About Us
Meet Our Coaches
Jason Lentzke
Toro Performance Coach
Jason discovered triathlon in 2005 when a soccer injury forced him to embrace cross training. Throughout this athletic journey, he has logged thousands of hours, earned an Elite license and made plenty of mistakes along the way. Since 2012, Toro Performance has been Jason's vehicle to help athletes avoid most of the pitfalls that he discovered.
Jason works with triathletes, cyclists, runners and endurance athletes of all skill levels. He has guided beginners to their first Ironman finish line, professional triathletes to the podium, cyclists (criterium, road, MTB & gravel), marathoners, ultra runners and virtually every skill level in between. As a life-long student of endurance sport, Jason shares a passion and commitment to excellence with his stable of athletes.
Jason understands that your time is precious. Your training should be integrated into your life, not dumped on top of it. Given your available time commitment, Jason’s full-time job is to get you as fit as possible.
Jason grew up in Pewaukee, WI and studied at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. As the founder & owner of Toro Performance, he currently lives, trains and coaches full time in Phoenix, AZ with his wife Coralie and their daughter Juliette.
Notable Achievements:
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Over 15 years of coaching experience & a lifelong athlete
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USAT Coaching Certification, 2008
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Specialized Body Geometry Bike Fit Technician
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Multiple Boston Marathon qualifier
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Ironman Hawaii & Ironman 70.3 WC Finisher
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Countless Ironman & Ironman 70.3 podiums
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2016 Duathlon National Championship runner-up
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Competed in Ironman & Ironman 70.3 events all over the world
Whitley Atkins, Ph.D.
Toro Performance Coach
Whitley has competed in endurance sports her entire life but developed a love for triathlon in 2014. She believes that the biggest reward is seeing hard work pay off and getting to celebrate that hard work by challenging yourself daily. Overcoming the adversity in training translates to multiple facets of life and allows her athletes to be the best versions of themselves.
Whitley has multiple degrees in Exercise Science, including a PhD in Health, Sport, and Exercise Science. Her PhD research was focused on hydration, electrolyte balance, and heat acclimation. Further, she developed a niche with female athletes by focusing on fluid balance and female specific physiology. Her scientific knowledge provides Toro Athletes with a winning edge in competition and training.
Using both her education and athletic experience, Whitley has coached her athletes to be successful in all distances of the sport-including attaining World Championship qualifications.
Whitley is currently living and training in Dallas, Texas but makes frequent visits to the Sonoran Desert.
Notable Achievements:
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USAT Certified Coach, 2015
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Ph.D. in Thermoregulation Hydration & Renal Physiology
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World Championship 70.3 qualifier
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All World Athlete
Sport can be a vehicle to change someone's life in healthy & positive way. We love witnessing an athlete’s transformation of self concept & identity. This is what we live for.
Pablo Gomez
Toro Performance Coach
After being sidelined by an injury while playing tennis, Pablo decided to start running to stay in shape, and this quickly led him into the endurance and triathlon world. In 2011, Pablo moved to Austin, TX and began compiling multiple victories and podiums in distances ranging from super-sprint to Half Ironman triathlons, as well as road running & adventure races. Pablo has managed to qualify for numerous World Championships in the 70.3 and Olympic distances while finishing more than 30 Half Ironmans in his career thus far.
Pablo attended Texas State University, where he graduated with a Masters in Arts in 2018 while simultaneously pursuing his Elite racing license & developing as a coach.
While training under different coaching styles and in different performance environments, Pablo has solidified a coaching philosophy based on quality work and the pursuit of excellence through discipline and dedication, while balancing life's stressors. As a coach and athlete, Pablo understands the importance of having a consistent training and racing schedule that prioritizes and takes into consideration each athlete's life demands and challenges.
Pablo currently lives, trains and races professionally out of Bogota, Colombia.
