The ElliptiGO Project Reaches 20 Members

The ElliptiGO Project, a group of elite athletes focused on using innovative training tools and techniques to improve performance, today announced the addition of two more elite runners to bring the total membership to 20. 2012 US Road 10K Champion, Chelsea Reilly, and 8-Time All-American, Katie Mackey, have joined the Project. These young runners at the beginning of their post-collegiate careers have joined the other members of the Project in incorporating the ElliptiGO into their training in order to improve their athletic performance and achieve their goals.

A 3-time All-American and 2012 graduate of the University of Washington, Reilly has already made a splash in her first season of post-collegiate running. In September she won the Maui Front Street Mile in a new course record of 4:32 and in October she was crowned the U.S. Road 10K Champion. “I am striving to be a versatile athlete,” stated Reilly. “I want to be competitive from the 800m to the 10K! Cross Country Nationals are in February so right now I am focused on making the USA Cross Country team. After that, I hope to be in the mix at USA Track and Field Nationals.”

Reilly suffered six bone injuries in recent years so she and her coach, fellow ElliptiGO Project member Magdalena Lewy Boulet, have made the ElliptiGO a staple of her training. “The ‘GO enables me to get 3-4 extra hours of aerobic work in each week without the risk of injury from running higher mileage. I use the ElliptiGO instead of doing an afternoon run or I hop on the ‘GO to extend a session. I love to ride the ‘GO in the Oakland Hills, however, I frequently set it up in front of the TV and crank up the resistance for an effective “hill” ride. This gets my heart rate up really quickly and I am thrilled to report that I have been healthy since incorporating the ElliptiGO into my training 4 months ago.”

Eight-Time All-American and fellow University of Washington graduate, Katie Mackey also has high expectations for her post-collegiate career as she sets her sights on making the 2013 World Team in the 1500m. Much like Reilly, she has been able to use the ElliptiGO to increase her training volume without risking impact-related injury.

“I use the ElliptiGO on my recovery days, usually one to three times a week depending on how ‘beat up’ my legs are feeling,” remarked Mackey. “Using my heart rate monitor, I’ve been amazed to see how easily I can get my heart rate up to the threshold effort level that I have previously only been able to achieve through tempo runs. My motivation to cross-train using the ElliptiGO is much higher than other forms of cross-training because I’m outside covering distance like an actual run and it’s less of a mental struggle to stay engaged and push the envelope.” 

“Chelsea and Katie are starting to incorporate the ElliptiGO at great time in their running careers,” stated Bob Augello, Integration Advisor for The ElliptiGO Project. “These young runners have many years of racing left and are continuing to improve and run faster each year. With the addition of the ElliptiGO to their training programs, they can use this engaging, fun, and effective cross-training device to help them stay healthy. It will be exciting to follow their progress in the coming years.”

Augello has been working with endurance athletes at all levels for more than 20 years with a particular emphasis on using innovation to improve performance.His role is to advise Project members on how they can best use all the different tools and techniques identified by the Project.

The 20 members of The ElliptiGO Project are:

·Chelsea Reilly, 2012 US Road 10K Champion

·Katie Mackey, 8-Time All-American

·Robyn Benincasa, 2-Time Adventure Racing World Champion

·Magdalena Lewy Boulet, 2008 US Olympic Marathoner

·Josh Cox, 50K US Record Holder

·Julie Culley, 2012 US Olympic 5,000-meter runner

·Lauren Fleshman, 15-time All-American and two-time US National 5K Champion

·Ricky Flynn, 2009 Division III Cross Country National Champion

·Michael Gostigian, 3-time Olympian

·Ben Greenfield, 2011 ITU Long Distance Triathlon World Champion, M30-34

·Simon Gutierrez, 3-time World Masters Mountain Running Champion

·Dean Karnazes, Badwater Ultramarathon Winner

·Christine Kennedy, 2011 USATF Masters Athlete of the Year

·Matt Llano, All-American in the 10,000m

·Craig Leon, 2012 Olympic Marathon Trials competitor

·Catha Mullen, All-American in the 5,000m

·Brian Pilcher, 2011 USATF Runner of the Year, M55-59

·Bruce Raymer, Canadian National Marathon Champion

·Neely Spence, 8-time NCAA Div. II National Champion

·Jorge Torres, 2008 US Olympic 10,000-meter runner

To join the Project, elite athletes are required to have an inspiring running-related goal that they want to accomplish in the next two years and want to authentically integrate new training tools and techniques in order to help them achieve their goal. In addition, athletes must be willing to share their training and results with other members of the Project. Each athlete will use tools like the ElliptiGO in a slightly different way, so a major benefit to the team members is being able to communicate with each other and learn new ways to incorporate these devices into their own workout regimens.

The Project is currently recruiting elite athletes with ambitious goals who are interested in exploring innovative new ways of getting faster and staying healthy.For more information about The ElliptiGO Project, visit the website at www.theelliptigoproject.com.

About The ElliptiGO Project

The ElliptiGO Project exists to make runners faster through innovation. It is currently growing membership, adding new innovative running tools, and affiliating with other organizations that share the same goal of improving athletes’ performance through innovation.The Project tests new training techniques through competition, both on the track and on the road, and reports its findings with candor. www.theelliptigoproject.com

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