Coaches
National Walk Coach
David McGovern
Coach Dave is a globe-trotting racewalking coach and a member of the US National Racewalk Team with a master's degree in sport science from the United States Sports Academy. He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to Team Challenge and is excited to "meet" his team and start training for the Napa to Sonoma Wine Country Half Marathon!
During his 25-year competitive career Dave has won 13 U.S. National Championships and has walked 20 kilometers (12.4 miles--one of the two Olympic distances for men) in 1:24:29--a 6:48 per-mile pace--which ranks him as the fastest American ever to not make an Olympic Team. (Onward to 2008!)
As a private coach, Dave has had seven of his athletes qualify for the United States Olympic Track & Field Trials. Dave also coach the national team of Ghana, West Africa, and is one of the two coaches for the U.S. team at the 2008 World Cup of Racewalking in Cheboksary Russia.
National Run Coach
Melissa Spooner, B.Sc Nutritionist
Melissa has an amazing background in competitive endurance training and coaching. Melissa was a professional iron(wo)man for 7 years and had the opportunity to race throughout the world and win Ironman Championships(IM Lanzarote 1998, IM New Zealand 1999, IM USA 2000), and finish a personal best 4th at the World Championships in Hawaii 1998.
Melissa first started coaching in 2000 and after she retired from professional racing in 2004 she developed the Nutriton program at Endurance Rehabilitation in Scottsdale, AZ.
Melissa's philopsophy is simple - your training needs to fit into your life and therefore your goals must be clear. You need to know what you want to get out of your coaching relationship, and out of your training.