made the coaching education program one of the most highly regarded in any national governing body. Linda offers high-performance coaches the opportunity to learn what it takes to work with world-class athletes. She has also served as a head coach at several ITU races, including continental cups, world cups, and world championship series races.
Linda keeps her skills fresh by coaching age-group triathletes and training for triathlons herself. Linda resides in the mountains of Colorado with her husband, son, and two big dogs. She enjoys hiking, camping, mountain biking, skiing, snowshoeing, fishing, and spending time in the great outdoors.