Notable Achievements:
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Countless Ironman 70.3 podiums
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Professional Long Course Triathlete
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1st in the 2017 70.3 All World Athlete ranking
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Multiple World Championship qualifications
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2012 USAT Long Distance Champion
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Competed in Ironman and Ironman 70.3 events all over the world
Dr. Scott Ellis, DPT
Toro Performance Coach
After Scott's basketball career concluded, he expanded the scope of his education receiving a bachelor's degree in athletic training and a doctorate of physical therapy both from Northern Arizona University. During his time at school, he spent thousands of hours working with athletes, coaches, and strength and conditioning specialists in a myriad of sports endeavors. Scott helped develop athletes of all ability by teaching injury prevention and treatment, strength and conditioning, nutrition, recovery, and dealing with the emotional and psychological roller coaster associated with a training season.
Being a full-time medical professional, Scott has often found himself trying to find ways to balance a full-time job, full-time training, a happy home, and he has proven that it can be done with a proper schedule and a good support team.
Now based in Chicago, Scott works with age-group athletes of all ability who share one common trait: pushing their own limits.
Outside of training and working, Scott spends time with his Ironman-finisher wife, Lauren, their menagerie of rescue animals, and anyone who will join him for a mountain summit.
Notable Achievements:
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13 Ironman finishes & counting, countless Ironman 70.3 finishes
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Regional Beer Mile Champion
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Competed in Ironman and 70.3 events all over the world
What Athletes are Saying
Sean
Houston, Texas
Throughout our 20 weeks, Jason and I spoke frequently in which he listened to me both vocally and physically. Not only did I begin to see improvement in my power and times but more importantly, I had someone who educated me and cared about my health in the process.
Fast forward to Florida…I studied the race day plan and trusted the process. It was the hardest I’d ever pushed but finished with 4:35 time, a 34 minute improvement from just 20 weeks! Nothing quite like finishing a race like that!! I finished 4th in age group and qualified for the World Championship in St George, Utah with just two 70.3s under my belt.
Without Jason this would have not been possible. He leads from the front like a pro, still continues to walk the walk as an athlete and most importantly, he genuinely cares. The guy is phenomenal. As a coach myself, I learned from him and have nothing but respect for his work ethic and dedication.
If you’re looking for an endurance coach I would highly recommend Jason at Toro Performance. Stay away from generic cheap plans on the internet, you deserve better. Get a plan that’s tailored to you!! You will hit your goals with Toro.
Bridget
Berkeley, California
Jason has been my coach since January 2014. I could not be happier with his coaching these past 1.5 years! He has done an outstanding job training me for two Ironmans (my second and third ones), helping me attain "personal best" times at both events. He has also successfully trained me twice for the Wildflower Long Course, several Olympic-distance races, a "gran fondo" ride and running races. Throughout the over 1.5 years that I've followed Jason's advice and daily workouts, I have stayed healthy (no real injuries to speak of), gotten stronger and had a lot of fun. I consider these results to be directly attributable to Jason's excellent workouts, communication, advice and guidance. In particular, given that I'm 49 years old and have been side-lined pretty frequently in the past by injury, I am thrilled that Jason's coaching (including frequent/excellent communication with me) has enabled me to do so many challenging races without getting hurt or sick. Jason has also done an excellent job as a coach of honoring my particular goals and respecting my non-triathlon/training schedule.
Di
Rockford, Michigan
I have been working with Jason since January. He was referred to me from a friend who used him 2 Ironman races. He has not disappointed me in anyway and has lived up to his reputation from my fellow athlete. He is quick with communication and support. He reminds me of nutrition and hydration which I never realized how important those were until we started working together. He is flexible with my workouts when I need him to be and allows me to make changes as necessary. He doesn't overwhelm you with your training, but rather works with your existing schedule to make it all fit. I know i can always count on him to be constructive in any area he feels I am lacking or not giving my full potential . I have much more confidence in my September IM by working with Jason than I ever did before. I would recommend him for athletes of all levels and experience :)
