Coach Lauren Vallee
About Coach Lolo
Coach Lauren (Lolo) Vallee has spent the better part of her life in high-performance sport and has been a professional endurance coach since 2010. She is a USA Triathlon Level II Coach and Ironman Certified Coach. She has contributed to various publications like Triathlete Magazine, Ironman.com, and FastTalk Labs Educational Modules.
Lauren is a multiple time Ironman World Championship qualifier and multiple time Ironman 70.3 World Championship qualifier. She placed 9th in the F35-39 age group at the 2021 Ironman World Championship.
Lauren has been a top ranked athlete since 2011. In 2022 she was ranked top ten in the United States. In 2014 Lauren was ranked 1st in the USA and 2nd in the world in the W30-34 age group for the Ironman All World Rankings. Every year since 2011, Coach Lolo has been recognized by USA Triathlon as an All American or AA Honorable Mention athlete.
Lauren began racing triathlon in 2005 during her undergrad years at DePaul University. She then completed her first Master's Degree at The Ohio State University in Sport Management. While in Columbus, Coach Lolo quickly became a part of the local triathlon community. She founded BASE Tri Fitness in order to provide quality coaching to that enthusiastic community. In 2022, she rebranded her company to Valiant Endurance to reflect the growing accomplishments of the squad.
While living in Ohio, Coach Lauren executed blood lactate tests for various sport organizations and teams in Ohio, volunteered with the Central Ohio Triathlon Club as a Board Member and General Member, and started the first ever triathlon training class for the students at The Ohio State University.
Lauren completed a second Master's degree in Counseling Psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute. She has a small private practice in Boulder where she practices depth psychotherapy for athletes and high-performers.
Lauren believes that success comes from focused, consistent work. It comes from a stubborn desire to do whatever it takes to be YOUR best. Just because someone wasn't born with natural talent doesn't mean you can't achieve the level of excellence you want.
Credentials and Education
Coach Lauren Vallee has been a high performance coach since 2010. Her education and certifications include:
- USA Triathlon Certified Coach Level II
- Head Coach and Owner, BASE Tri Fitness 2010-2021
- IRONMAN Certified Coach
- M.A. Counseling Psychology, Pacifica Graduate Institute
- M.A., Sport Management, The Ohio State University
- B.S.ed, Physical Education, Sport Management, DePaul University
Podcasts, Projects, and Other Information
Mentoring Relationships
Throughout her racing career, Lauren has been coached by some of the top professionals in the country. Each coach served as a mentor to Lauren. Scott Duprex, Kathleen Hughes, Craig Upton, and Mateo Mercur all shared different, but compelling, ways to develop stronger, more resilient athletes.
Lauren has also had the opportunity to collaborate with international nutrition experts and pioneers. Lauren met Stacy Sims while Sims was developing OSMO. Before Sims published her groundbreaking book on female nutrition and physiology, "Roar", Lauren and Stacy collaborated extensively to address the hydration and nutrition needs for Lauren's female athletes and broader squad.
Lauren now works closely with Scott Tindal founder of Fuel:In, to deliver training and nutrition programs to her athletes. Working with Tindal has revolutionized the diet and nutrition of coach Lolo's squad.
Lauren currently collaborates with top North American Trisutto coach, Mateo Mercur. With 25 years as a high-performance endurance coach, and a decade as Head Coach of the UCSB triathlon team, Mateo has coached age groupers and world champions across the distances. As a world-class coach, Mateo provides invaluable guidance to Coach Lauren and her team. Coach Mateo's daily squad experience has been indispensable to the refinement of coach Lolo's presence and coaching eye on deck, and on the race course.
"In psychotherapy there is a practice called 'collegial consultation'. This refers to when a therapist discusses clinical case material with a colleague. This process allows for creative problem solving and the development of new insights. I have always operated this way in my coaching by taking issues to those I respect and trust in order to give my athletes the best outcomes." ~ Coach Lolo
Coaching is my career. This is not a side project or something I do 'for fun'. It is my profession. My goal is to have a team that develops athletes who race with confidence, freedom, and conviction. I love working with athletes who set big goals.
Head Coach Lauren Vallee