At 100 Year Athlete ©, we train people for a lifetime of mountain adventures.
As strength coaches and mountain athletes based in Park City, UT, we plan to ski, board, climb, bike, run, and hike into our twilight years – and we want you out there with us.
Our approach to training ageless athletes rests on three principles:
Evidence-Based Training
We draw on scientific studies, rigorously tested training methodologies, and experience with mountain athletes to design our programs. Everything we do in the gym has a purpose.
Train to Last, Not to Break
Getting your sweat on feels great, but going “hard” every day in the gym is a recipe for pain, injury, and retirement at a bingo table. We help you balance training and recovery to achieve longevity.
Adventure at Every Age
To train our best, we need motivation – new trips, peaks, races, and trails that remind us of why we love mountain sports. We encourage our athletes to keep checking off those bucket-list adventures. In this community, we train for a lifetime of adventure, one mission at a time.
Our COACHES
Ben Van Treese
FOUNDER, CSCS
Ben is the Founder of OTM and an expert on injury prevention and training for longevity in mountain sports. His approach starts with the joint health and mobility athletes need to perform their sport with technical precision and safety. He has worked with Olympic athletes and X Games competitors as well as professional athletes in the NFL, NBA, and NHL. He is the author of A Cyclists Guide To Back Pain: Why Stretching Won't Work And What To Do Instead.
Ben earned a BS in Human Nutrition and Exercise Physiology from Ohio State University and is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist (CSCS®) with the National Strength and Conditioning Association. He has 15 years of experience in the field and is interested in the balance between performance and staying power in the mountains. These days, Ben is an accomplished rock climber (for a big dude) and chases fresh powder all over the Wasatch.
Born in Ohio, Ben grew up in a family of professional water skiers. His mother, a national champion several times over, raised Ben around elite coaches who fueled his interest in the power of training. By the end of college, though, Ben’s spine was fried from too many water skiing wrecks. That’s when he discovered Functional Range Conditioning (FRC), which not only enabled him to return to sport but motivated him to train people for longevity, not just short-term performance.
Alex Wetmore, PhD
Director of Coaching
Dr. Alex Wetmore is perhaps the only Sport Physiology and Performance PhD who milks cows on his ranch in the morning and trains World Cup athletes in the afternoons. A globally recognized expert in developing athleticism, Alex has coached professional and Olympic athletes. He has also presented his research at national and international conferences for strength and conditioning.
Before joining OTM, Alex served as Academy Head of Performance for Real Salt Lake and Head Strength and Conditioning Coach for Westminster College. He also coached at D1 East Tennessee State University and its US Olympic training site.
Born in Indiana, Alex grew up in the football world and ultimately played defensive end at Marian University Indianapolis. When Alex isn’t caring for livestock, he’s most likely riding horses, skiing, or fly fishing.
RebeCCA BALLSTAEDTs
Director of Online Training
A personal trainer for over 25 years, Rebecca is an “OG” of 100 Year Athlete Online. She set the bar for how we build trusting relationships with online clients and support their outdoor adventures. These days, she continues to train 100 Year Athletes and mentors our team of online coaches.
Prior to joining us in 2021, Rebecca founded and operated a CrossFit gym in Draper, Utah and ran her own nutrition consulting business. She is Kinstretch certified, a Certified Personal Trainer with the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM), and a Certified CrossFit Level 2 Trainer. She also studied exercise physiology and nutrition at the University of Utah, where she played softball and rugby.
Rebecca has successfully trained athletes for tough expeditions—like summiting Grand Teton with 100YA partner The Mountain Guides. In the gym, her personal goal is to be ready for any outdoor challenge, whether that is hiking the Grand Canyon rim to rim or signing up at the last minute for a marathon (she and Nick, her husband, have done six so far). Outside the gym, Rebecca loves to trail run, hike, snowshoe, and camp. She wakes up at 4:30 am every day, so don’t expect her to respond to anything after 8 pm.
Ashley Davis
Strength Coach
Ashley started as OTM’s first-ever intern, got tossed into the deep end, and swam right into a coaching role. Today, she leads private, semi-private, and group training sessions with her trademark chill and uplifting style. She is passionate about helping people live a healthier lifestyle without becoming uber-intense health nuts.
A mountain athlete, Ashley grew up camping, skiing, canoeing, and summiting peaks in Washington’s Cascade Range. The sixth of eight kids, she had to keep up with two older sisters and three older brothers who were all Eagle Scouts. Passionate about training and healthy living, Ashley earned her bachelor’s degree in Exercise and Wellness from Brigham Young University.
These days, Ashley and her husband are into skiing and technical mountaineering. They recently summited Mt. Hood and plan to start bagging more peaks.
Nathan Payne
Head of Private Training
Nathan has served as a Strength Coach at OTM since 2020 and trains athletes of all ages and backgrounds. Mostly raised in Park City, he grew up practicing gymnastics and free skiing. After a few too many head injuries in the terrain park, he took a 10-year hiatus to pursue safer sports—like rock climbing, mountaineering, and wrestling.
Today, Nathan is passionate about helping athletes overcome injuries, develop mobility, and train for a lifetime of mountain adventures. He values collaboration in the outdoors and celebrates the fact that no matter what’s happening in the world, we can all have moments of Zen in the mountains.
Nathan holds multiple certifications with Functional Range Systems (FRC and FRSC) and is certified in Myokinematic Restoration with the Postural Restoration Institute (PRI). He is also a NASM Certified Personal Trainer and Certified Sports Nutrition Coach. In addition to coaching at OTM, Nathan serves as a coach for Park City Ski & Snowboard (PCSS), where he teaches young guns to land on their skis instead of their heads.
Sara Mitton
Strength Coach
Sara offers personal and small group training at OTM. She excels at creating an environment in which clients feel safe, supported, and heard. For Sara, the gym is where athletes not only reach their goals but also discover that they’re stronger and more capable than they have ever believed.
Raised in Bountiful, Utah, Sara became passionate about weightlifting in college. While earning a B.S. in Kinesiology at Utah State University, Sara taught weightlifting classes for fellow students who were new to the gym. That rewarding experience cemented her decision to become a strength coach.
A recreational volleyball player and runner, Sara aims to develop more athleticism and mobility in her own training. Outside of OTM, she is striving to master sourdough bread – her starter’s name is Ronda.
RICHARD ELLIS
Chief Operating Officer
In 2018, Rich was a 29-year-old physical wreck who went to doctors’ offices with a two-page list of his injuries and surgeries that wouldn’t fit on the intake form. Beat up and discouraged, he tried to quit his gym in Park City, Utah. Ben Van Treese, who’d begun coaching there days earlier, convinced Rich to stay — and asked for 12 weeks to turn things around.
Since then, Rich has been able to snowboard and mountain bike (mostly) pain free. As COO at 100 Year Athlete, Rich’s mission is to bring longevity-based training to fellow athletes who’ve played a little too hard.
Born and raised near Chicago, Rich spent 20+ years practicing and teaching Shotokan Karate. Before launching 100 Year Athlete, he built a consulting business that provides strategy and writing services for entrepreneurs and investors.
