Vickie Worrell

When Vickie Worrell set her sights on completing another Olympic distance triathlon, she wasn’t chasing something easy. She was stepping into one of the most demanding challenges an athlete can take on. 

At 46, with half marathons, duathlons, sprint triathlons under her belt, Vickie felt the pull for something more intentional. She wanted to push her further than she had gone before, both physically and mentally.

That’s when she connected with El Dorado YMCA Personal Trainer Dakota Cline. 

She said: “When I joined the Y a friend of mine told me about Dakota’s bootcamp classes and thought I would enjoy them. I started going, and she was right. I loved them. Not only did I like how he offered different levels to push you, but his upbeat, fun personality and positivity was what made the class even better.”

As training intensified, so did the challenge. 

“When training for anything, it cannot only be physically hard, but mentally hard as well,” Vickie said. “Yes I had moments of frustration and tears during this, but Dakota was always there with his encouragement and reminding me that I can do this. I had full trust in him and his workouts.”

On race day, Dakota didn’t just send encouragement from afar. He and his wife traveled to Kansas City to be there in person to cheer Vickie on through every stage of the race.

Vicki recalled: “Now that is dedication and support to his clients! I am so glad he was there, too, because I needed his pep talk and words of encouragement throughout my race.”

And on July 13, 2025, all of that work, trust, and perseverance came together as Vickie crossed the finish line of her second Olympic distance triathlon.