Evolution Healthcare & Fitness is grateful to be able to support athletes from a variety of different sports and backgrounds.

One of the most unique aspects of Evolution is that we are building a community of people who value healthcare and fitness as an integral part of their lifestyle. These athletes embrace their respective communities and aim to not only excel but to broaden the scope of their sport.

Peter Marbach

Peter Marbach’s distinguished career spans three decades creating evocative landscapes of unspeakable beauty. He has authored several coffee table books and has numerous regional and national publication credits. A self-portrait celebrating sunrise on the summit of Mt Hood, one year after open heart surgery, graced the cover of a National Geographic map of the Cascades. His 2019 book, “Healing The Big River – Salmon Dreams and the Columbia River Treaty” continues to educate the public about the importance of modernizing the Columbia River Treaty.

Marbach’s work has evolved over the years to pursue projects that contribute to the community at large, from working with tribes and first nations in their quest to restore salmon runs on the Columbia, or his volunteer work in Nepal supporting educational advancement for people in marginalized  communities.

His projects have been featured on Oregon Field Guide, OPB’s Think Out Loud, and recently on KGW’s Grant’s Getaways.

In May 2020, Marbach began a two year project with the Oregon Historical Society to document the best of Oregon’s state park system timed to celebrate the centennial in 2022 of Oregon’s treasured parks.

Peter was recently commissioned by the Oregon Historical Society to create imagery for a 2023 exhibit, “Portland – Past and Present ”, locating and recreating contemporary images of historical scenes in Portland.

Amy VanTassel

Amy VanTassel

Amy “VT” is a professional triathlete, and an ultra-distance competitor in endurance running and cycling. The Ultraman double-iron distance is her forté having attained a career highlight with an overall win (including men) at Ultraman Israel in 2018, after her win in Canada in 2017, which was historically the closest competitive race in Ultraman history. She successfully qualified as a top-1% internationally-ranked triathlete for five years, competing in Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii until she qualified for her professional license in 2015. In addition to winning Ultraman, she has since placed in six major international half- and full-iron distance events including perennially placing among the pro field at Ironman Mont Tremblant. VT is passionate about balancing out life as a professional triathlete with off-road cycling, gravel, cyclocross, and trail running events. VT lives and spends most of the year training in Portland, Oregon. For her full-time career, she capitalizes on her Masters in Human Development and Psychology from Harvard University and her career history in college admissions to counsel high school students and families in navigating the college search and application process. She represents Optic Nerve Eyewear, Quintana Roo Bicycles, Rolf Prima Wheel Systems, Evolution Healthcare and Fitness, rnnr accessories, and PowerBar Sport.

Danny Weikel

Danny Weikel races out of Portland, Oregon for Team S&M P/B @Sellwoodcyclerepair with primary focus on Cyclocross.  He started racing CX in 2008 and it opened the doors to racing multiple disciplines. and just kept going from there  He began participating in mountain bike races working his way up to Cat 1 and then started participating in more and more road races working his way up to race with the 1/2/3 field and started adding summer gravel events to the mix.  He has worked his way up to Cat 1/2 in CX, Cat 1 in MTB and Cat 3 in road and has added more road events to his schedule as he prepares for CX season each year.  Adding strength training at Evolution a few years back and spending hours in the elevation room spinning on a trainer has paid huge dividends in my progress as athlete and a bike racer and led to my best CX season in 2019 before the pandemic breaking into the top 10 in my Master 1/2 race and into the top 20 in the gigantic single speed race.

 

On July 4th 2022 he was involved in a head on cycling accident with another cyclist and suffered a Le Fort 2/3 resulting in a 6 hour reconstructive surgery and a lot of steel hardware.  Being determined to not miss CX season that started in September he started his healing process and comeback.  He made it to the start line September 4th exactly 2 months after his accident for Zone 5 Productions Het Meer single speed CX race at Vancouver lake finishing 8th in a very competitive field.  This was just the start of his comeback and has a lot of post accident issues to get through but has goals to eventually get back to CX Nationals and plans a full gravel season in 2023.  More to come on his adventure back into racing and getting back to CXNATS.

