The History of HSP

By Russell Cree

Todd and I have long envisioned a full service training facility for endurance athletes. For more than a decade, we’ve both wanted to build a place where all levels of athletes could meet for training, testing, and presentations, a place that embraces the culture of cycling and triathlon and offers world-class services.

When Todd moved to Seattle in December 2005, he and I met through the sport of cycling and we quickly realized we had a similar vision. Todd was embarking on his last year as a professional cyclist and I was ready to devote my time to my own business focusing solely on cyclists and triathletes. After a series of meetings, we came up with a plan for HSP.

By the end of 2006, the beginnings of HSP were in place. We had secured an office, a physiology lab, and a private personal training studio within the Institute of New Medicine’s facility in downtown Seattle. We’ve known the guys at iNewMed for a while and we have a high regard for the health and nutrition guidance they provide to endurance athletes. Working within their facility was a logical choice.

The year progressed well and we continued to attract clients throughout the year. During that time, we also had added a third business partner, Scott Zaret. Recognizing our limitations when it comes to business management, we brought in a partner with a strong business background. Scott — a lawyer, businessman, and avid cyclist — was an immediate asset to our team.

Our first year went well and we quickly realized we were outgrowing our space in downtown Seattle. Our aspirations for group exercise classes were limited and we knew that we would be adding to our staff to handle our growing list of coaching clients. The hunt for a larger space began.

We signed the lease in August 2007 for our new facility in Fremont and work soon began to remodel it. We wanted it to have it all: A state-of-the-art indoor training facility with indoor triathlon training, a strength and conditioning studio, a comprehensive bike fitting studio, an exercise physiology lab, and a treatment room for massage and physical therapy. Functioning bathrooms and a shower were also on the list!

By the end of 2007, we had arrived in Fremont. Our new facility was up and running.

Now we are into 2008 and business continues to progress. We held our first winter training camps in Tucson with great success. Our group exercise classes have been a hit and we’re really enjoying the new space and the HSP team. We still work closely with the iNewMed team for health and nutrition and our network continues to grow. We have great clients in cycling and triathlon. Some are preparing for the Olympics in the summer of 2008 and others are getting ready for their first-ever triathlon.

Helping clients at all levels reach their goals makes going to work fun every day. The first 18 months of HSP has been an exciting time and we’re very grateful for our success. We owe this to our clients and our friends who have come out in force to support us.

We have even bigger plans for the years to come and we encourage you to be a part of our future. See you soon.

—Russell