Endurance Performance Training Center's Head Coach Adds Ironman Champion to His Long List of Accomplishments

(Mill Valley, CA - June 28, 2006) - In a year that held major life changes and new priorities, Chris Hauth, head coach and partner of Endurance Performance Training Center in Mill Valley, CA, relied on a science-based training plan for his victory at Ironman Couer d'Alene on Sunday. Hauth adds Ironman Champion to his long list of accomplishments that includes two-time Olympian in swimming and dozens of age-group and overall triathlon titles.

In the last twelve months Hauth got married, became a partner in a start-up venture and welcomed his first child. Having to juggle all of these new priorities and time constraints in his life meant it was impossible for him to do the volume of training he has done to prepare for Ironman events in the past. As a result, Hauth turned to his partners at Endurance PTC to help design a training plan that would emphasize quality not quantity and allow him to maximize every workout.

"With so many important new changes in my life, I knew my training was going to have to be modified, but I still wanted to compete at a high level," said Hauth.
"The plan we put together allowed me take down the volume of total training while concentrating on very specific intensities."

As the season progressed the team at Endurance PTC continually evaluated and fine-tuned Hauth's training depending on how his body was responding to particular workouts and what was going on in the rest of his life.

"Regular testing told me what I was doing was working," Hauth continued. "But most importantly this plan helped me to maintain balance in my life particularly with the birth of my daughter, Ruby, in March."

Hauth completed the course at Ironman Couer d'Alene in 9:07:05 with a more than thirteen minute margin of victory.

"In many ways Chris is no different than our typical athlete trying to balance work, family and the stresses of life with training," said Matt Dixon, Endurance PTC's Director of Science. "We relied on physiological testing to prescribe the exact training intensities Chris needed to maintain in his workouts to maximize his results. Through followup testing we were able to closely monitor his progress and make adjustments as necessary throughout the season allowing him to arrive at Couer d'Alene in his best possible form."

Hauth does two of his cycling workouts per week indoors on a trainer as part of Endurance PTC's eCycling classes. These ninety minute sessions allow athletes of all abilities to maximize time spent on the bike by being extremely specific with training intensities within a controlled environment.

In addition to his victory at Ironman Couer d'Alene, earlier this month at Honu 70.3, Hauth was the amateur champion and second overall trailing winner Chris McCormack by a small margin.

While competing at Honu 70.3, Hauth's good friend and training partner, Dirk Vlieks, suffered a brain aneurysm on the race course. While Vlieks remains hospitalized in Honolulu, Hauth credits his friend with added inspiration on race day at Couer d'Alene. "Dirk was in my thoughts throughout the entire day," said Hauth. "He was supposed to be on the starting line with all of us on Sunday and the fact that he wasn't just added to my overall motivation."

Hauth will spend the summer preparing for a return to the Ironman World Championships in Kona, his ninth trip in a row.

For a chance to train alongside Hauth and other top age-group and professional triathletes consider eCamp (Summer) August 12-19, 2006 in California's beautiful Lake Tahoe area. The camp will include high volumes of cycling, running and open water swim training and is the perfect way to gear up for a late season Ironman event or to elevate your preparations for the Ironman World Championships. Last year's camp served as a stepping stone for more than a dozen athletes heading to Kona including Hauth, Tyler Stewart, the 2005 Overall Female Amateur Ironman World Champion, Frank Karbe, the winner of the 2005 CEO Ironman Challenge and professional triathlete, Wendy Ingraham. Email info@endurancemillvalley.com for more information.

ABOUT ENDURANCE PERFORMANCE TRAINING CENTER: Located in the San Francisco Bay Area, Endurance Performance Training Center is a leading training center for athletes of all levels and abilities. With a foundation in the science of exercise and training, Endurance PTC uses cutting-edge physiological testing to provide cyclists, runners, triathletes and general fitness enthusiasts with the information and direction necessary to achieve maximum results. Whether you're an elite athlete looking to reach optimal performance or you simply want to get in better shape, Endurance PTC's seasoned staff of coaches and scientific professionals will work with you to develop a plan tailored to your individual fitness goals. Please visit www.endurancemillvalley.com for more information.