Nissy Cobb

Nissy Cobb (they/them) has traveled the world over for the better part of two decades–solidifying a reputation as a track sprinting powerhouse and as a fierce overall competitor on the boards. The combination of raw grit, determination, and fearlessness has earned Nissy more top five finishes at national championships than you can count on both hands, and their passion for the sport and the community it provides is limitless.

While living in LA, Nissy was introduced to the Red Hook Crit and many other fixed crit races around the country. With a continued passion for track racing Nissy gained a new appreciation for the track bike but on the road. The thrill and exhilaration of this discipline of racing had Nissy immediately hooked.

Nissy was introduced to the world of bicycle racing through SEI(Self Enhancement Inc.) at just 11yrs old. Cycling was a class offered there and Nissy took to it naturally which resulted in an immediate invitation to the Jr team B.I.K.E.(Bicycles and Ideas for Kids Empowerment). They competed as a member of the team up until their last year of high school and have loosely been involved ever since.

After training and racing for 4 years in LA and Seattle, Nissy came back to Portland in 2018. They rejoined the Community Cycling Center, where they are now the Community Programs Manager. They are stoked to once again be a part of broadening access to cycling in the communities throughout Portland and beyond!

Evan Price

Evan is from the great state of Ohio and has lived now in Vancouver WA for 5 years. This year Evan moved his Physical Therapy practice to Evolution and is excited to join this amazing community.

He has been a professional triathlete for now 3 years racing primarily over the Half Ironman distance. He has competed in races across the country but enjoys local PNW races and the west coast professional Ironman races.

Evan also coaches alongside his Physical Therapy practice, working with athletes all the way from triathlon to track/field and ultra distance running or cycling. He is a part of the Dialed Cycling team in Vancouver WA and heads their triathlon team as well as coaches the Dialed Juniors program.

Laura Westmeyer

Laura Westmeyer

Laura loves to adventure! Moving through mountains, forests, and trails brings her great, great joy. Shoes, bikes, crampons, and skis are her primary tools for adventure. You will find her outdoors in all seasons, generally exploring new routes and new places, and playing with different aspects of endurance training.

Laura loves Oregon local government as much as she loves Oregon trails, and outside of her recreational interests, she works in Portland at Cable Huston LLP as a local government and land use attorney.

Laura’s current training focus is on trail running, where she enjoys racing distances ranging from 4 to 50 miles. This year, she is most excited about stage racing, competing in individual races that span over multiple days. Laura’s been using the elevation room at Evolution to prepare for a high altitude stage race in the Colorado Rockies. If you see her in there, say hi!

Scott “Caveman” Martin

Caveman has been an ultrarunner for 22 years and specializes in long, steep adventures and races with little or no aid, no course markings, sometimes off trail, and with tough cutoffs. He loves to be in nature and also loves pushing his abilities to the limit in rough terrain (The Barkley Marathons ring a bell?). His favorite events are those that few people finish and even when showing up really fit, failure is likely. Consistent, heavy, and varied training allows him to race any distance, any terrain, any time.

Caveman is very lucky to have a wonderful and supportive wife, two awesome kids, a cute dog and a classroom full of fun 2nd graders he teaches. He uses only diet and exercise to crush an auto-immune disease called ankylosing spondylitis. He is on the Altra Red Team and is excited to make altitude training a more regular part of getting ready for big challenges.

Strava Profile

Todd Vogt

Todd started rowing in 1992 as a freshman in college at the University of Buffalo, in Buffalo, NY. He was hooked immediately on the sport, with its mental and physical challenge. He rowed all four years of college and was team captain his senior year. After completing his undergraduate degree, he stayed in Buffalo working on a Masters Degree in Biochemistry and continuing to row seriously. During this time his racing highlights included winning medals at the US National Championships from 1997 to 2000.

