About – REV3TRI

CHARLIE PATTEN

FOUNDER

“When you believe in a thing, believe in it all the way, implicitly and unquestionable.”

Without Charlie Patten, there is no Rev3. It all began with him back in 2008. Rev3 is his vision and we have assembled a team to help execute that vision. You won’t meet a more down to earth guy than Charlie. He keeps the staff from being too serious and getting bogged down in the day to day. He reminds us all why we do what we do.

First and foremost, Charlie is a family man. He has a wife, Stephanie, who he adores and 4 kids who you will often see around Rev3 races. When not at a race, Charlie is typically at a swim meet with his kids, volunteering at their school, roasting coffee or working on one of his many other, ever changing, hobbies. Charlie loves to learn, he is always finding something new, reading something new, trying something new. Life is an adventure and he doesn’t miss a minute.

Charlie grew up in a military family and spent some time serving our country. This is one reason why Rev3 has such a commitment to those in the service. His parents are on the Rev3 staff and can be seen at all our races. Charlie Sr and Debbie are honorary staff parents and we all look to them for guidance. Senior drives a truck and helps with just about everything and Debbie works in our retail area. So you can see, Rev3 really is about family.

Charlie is the joke-ster of the staff. He has been known to use an air horn when least expected, he loves to take unflattering selfies, share funny stories, remind us and anyone who will listen, of our most embarrassing moments and laugh at our misfortune. He’s also the first one to step in and help when you need it. He does things behind the scenes that many never know about. He is generous and kind, taking care of those he loves. And he loves us all.

Everything good and right about Rev3 comes from Charlie. He is pretty humble and won’t accept accolades, but those of us who work for him would walk through the fire for him. When you see him at arace, stop and say hi. He’d love to hear your story.

ERIC OPDYKE

PRESIDENT

“This job isn’t for everyone.”

If you know Rev3, you know Eric. He has been to every single Rev3 race that ever was. He delivered aid stations at the first Quassy, directed every race since then, and now is our President. He bleeds blue. Eric is responsible for the overall direction of Rev3. He works with sponsors, new business development and long term planning. Every staff member can attribute their role with Rev3 to Eric, in some way. He assembled the team that is the Rev3 staff.

Before Rev3, Eric worked in marketing and then became a massage therapist. We aren’t sure why the staff doesn’t get any free massages, but that’s a different story. Eric is constantly looking at things and trying to find a way to make them better. His perspective shapes our company and he pushes the staff to think of new ways to operate in order to exceed the expectations of our customers.

We aren’t sure what Eric does when he isn’t working, because he always seems to be working. He has been known to relax on a beach, run the Boston Marathon, ride his bike, ski and race triathlons. He always knows the best places to eat in every town, he knows the short cuts and the perfect place to watch the sun set.

Eric grew up in Rhode Island, where he was the Nation’s Top Ranked Hammer Thrower. The drive, focus and commitment to be the best is evident in all he does. Eric knows what it takes and expects the best from those around him. He lived in Connecticut for many years and now resides in Virginia, near the Rev3 offices.

When you see Eric on race weekend, he’s always happy to stop and talk to you. He’ll always have on his blue watch, his blue sunglasses and his staff hat (to protect his bald head). He’ll cheer you on out on course, give you some encouragement if you find yourself walking on the run course and he’ll always be there to cheer you on at the finish line. In a crisis, Eric is your guy. He is calm and cool under pressure. Rev3 could not exist without him.

ASHLEY QUINN

DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS

“I’m goin’ for all that I can get, kickin’ it at the top, ‘cause I’m too legit to quit.”

Stick around for the final finisher at any of our races and you’ll see Ashley dancing to “Too Legit To Quit” at the Finish Line. Rev3 does not happen without Ashley. She handles everything from managing our Club Program, ordering supplies like race numbers and bibs, making sure we have enough aid station supplies, food for the staff, as well as 1 million other things that are required to have a race.

We met Ashley during our first year in Knoxville (2011). A recent grad of The University of Tennessee, Ashley was our Local Volunteer Coordinator. She cried when the weekend was over and we knew she was hooked. Not too much later she made the move to Northern Virginia and started working for Rev3 Full Time.

When not working (and even when she is working), Ashley is obsessed with her rescue doggie, Larry Puppins. She also LOVES to sleep and coaches a local high school swim team. Several years ago she hiked the Grand Canyon in one day.

On race weekend Ashely is always looking for a phone charger, chapstick and water, but she will NEVER lose a staff radio (and you better not lose one either). You can often find her in the command center, working with our local law enforcement or out on the course, helping with aid stations. When it comes time for awards, Ashley will be on stage, overseeing that process too!

