GWEN HRYCIW

Gwen Hryciw grew up playing soccer in Portland, Oregon. Sidelined with a knee injury in high school, she took up rowing, which she continued in college at Willamette University. After graduation, Gwen started the DMD/PhD program at Oregon Health and Sciences University in 2014. Although she despised biking as a kid, Gwen decided to buy a bike as a means to commute to school. For its durability, versatility and with an eye to future biking adventures, she bought a cyclocross bike. One week later, Gwen found herself competing in a sprint triathlon. Despite no prior training in swim-bike-run, she was totally hooked.

Gwen eased back into running and started cycling on a regular basis as an outlet from her studies. She decided to compete in an Olympic triathlon that had a shortened, downriver swim and reaffirmed her enjoyment of the sport. As her degree program became more predictable, Gwen committed to more triathlon-specific training, including swimming more regularly. This inspired her to pursue triathlons with the full Olympic distance swim and she completed her first half-iron distance race. Now Gwen races in local Olympic and half-iron distances, but has her sights set on racing on a bigger stage in the coming years.

Gwen enjoys cyclocross racing, competing in the local circuit as a Cat 3, and loves trail running with her dog Henry. She also competes in the annual Pole-Pedal-Paddle race in Bend, OR where she gets to incorporate downhill and skate skiing into her race format. Gwen is a member of the Portland Triathlon Club and races for 10 Barrel bike team.