In 2001 he and his wife moved to Portland and he continued to row and train in the Masters category. During this time, he worked in a lab at OHSU and in 2005 he began coaching rowing. For a few years he worked part-time at OHSU, coached part-time, and continued to train and compete. In 2009, he began coaching rowing as his primary occupation.  He coached at a variety of places including Willamette University, University of Portland, and a four-year stint from 2013-2017 coaching the University of Wisconsin Women’s Rowing Team. He is currently the Women’s Coach at Station L Rowing Club here in Portland.

Todd moved back to Portland in 2017 and things began to change physically for him. He noticed he was unusually fatigued that fall during his training for a large rowing competition. He didn’t think much of it. During the spring of 2018 the fatigue worsened and he developed a tremor in his left hand and foot. After several months of testing he was formally diagnosed with early-onset Parkinson’s disease in August of 2018 at age 44. He was devastated and thought his athletic days were over.

After a few months he started slowly training again. In early 2019 he reached out to US Rowing inquiring about getting classified as an adaptive athlete. After several months he was classified as a Paralympic athlete and reached out to the Head Coach of the US Paralympic Rowing Team. The Head Coach asked for some results on the rowing machine and video of Todd on the water, and with that invited him to Boston to compete for a spot on the US Paralympic National Rowing Team.

He had a wild summer in Boston. Early in the summer he raced at the World Rowing Cup II in Poznan, Poland, in a mixed-gender four-person boat finishing in 1st place for the US. Eventually, he ended up in a two-person boat and raced in the PR3 Men’s Pair event at the World Rowing Championships in Linz, Austria, finishing in 6th place.

He currently training full-time to earn a spot in the mixed gender four-person boat that will race at the Tokyo Paralympics. He is training 12-14 times a week, sometimes more. He is on the water training six mornings a week, lifting three times a week, get in a session or two a week on the rowing machine in the altitude room, plus time on the bike.

Francisco Villa

Francisco Villa

Meet Francisco, a Mexican-American multi-sport athlete with a deep passion for the outdoors. For over 14 years, he has been an active member of the Northwest community, participating in skiing, climbing, and cycling.

Francisco has honed his diverse skills over more than a decade. He is a mountain and road biker, and beginner racer in Cyclocross. He skis both uphill and downhill, through ski mountaineering. Francisco’s love for climbing has led him to be employed as an AMGA Apprentice Single Pitch Instructor With Everybody Climbs.

Francisco’s involvement in the Mazamas, Climbing Education Basic Climbing Education Program (BCEP), Intermediate Climbing School (ICS), Advanced Rock (AR), and Mazamas Backcountry Ski Course is a testament to his experience and commitment to his craft.

But Francisco’s commitment to the outdoors extends beyond his personal pursuits. He is a passionate advocate for outdoor access for BIPOC communities, and he is actively involved in several clubs and organizations that focus on networking, education, and advocacy. He believes that providing welcoming environments that connect communities of color together is essential for the future of protecting our wilderness. As a volunteer lead with Latino Outdoors, Francisco organizes and facilitates outdoor trips for the Latino community at low to no-cost to participants. He also contributes his love of the outdoors with other groups such as Open Slopes and Bike POC Northwest by assisting at events. He is a true inspiration, and his passion for connecting communities of color to the outdoors is infectious.

Theresa Hailey

Theresa grew up just outside of Spokane, WA, and started running on the dirt roads around her house when she was 15. She ran all throughout high school and was eager to continue her running journey into college. It was ultimately the trails of Forest Park that brought her to Portland, and because of those trails (and the ever-growing running community) she never wanted to leave.

After running collegiately for 4 years, and graduating with a degree in Mechanical Engineering, she set her sights on some bigger running goals – racing marathons. She instantly fell in love! Over the years she has completed 14 marathons, dropped her time from 3:14 to 2:36, and qualified for the 2020 and 2024 Marathon Olympic Trials. She has dreams of making it to the Olympics, but patience is her strength. As she continues to chip away at her marathon time, she can’t help but be excited for her next big goal: breaking 2:30 in the marathon. Theresa works full time as a Mechanical Engineer and she is sponsored by Oiselle and Littlewing Athletics. She is thrilled to be part of the Evolution Team!