Ignite the Spark of Innovation at Endurance Exchange: Speaker Preview

Join USA Triathlon at Endurance Exchange January 4-7, 2024, in Charlotte, North Carolina for a weekend of networking, collaboration, and learning!

Endurance Exchange is more than just a conference; it’s a community-driven platform that fosters collaboration, innovation, and inspiration. Connect with coaches, race directors, clubs, and industry professionals who share a passion for multisport. Share your knowledge, inspire others, and ignite the spark of excellence together. Whether you’re seeking mentorship, business opportunities, or lifelong connections, Endurance Exchange offers a supportive environment where dreams and visions come to life.

Learn about other highlighted speakers. Find the full list of speakers.

Chris Navin

4 Star Endurance

Session:?E-Sports Alternate Pathways to International Success

Coach Chris Navin is a full-time triathlon and cycling coach in Chicago, Illinois, and Founder of 4 STAR ENDURANCE and MetabolicAthlete.com. Winner of USA Triathlon's 2021 Entrepreneur/Business Plan of the Year Award, Coach Chris has a unique background in technology, eSports, and gamification that has helped him coach thousands of endurance athletes, while also completing over 120 triathlons himself. Most notably, his triathlon clubs and athletes have produced overall wins at the USA Triathlon Club National Championships, USA Triathlon Age-Group National Championships, ITU World Championships, USA Cycling eSports Nationals Championships, and landed several top 10 results at the UCI eSports Cycling World Championships.?

Navin has also served as race director for over 60 indoor triathlons including the Tri312.com Series and served as head coach for several charity training programs including TEAM TO END AIDS (T2) - helping athletes raise over $4 million for local charities in the past 15+ years.

Glenn Humphrey

Commercial Insurance Risk Advisor - Insurance Office of America

Session:?Insurance - What USA Triathlon Offers

Glenn Humphrey is a commercial insurance risk advisor at the Insurance Office of America. As both a triathlete and career professional, Humphrey is excited to combine 30 years of experience and passion in triathlon with his capacity as an IOA risk advisor to help USA Triathlon protect its brand, reputation, bottom line, and, most importantly, its people and members.

Faye Yates

Co-Owner of Team Magic Multisports

Session:?Growth Through Acquisition and Merger

Faye Yates received her Bachelor of Engineering from Vanderbilt University in 1989, starting her career in Birmingham, Alabama working with United States Steel. In 1995 Yates started working with Birmingham-based Team Magic Multisports part-time, transitioning to full-time in 2002 with a focus on expanding the Tennessee races. In 2021, Team Magic merged with Above the Fold Events, which expanded operations to 3 states - Tennessee, Alabama, and Kentucky.

Team Magic, established in 1985, is one of the largest, and longest running, race production companies in the U.S. When not organizing events, Yates also enjoys running with her dogs and participating in running and triathlons. Faye also serves on the Advisory Board of Directors for Girls On The Run of Middle Tennessee.

Yates' session will focus on "Growth Through Acquisition and Merger," where attendees will gain insights into the successes and learnings from the 2021 merger between Team Magic and Above The Fold. The presentation offers an opportunity for attendees to engage in discussions and brainstorm about their related experiences in the field.

Tommy Zaferes

USA Triathlon High Performance Talent ID Coordinator and Professional Photographer & Content Producer at World Triathlon

Session:?Talent ID for Para & Able-Bodied Athletes

Tommy Zaferes has been with the USA Triathlon High Performance Team since November 2021. His role is focused on talent identification, recruitment, mentorship, and program/athlete development. Zaferes' main responsibilities include finding, recruiting, and evaluating athletes across the country for the Colligate Recruitment Program, High School Recruitment Program, and Paratriathlon Talent ID Program. In addition, Tommy works for World Triathlon and Super League Triathlon as a content producer and professional sports photographer where he covers all the highest-profile events, including the Olympic Games.

Zaferes retired from swimming after competing in the 2008 Olympic Trials and raced professionally as a triathlete from 2010-2020. He is married to two-time Olympic medalist Katie Zaferes and has been her training partner since 2015.

His session "Talent ID for Para & Able-Bodied Athletes" will cover what to look for when identifying draft-legal triathlon talent, the process of recruiting, and the first steps in developing talent.

Mandy Lovett?

USA Triathlon Level II Certified Coach

Session:?Kids Event Production

Mandy Lovett has been racing triathlons since 1992. She was a member of the 1994 and 1995 National Junior Teams and trained and raced globally with those teams. Although she initially headed into law as a career, she never stopped racing. Lovett founded a youth triathlon team in 2018 and as the team grew and developed, she decided to step away from her legal career to focus on coaching youth athletes. In its sixth season, the team had grown to 60 athletes.

Lovett is now a USA Triathlon Level II Certified Coach with a focus in Youth and Junior and has founded multiple races to support youth racing in her area. She lives in Allentown, Pennsylvania, with her husband, Brian, and her two sons, Reid and Graham, who all enjoy racing triathlons together as a family.

Her session "Kids Event Production" will go over what to consider, difference from adult races, importance of money, and how to make money.

Liana Tobin

Education Manager - USA Triathlon

Session:?Why Strength Training Matters for Endurance Athletes

Liana has been involved in coaching education for more than seven years, demonstrating a passion for coaches as they are often the unsung heroes of the sport. The countless hours of programming, planning, and supporting athletes speak to her very core. Tobin holds a Masters in Strength and Conditioning from the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, and has been a university educator for over six years.

She enjoys bringing exercise science and sport-specific education to students and interested individuals throughout the world to help the sports world become safer and more competitive. Triathlon has played a significant role in Liana's life. She began racing shortly after college and met her spouse doing triathlons. Triathlons have featured prominently in some of the most important moments in her life. Liana is grateful for the opportunity to give back to the sport she loves and serve the coaches she admires.

Meet the rest of the highlighted speakers, here.

To learn more and register for Endurance Exchange, please visit the event website.