The Loppet Foundation
Greg Rhodes PhD, CSCS is an experienced sports performance professional with a focus on endurance athletics. Serving as the Director of Sports High Performance, Head Coach, and Owner at Endurance Athlete since April 2008, Greg has coached athletes across various endurance sports. Additional roles include Instructor in Cross Country Skiing at The Loppet Foundation, Assistant Coach for Cross Country Skiing at Southwest Senior High School, and Exercise Physiologist and Sports Performance Consultant at Specialized Bicycle Components where Greg engages in human performance testing and product design. As an educator, Greg has contributed as an adjunct professor at Oregon State University-Cascades and Concordia University-Portland, as well as a visiting lecturer at Fort Lewis College. With a PhD in Kinesiology and Exercise Science from the University of Minnesota, along with extensive qualifications and experience in athletic coaching and exercise science, Greg Rhodes is a prominent figure in the field of sports performance.
The Loppet Foundation
The Loppet Foundation is a non-profit organization that connects people to the outdoors through experiences that grow community. The organization operates the Twin Cities' most well known cross-country ski trails, in addition to hiking/running trails, mountain bike / fat-tire bike trails, a snow tubing hill, an alpine hill, and a frisbee golf course, all based out of The Trailhead in Theodore Wirth Park. The Loppet is widely known for organizing large-scale sporting events which have shaped cross-country skiing in both the Midwest and the United States. The 2018 Masters Cross Country Ski World Cup, 2011 and 2021 U.S. Junior Cross Country Ski Championships, 2020 FIS Cross Country World Cup, U.S. SuperTour races, 2019 and 2020 USA Winter Triathlon National Championships, and 2018 Super Bowl Live are some of the largest external events the organization has overseen. The Foundation also organizes 50+ Loppet events each year, including the City of Lakes Loppet Winter Festival which attracts over 13,000 participants annually. Focused programming in the Adventure Camp, Ski Camp, Minne-Loppet, and Junior Loppet programs have helped thousands of youth in North Minneapolis learn life-long outdoor skills and gain confidence in their abilities. The Loppet Run Club, Loppet Ultra Run Club, and Loppet Ski Club provide adults with the opportunity to gain group recreational experience in individual sports, while Loppet TRAIL KIDS is a stepping stone for children ages 7-13 into other more competitive programs. The year-round nationally-recognized competitive training programs for junior and adult racers include Loppet Run 365, Loppet Cycle Works, and Loppet Nordic Racing.