Faculty

Dr. Randall L. Wilber, PhD, FACSM
Senior Sport Physiologist
United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee

Randall L. Wilber, PhD, FACSM is a Senior Sport Physiologist at the US Olympic + Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, and has worked at the United States Olympic + Paralympic Committee (USOPC) for 28 years.  In that position, he works closely with Team USA athletes and coaches in the areas of altitude training, heat/humidity acclimatization, blood chemistry analysis, overtraining, international air travel (jet lag), and exercise-induced asthma.  Wilber has been privileged to work closely with several US Olympic medalists including Michael Phelps, Katie Ledecky, Missy Franklin, Allison Schmitt, Chase Kalisz, Conor Dwyer and Ryan Lochte from USA Swimming, as well as Meb Keflezighi, Shalane Flanagan, Galen Rupp, Donavan Brazier, Matthew Centrowitz, Evan Jager, Emma Coburn, Jenny Simpson, Courtney Frerichs, Paul Chelimo, Leo Manzano, and Deena Kastor from USA Track & Field.  In USA Triathlon, he has worked with Olympic medalists Gwen Jorgensen and Susan Williams, and World Champions Barb Lindquist, Sheila Taormina, Siri Lindley and Hunter Kemper. In total during his career, Wilber has worked with 88 Olympians (15 sports) who have earned over 200 “individual” medals, as well as other Olympians who have earned 6 “team” medals.  In addition, he has worked with 38 Winter Olympians (8 sports) who have earned over 75 “individual” medals, as well as other Winter Olympians who have earned 3 “team” medals.  Wilber has been a member of the official delegation of Team USA at four Olympics (Athens 2004, Beijing 2008, London 2012, Rio de Janeiro 2016); five Winter Olympics (Salt Lake City 2002, Torino 2006, Vancouver 2010, Sochi 2014, PyeongChang 2018); two Pan American Games (Santo Domingo 2003, Rio de Janeiro 2007) and multiple World Championships. 

In the area of scholarship, Wilber has authored over 35 papers in peer-reviewed scientific journals, and has written over 15 book chapters in the areas of sports medicine and sport science. He has authored the book Altitude Training and Athletic Performance (Human Kinetics 2004) and co-authored Exercise-Induced Asthma: Pathophysiology and Treatment (Human Kinetics 2002). Wilber has been an invited speaker at professional conferences held in over 30 countries across six continents.  In addition, he serves as a consultant to the U.S. Navy SEALs on issues related to combat performance at high altitude. Wilber was recognized as a Fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) in 1998 and served as Chair of the ACSM Olympic/Paralympic Sports Medicine and Sport Science Committee (2010-2020). 

Wilber earned a B.A. degree in History from Grove City College and holds a M.A. in History from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.  He earned his M.S. and Ph.D. in Exercise Physiology from Florida State University.  In 2005, Wilber received the Centennial Laureate Alumni Award from Florida State University, and in 2007 he received the President’s Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.  In 2011, Wilber was inducted into the inaugural class of the Franklin High School Hall of Fame. In 2013, he received the Outstanding Alumni Achievement Award from Grove City College.    

Originally from the Pittsburgh area, Wilber spent most of his adult life in Florida prior to moving to Colorado Springs in 1993.  He has been involved in sports his entire life as an athlete and coach in Cross-Country and Track, and as a Sport Physiologist.  A recoveree from open-heart surgery (2012), Wilber is dedicated to the promotion of optimal cardiac health through his own hiking and cycling in the Rocky Mountains, as well as supporting the annual Heart Run and Heart Ball events in Colorado Springs. Currently in partial remission from Stage-4 NSCL cancer (2018), Wilber also mentors several cancer patients, and contributes to cancer research via the “Jimmy V Foundation”.