What’s in a name? Per dictionary.com, names are simple arbitrary labels. In a soliloquy by William Shakespeare used in Romeo & Juliet, Juliet laments Romeo’s last name, Montague – the name of her father’s sworn enemy:

“What’s in a name? that which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”

Wahoo Fitness, a sponsor of KPF, was named after Wahoo Creek, a tributary to the lake located just north of metro-Atlanta where prior to Wahoo, Founder and Chairman of the Board Chip Hawkins owned Wahoo Boat Docks. Having earned a master’s degree in engineering and self-proclaimed tinkerer, Hawkins tried a list of names, but the one that stuck was Wahoo. 

An engineer, serial entrepreneur and self-described “struggling age group athlete”, Chip made it his mission (and eventually a passion) to make technology to help athletes at all levels train better. A triathlete, himself, he knew what athletes wanted. As an engineer, he knew where prior fitness technology fell short. As an entrepreneur, his goal was to create innovative products that provided what athletes needed to be able to train and perform better. 

On his technological mission, Hawkins created several products that have helped Wahoo become a leader in the fitness equipment space.

Wahoo's impressive portfolio of cycling industry products includes the KICKR family of indoor trainers and accessories, the ELEMNT family of GPS bike computers, activity-tracking sport watches, the TICKR family of heartrate monitors, the SPEEDPLAY Advanced Road Pedals and the Wahoo Sufferfest Training App. Philanthropically, Wahoo is one of KPF’s core backers. 

Initially, Wahoo was introduced to The Kyle Pease Foundation through its CFO, JP Matzigkeit. He then introduced Brent and Kyle to Content Director Matt Porter, who collaborated with them on a video shoot. Since then, a number of Wahoo employees have stepped up to participate in races as push-assist athletes, including Katie Dupree. 

Dupree is now the product manager for sensors and pedals. She met Brent Pease through the triathlete-training group All 3 Sports during the affectionately titled “Thighs Out Thursday” group runs. Prior to starting her career as a Wahooligan, Dupree volunteered to escort an in-chair athlete with KPF in a particularly tough Publix Half-marathon in 2014.

“My first KPF event was on a cold and rainy day,” she remembers. Yet, invested in KPF’s mission, Katie still participates in its long list of endurance events, ready for whatever. Four years into her volunteer work, Katie was hired by Wahoo. 

“Mike Ragan convinced me to volunteer for the swim portion of the John Tanner Triathlon. After that, I knew I wanted more and joined the KPF Tri Team. I’m looking forward to going back to John Tanner in September and completing a full triathlon with the foundation.”

Technical Support Representative Mike Ragan began working as a push-assist athlete in 2014. He soon started pushing in short races with KPF over the summer. Then, he ran his first ever marathon at the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, D.C. in October of the same year.

Mike is a man of many talents, funny and a pleaser. At one point in the 26-mile-long race, seeing his in-chair athlete in distress, Ragan started singing Old McDonald. He would continue singing until the moment they crossed the finish line. 

“Since then, I’ve done three marathons and countless other races and social runs,” Mike states. “Since 2016, I’ve been helping to coach volunteers and serving as an event coordinator for the Foundation’s races and events. While I don’t race as frequently anymore, I have a great time helping others get involved.”

Matt Porter, Content Developer for Wahoo, heard about the Pease brothers from his coworkers who found their story and their mission inspiring. He has worked with the brothers to create videos, diving into their story and continues promoting their vision. 

“My wife is the runner in the family and has pushed for KPF in multiple half marathons,” says Porter. “The mission to make endurance sports approachable for all regardless of physical ability is close to our hearts.”

So, why are they called Wahoo Fitness? Because, at Wahoo, they value fun, hard work and determination, always putting their customers first and ready to help others. 

“We truly love and believe in the work we’re doing for endurance athletes,” says Katie. “Most of us are competitive athletes and have our own goals to grow in sport and our careers, we get to blur that line every day in work and training.”

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