One of Ashley’s proudest accomplishments (and favorite Rev3 memories) was participating in a Run Across America. In 2011, 8 Rev3 staff members (joined by some others supporting Ulman Cancer Fund) ran from California to Virginia in 21 days. “It was tough, but we were doing it to raise money for Ulman Cancer Fund and it was probably one of the coolest things I’ve ever done. For 21 days all you would think, eat and breathe was raising money for young adults with cancer”. There was no TV, no internet, barely even cell service. All they had was each other, sore legs and a goal.

Knoxville is Ashley’s favorite venue; mostly because that’s where she grew up, went to college and met Rev3. If you want to know all the ins and outs of this town, check with her on race weekend. Then join us at the end of the race and dance with her at the finish line!

TRACY BRYANT

DIRECTOR OF MARKETING, SOCIAL MEDIA, VOLUNTEERS AND CUSTOMER SERVICE

“When you have exhausted all possibilities, remember this: you haven’t”

We first met Tracy in 2011 when she raced our Portland, Oregon event. In 2012, we hired her to be the Local Volunteer Coordinator for Portland Rev3 race. We loved the Pacific Northwest and wanted something by which to remember it, so we took Tracy with us. For the remainder of the 2012 season, Tracy traveled to our races and worked with us part time. In February of 2013 we hired her as our full time Director of Volunteers and none of us ever looked back.

If you have raced with Rev3 you have probably seen Tracy, she is always in the Information Tent answering questions and directing volunteers. She usually has a jar of almond butter with her (that’s her favorite food), at least one coffee and if a Bon Jovi song is playing, she will be singing along. In 2015 we added Director of Customer Service to Tracy’s job title. Send an email to Rev3 and Tracy finds an answer for you.

When she isn’t working, you can find Tracy and her husband Trevor running and biking the trails of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park near their home in Ohio where they now live. Tracy is very involved with animal welfare and rescue. When not tending to her house full of special needs pets, she is volunteering at her local shelter. Tracy says her biggest accomplishment is rescuing and raising a deaf and blind Australian Shepherd named Asha.

Tracy’s passion and commitment is evident in all she does. She has won our staff MVP ball two times. In October of 2015 we added Director of Marketing and Social Media to her list of responsibilities at Rev3. If she won the lottery she would buy a farm and rescue animals on a large scale. She says she wouldn’t quit her job and we believe her.

ADAM ECK

ART DIRECTOR

“And so it goes...”

You may not know it, but you are familiar with Adam and his work. The fact that you are on the Rev3 website is proof of that! As the Art Director for Rev3, Adam designs everything from our website to race shirts, advertising, branding on the tractor trailers you see at our races, athlete wristbands and signage. He is the keeper of our brand and a little piece of him exists in all of it!

After 10 years bouncing around the graphic design world, Adam found an unlikely home at Rev3. He joined the team before the first race at Quassy in 2009. Adam is not a triathlete. In fact, he’s not much of an athlete at all, unless you count skateboarding in high school. His idea of endurance is eating a steak, drinking a beer, and watching a Simpson’s marathon.

Adam’s favorite pastimes include brewing beer, drinking beer, dreaming up new beers, finding the best cooler for his beer and having misadventures with his wife, daughter and dog.

Adam is rumored to have a played a single song on his guitar to a small audience of staff members at a race in Williamsburg in 2015. They were left wanting more, but according to the legend, Adam dropped the mic and walked off stage; vowing to never play again. We still hold out hope that maybe someday we’ll be lucky enough to hear such sweet music again!

Adam never lets us take ourselves too seriously. He is amazing at his job, creates designs that are far beyond anything the rest of the staff could imagine. He makes our crazy ideas come to fruition. One of his proudest moments involves a Rev3 ad that ran in Triathlete Magazine – and an angry letter. Next time you see him at one of our races, ask him about that. If you bring him a beer, maybe he might even tell you.

CAROLE SHARPLESS

AMBASSADOR TEAM MANAGER

“Honey Badger don’t give a…”

Carole has been with Rev3 since the beginning. Prior to Rev3 she was a professional triathlete and a high school teacher. She knows triathlon and loves Rev3. As our Ambassador Team Manager, Carole spends hundreds of hours each season interviewing potential team members. During the rest of the season, she helps our team represent our brand at races and in communities all across the country.

When not working for Rev3, you’ll find Carole at the pool in Boulder, Colorado (where she lives) coaching athletes. She also works hard training athletes to reach their goals and be their best. No one is a better motivator than Carole. Her heartfelt honesty is central to her being and an important part of her role with Rev3.

Carole is currently writing a book on her adventures in dating. Actually, she isn’t, but she should. Carole has the ability to find humor in any situation, typically at the moment when you think there is nothing funny. This keeps the rest of the Rev3 staff on track and allows us to not take ourselves too seriously.

Carole’s favorite food is pizza and will gladly share one with you. She is currently planning a trip to Italy that she has been anticipating for over 20 years! We aren’t sure the Italians are ready for our Carole, but they will certainly love her. We know we do.