Team Toyota of Greensburg

OUR ATHLETES

	Toby Angove Toby Angove works at Indiana University of Pennsylvania in the Military Science Department and is a Scout Platoon Leader and 1st Lieutenant in the United States Army. After a childhood of non-competitive manure-hauling and hay-bale-throwing, his racing career began while at college with marathons and triathlons. In the mid 90s, Adventure Racing presented itself as the next level of challenge – an opportunity to truly test one’s individual limits, character and the strength of team dynamics. Since then, Toby has competed regionally, nationally, and abroad in Sprint, Stage, and Expedition Races as well as work in race production and course design.
	Lizzie Bronson Liz studied athletic training at Ithaca College, and currently works as a certified athletic trainer in Pittsburgh, PA.  Although she was a sprinter on Ithaca’s track team, Liz transitioned to longer distances after becoming involved with the Pittsburgh marathon.  She was introduced to adventure racing in 2011, when she competed in the Lionheart (and mountain biked for the first time).  Liz is drawn to the sport because it constantly challenges her to push her physical and mental limits.
	Amber Clites Amber Clites studied Sports Medicine and Athletic Training at Denison University. She obtained her Master's from California University of Pennsylvania in Performance Enhancement and Injury Prevention.  Amber is currently the Head Athletic Trainer for the Pittsburgh Passion. After graduating college, Amber became involved in running and mountain biking.  In 2011, some friends suggested she participate in an Adventure Race, and she's been hooked ever since. Amber has participated in multiple 24-hr races and completed her first expedition race in 2014.
	Matthew Darnell Matt is a Registered Dietitian, Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics, and Strength and Conditioning Coach Certified. He is currently finishing his doctorate at the University of Pittsburgh in Sports Medicine and Nutrition studying injury prevention and performance enhancement. Prior to enrolling in the Doctoral Program, Matt competed on the University of Pittsburgh’s varsity wrestling team. In 2010, he started Adventure Racing because it encompasses some of his favorite hobbies (mountain biking, whitewater kayaking, and trail running) into one awesome and challenging competition. Matt has raced in multiple 24-hr races including USARA National Championships.
	Kristen Dieffenbach Kristen is an assistant professor of athletic coaching education at West Virginia University, a professional sport psychology consultant (Mountains, Marathons, and More, www.sportpsychonline.com) and an endurance sports coach with Peaks Coaching Group (www.peakscoachinggroup.com). Kristen competed for Boston University in varsity cross country, indoor and outdoor track and inter-collegiate cycling. Kristen joined the world of Adventure Racing when she was asked to do a 30-hour race at the last minute in 2000 and has been addicted to the sport ever since. Kristen is a new mom and looks forward to returning to Adventure Racing in 2012.
	Kristin Eddy Kristin Eddy is a pediatric occupational therapist and mother of two. Kristin has always been a talented runner; she started doing marathons after college and began ultra-running around 2006. She has been adventure racing since 2000 when she became intrigued after seeing racers arrive at her neighbor’s house in the middle of the night. She is always learning as she pursues a balance in her daily life of motherhood, work, play, gardening, cooking, and baking. Kristin believes strongly in the curative powers of homemade bread and turning your lawn into a garden.
	Nick Heebner Nick Heebner is a doctoral student at the University of Pittsburgh currently working with injury prevention and performance enhancement research for military special operation forces. He received his undergrad degree from Penn State in Athletic Training which is where his love in trail running, mountain biking, and just being in the woods began. While looking for something more challenging and interesting than typical road and trail events he decided to try adventure racing in 2010 by competing in the 24-hour LionHeart race. He was hooked after that and found himself competing in the USARA National championship just 2 years later. Out of all the disciplines of adventure racing Nick considers mountain biking and orienteering to be his strongest skills.
	Brian Mayer Brian Mayer started out as a distance runner and track athlete in high school. He recently received his Master’s degree from Virginia Tech in Industrial and Systems Engineering and is currently working for a defense contractor in Northern Virginia. Brian raced with VT Cycling, Mountain Biking, Triathlon, and Ultra Running teams in college where he first learned of Adventure Racing. With a strong background in Boy Scouts, Brian, who loves maps, considers orienteering to be the best part of Adventure Racing.
	Julia Pollock Julia received her MBA at Carnegie Mellon University while working as a Risk Analyst for a Pittsburgh-based bank. After almost 20 years of competitive swimming, Julia turned to adventure sports to fill her appetite for exercise and adrenaline. In 2003, she was introduced into Adventure Racing after volunteering for an event and knew immediately she had found her new passion. Only two months after riding a mountain bike for the first time, Julia competed in 8 races her first year, including Endorphin Fix, Mega Dose, Beast of the East, and finished the Odyssey One Day as a solo female. In only her second year, she went on to finish Primal Quest San Juan Islands as the only 3-person female team and 2nd place finish at USARA Nationals. Julia is an avid outdoor enthusiast and has continued to compete in a variety of races all over the world.
	Dan Snyder Dan Snyder studied Plastic Engineering at Penn State University, and currently works as a technical sales engineer in Erie, PA. Dan started racing in 2006 when he signed up for a local 5k race with some fellow coworkers. After that race, he was hooked. Dan began competing in longer running events and eventually moved into triathlons and Adventure Races. Although Dan has competed mainly in off-road events, in 2010 (only 4 years after he began racing!), Dan completed an Ironman in St. George, Utah. Of all the disciplines in Adventure Racing, Dan says mountain biking is his strongest. When not racing, Dan enjoys archery hunting, camping, boating, and skiing.