CALIBER BIATHLON CLUB · EST. 2018
TRAIN THE
CONTRADICTION
Speed and stillness. The same body. Minus-fifteen air, one black dot downrange.
WHAT IT
DEMANDS
THE BODY THAT CONTRADICTS ITSELF
A biathlete pushes heart rate to 185 bpm on the trail, then must drop it — not rest it, drop it — to 140 in four seconds to shoot clean. The rifle does not forgive trembling hands. The course does not forgive slow ones.
TWO DISCIPLINES. ONE FAILURE MODE.
Miss a target: 150-meter penalty loop. Every one. The math is brutal — a 28-second loop costs more than a 5-second shooting error. The club that takes marksmanship as seriously as interval training is rare. This is that club.
THE COLD IS NOT THE ENEMY
Minus-fifteen is normal. Minus-twenty-five is a race day. You learn to wax skis in a heated cabin, then step into darkness and move. The cold narrows everything: vision, breath, focus. Some athletes find it clarifying. Most find it clarifying eventually.
THE
CRUCIBLE
Four training pillars. Seven sessions per week at peak season. One standard: if you can't explain why you missed, you're not ready to race.
Range Sessions
3× / weekDry-fire protocols at 10m before any live-fire. Standing and prone positions, position-hold drills, trigger discipline under simulated fatigue. Every shooter logs splits. Misses are documented, not dismissed.
PROTOCOLS
- ▸10m dry-fire · 50m live-fire
- ▸Prone and standing stages
- ▸Trigger pull under HRV stress
- ▸Logged split times every session
Ready to train this way?
Fall tryouts open. 14 spots remain.
THE
MENTORS
MARCUS THOLEN
Head Coach · Shooting
- ▸IBU Level 3 Certified
- ▸U.S. Biathlon National Team, 2009–2014
- ▸Best prone split: 19.2s (Ruhpolding, 2012)
- ▸6 World Cup starts, 2 top-20 finishes
"The shot happens before you pull the trigger. I coach the 8 seconds before the trigger, not the trigger."
INGRID SOLBERG
Head Coach · Skiing
- ▸USSA Level 400 Nordic Coach
- ▸Norwegian National Team Development, 2011–2016
- ▸Masters World Champion, 35–39, 2021
- ▸Lactate testing certified, Oslo Sports Institute
"Heart rate is information. Every interval tells you something. Most athletes ignore what it's telling them. We don't."
Train under national-level coaching.
Credentials earned on the course, not in a classroom.
THE TRIALS
2025–26
Six races. Four states. One championship. The calendar is built around qualification standards — you don't travel to race, you race to qualify to travel.
NOV 08
2025
Craftsbury Fall Classic
Craftsbury, VT
Sprint · 7.5km
First race of season. Sprint format. Qualifying standard: sub-26:00.
Sprint · 7.5km · First race of season. Sprint format. Qualifying standard: sub-26:00.
DEC 06
2025
Soldier Hollow Open
Midway, UT
Pursuit · 10km
Travel squad of 8. Pursuit format. Altitude acclimatization required.
Pursuit · 10km · Travel squad of 8. Pursuit format. Altitude acclimatization required.
JAN 17
2026
Lake Placid Biathlon
Lake Placid, NY
Individual · 15km
National selection event. Full 15km individual. Priority race for all members.
Individual · 15km · National selection event. Full 15km individual. Priority race for all members.
FEB 07
2026
Bear Valley Pursuit
Bear Valley, CA
Pursuit · 12.5km
Western circuit. Pursuit format. Sierra Nevada altitude.
Pursuit · 12.5km · Western circuit. Pursuit format. Sierra Nevada altitude.
FEB 21
2026
US Biathlon Championships
Jericho, VT
Sprint + Mass Start
Season finale. Two-day event. Sprint Saturday, Mass Start Sunday.
Sprint + Mass Start · Season finale. Two-day event. Sprint Saturday, Mass Start Sunday.
MAR 14
2026
Spring Biathlon Classic
Winthrop, WA
Sprint · 7.5km
Masters-class specific. Age-group category prizes. Optional for juniors.
Sprint · 7.5km · Masters-class specific. Age-group category prizes. Optional for juniors.
The calendar fills in September.
Members get race registration support, travel coordination, and wax kit access.
THE
TRANSFORMATION
Numbers from current members. Personal bests documented. Nothing projected.
KIERAN WALSH
Junior · Age 19
BEFORE
4 misses / race
AFTER
0.8 misses / race
Joined as a cross-country skier. Zero shooting background. 14 months into program.
DANA OKONKWO
Masters · Age 44
BEFORE
28:42 / 7.5km
AFTER
26:11 / 7.5km
Drove 4 hours each way for the first 6 months. Now competes in Masters World Cup selection.
TESSA LINDQVIST
Open · Age 23
BEFORE
22.1s prone split
AFTER
18.7s prone split
Former NCAA skier. Added shooting protocol in January. First clean stage in April.
RAFAEL ESPINOZA
Junior · Age 17
BEFORE
3 penalty loops / race
AFTER
0.5 penalty loops / race
Started dry-fire at age 16. First live-fire at 17. First clean prone stage at 18 months.
YOUR NAME.
YOUR NUMBER.
Fall tryouts open. 14 spots. The program is structured, the coaches are credentialed, the calendar is real. The only question is whether you want to train this way.
Join the RangeApplication takes 8 minutes. No tryout fee.