Two Women Are Among USA Triathlon Olympic Hopefuls Training at Sports Performance Center at Intermountain Park City Hospital

The USA Triathlon men’s elite development team program called Project Podium is back for a second summer season of training at Intermountain Hospital’s Human Performance Center in Park City. This year, two female athletes are training with the team.

The eight triathletes are training for international competitions which have resumed since a hiatus during the COVID-19 pandemic. The partnership with Intermountain Park City Hospital for sports performance and sports medicine expertise aims to help the athletes reach their goal to compete in the 2024 or 2028 Summer Olympics.

During their training, the athletes receive one-on-one consultations with sports performance experts including sports medicine physicians, physical therapists, certified athletic trainers, accredited sports dietitians, exercise physiologists, performance coaches, and massage therapists at the hospital’s sports medicine department and LiveWell Center.

“Adding two women to the team has changed the group dynamic, since the women and men are performing well in their own races, but aren’t competing head-to-head. Success breeds success,” said Parker Spencer, the USA Triathlon Level III Certified Coach who leads the team.

The personal fitness assessments and lab data analysis offered by the sports performance staff at the hospital, helps customize each athlete’s workouts to maximize performance and reduce risk of injury. The athletes wear a smart device while training, that uploads their data automatically.

Dr. Max Testa, who trained in Europe in exercise physiology and has worked for 30 years with professional cycling teams as a team physician, heads up the hospital’s sports medicine program.

“Dr. Testa is brilliant when it comes to endurance sports. There’s a fine line between maximizing performance and overdoing it,” said Spencer.

Sports performance services include testing an athlete’s maximal oxygen consumption (Vo2 max) to determine peak aerobic endurance and target training zones, metabolic rate testing, nutrition counseling, as well as lactate threshold testing.

“As a female triathlete there’s a ton of stress on my body. I have to pay attention to my iron levels and maintain my nutrition level, so I have proper energy,” said Gina Soreno, an elite triathlete for USA Triathlon. It’s very beneficial to know your baseline levels. I had a recent injury, and the sports performance staff helped develop a recovery plan, specifically for me, and as we measure my progress, it gives me confidence I’m training appropriately.”

“Everyday athletes can also benefit from our sports performance services – regardless of their fitness level – whether they’re looking to improve their strength, pace, or endurance, or want to ensure their bike fits properly, or need to address any pain or injuries they’re experiencing,” said Marlene Hatch, PT, sports medicine manager at Park City Hospital. 

“When people train inefficiently, it can make them prone to injury and limit their ability to reach their full potential,” she added.

For more information about the services at Park City Hospital, visit intermountainhealthcare.org

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USA Triathlon is proud to serve as the National Governing Body for triathlon, as well as duathlon, aquathlon, aquabike, winter triathlon, off-road triathlon and paratriathlon in the United States. Founded in 1982, USA Triathlon sanctions more than 4,300 events and connects with more than 400,000 members each year, making it the largest multisport organization in the world. In addition to its work at the grassroots level with athletes, coaches, and race directors — as well as the USA Triathlon Foundation — USA Triathlon provides leadership and support to elite athletes competing at international events, including International Triathlon Union (ITU) World Championships, Pan American Games and the Olympic and Paralympic Games. USA Triathlon is a proud member of the ITU and the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC).