Colorado Springs, Colorado — The second annual USA Triathlon Medical Multisport Conference was held this weekend at the United States Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. The two-day meeting featured several world-renowned presenters. USAT Chief Operating Officer (and main driving force for the organization in so many other ways) Tim Yount was the host for the event.
USAT Medical Director Dr. T.K. Miller gave the keynote talk on the opening evening and also an informative talk on preventing DVT’s (“blood clots”) and the very dangerous resulting risk of pulmonary embolism. This is a real concern for traveling athletes.
The highlight of the weekend was perhaps the tour and talk by senior USOTC physiologist Dr. Randy Wilber. He gave a walk-through of the recently remodeled main training facility that includes the new altitude training room that can be set to any altitude and humidity level. Before the visit he presented on the most current science of using altitude, both high and low, for training purposes.
The beloved “Dr. Bob” Laird, founder (from first Kona race) and 30+ year medical director of the IRONMAN World Championship, gave a talk on the history and remarkable evolution of both the IRONMAN medical tent care in the practical sense and our overall knowledge of how to care for the athletes.
Current IRONMAN Medical Director Paul Berlin provided the full nuts-and-bolts lecture on race medical coverage complete with in-depth detail on everything you have to think about and plan for. Fifteen-year Kona iron-doc and founder of triathlondoc.com, Dr. John Martinez, gave presentations on swimming and running injury prevention.
Attendees had the opportunity to stay in “the barracks,” the athlete dorms that date back to when the place was an army base circa WWII, which was a treat of the quirky kind. Plans are already underway to hold the third conference next year.
