Triathletes shifting gears for indoor winter training, staying motivated to peak at spring races

Sunday, September 10

Williamsburg, VA

7:00 AM

Liberty University Club Sports

Patriots Triathlon

Flames triathletes warm up alongside collegiate men's competitors before the start of the Mid-Atlantic Triathlon Conference Championships at Smith Mountain Lake in mid-October.

Triathletes shifting gears for indoor winter training, staying motivated to peak at spring races

11/27/2023 3:41:00 PM | Triathlon

A busy fall semester gave the Flames and Lady Flames opportunities to test themselves against Mid-Atlantic area competition as they prepare for collegiate nationals in California.

It has been a fast-paced fall semester for Liberty University's triathlon team, which traveled to the Patriots Sprint Triathlon in Williamsburg and Giant Acorn in Spotsylvania, Va., in September before competing in the Mid-Atlantic Conference Championships at nearby Smith Mountain Lake State Park in mid-October.

"We're always super excited at Liberty Triathlon to come back and start right away, to start practice the first day of school," Liberty sixth-year Head Coach Heather Gollnick said. "The students are always really eager to get back and train together and we start competing right away."

"There's a great community within the team and it was a great (fall) season, with lots of fun races, and crazy weather conditions, but that's what makes us stronger, getting to overcome those," Lady Flames senior Mackenzie Foy added.

A talented recruiting class complemented by a few walk-ons has provided depth on the roster and competition for the top seven men's and women's positions that likely will travel to the March 2-3 Clermont Draft-Legal Challenge in Florida and the April 13-14 USA Triathlon Collegiate National Championships in California in the spring semester.

"We had a lot of experienced freshmen (join the team), which was fun to watch them grow," Foy said. "It's a sport you can grow in super quickly."

"Fall semester was intense, learning how to be a college student while also transitioning into collegiate athletics," Flames freshman Gabriel Shreve added. "It was challenging, but we're getting into the groove."

Liberty's triathletes enjoyed a bit of a home course advantage for the Mid-Atlantic event, and even rainy conditions couldn't put a damper on the spirit of competition.

"We love having our conference championships at Smith Mountain Lake," Gollnick said. "It's great because it's close, so we get other students to come and cheer and faculty and a lot of parents. It's great for the athletes to have that much support."

"The energy is super fun with all of the parents and everybody who comes out," Foy added. "It was definitely fun to overcome (the rainy conditions) and knowing everyone's in the same boat. Our team did a great job and it was cool to see freshmen that haven't really biked much in rain to go at it and they did great."

Gollnick said the rain was an aberration from the ideal conditions the team trained in throughout the semester, with the fall foliage providing a scenic backdrop to their runs, swims, and bike rides on Candlers Mountain and at Hydaway Outdoor Center and the surrounding Lynchburg area.

"We've been really blessed with some phenomenal fall weather," Gollnick said. "Switching gears, we go into our offseason training which is a lot more strength and hill repeats. We are very blessed that we have a triathlon studio so we can ride in there on stationary trainers. We can go train when it's cold and the athletes really enjoy having that time together."

"The winter training is pretty fun for me," Foy added. "I love lifting and doing weights and I love a little bit more volume, so it's kind of fun to do some hills and endurance. That's what we're doing now, and we have a lot of fun in the weight room."

In order to develop triathletes that are prepared to contend for strong showings at the collegiate national championships, Gollnick is working on strengthening many of the newcomers in the first two phases of the races.

"We've had a lot of freshmen coming in with really strong running backgrounds," she said. "So we are excited to build on that but to really refine their swimming and biking this winter to get ready for nationals."

"We are super stoked about nationals in April," Shreve added. "It's out in Mission Viejo, California, and we are all excited to go for gold in the Golden State."

Video by Kylee Lilge/Club Sports Video & Media Coordinator