The Pace Academy was officially launched in 2023 by Dan White and David McHenry as an education platform to train the next generation of running physiotherapy specialists. However, the genesis of the Pace Academy really began 20 years ago in a clinic in North Portland.

Before there was the Pace Academy, there was the PACE Clinic. In 2003, David McHenry and Therapeutic Associates created a multidisciplinary clinic that specialized in running rehabilitation, biomechanical analysis, and sports physiotherapy. This specialty clinic was known as the Portland Athletic Center of Excellence, or PACE. David’s unique approach to running physiotherapy grew PACE to a national, and ultimately international destination for runners looking to get healthy and improve performance.

In addition to being a vital resource for many recreational, collegiate, and elite runners, PACE also became an incubator of clinical talent. Through very separate paths; Dan White, Colleen Little, and Lyndsay Provencio all made their ways to Therapeutic Associates and the PACE clinic. The PACE clinic in North Portland became the launchpad for all three of these physiotherapists into high performance athletics. It also became the launchpad for the Pace Academy.

Colleen first made her way to PACE as a student intern while playing soccer at the University of Portland. After completing physical therapy school, she returned to Therapeutic Associates where she ultimately was promoted to the Clinic Director for the Nike Campus Physical Therapy and Wellness Center. It was within this role she also became the Lead Physiotherapist and Strength Coach for the Nike Bowerman Track Club.

While working in Iowa, Dan was introduced to David McHenry and the PACE Clinic in 2012. Over the course of a couple trips to PACE, Dan was inspired by the innovation of care being provided in Portland. In 2017, he left his role in clinical education and patient care to take a position with Therapeutic Associates in Eugene, Oregon. Since arriving in Eugene, Dan has served as the Physiotherapist for the University of Oregon Track and Field Program. In 2020, he also became the Lead Physiotherapist for the Nike Oregon Track Club.

Lyndsay found her way to PACE immediately after graduating from Creighton’s Physical Therapy Program. She quickly found herself in a leadership position, becoming the Clinical Director of PACE and establishing herself as a clinical specialist in women’s health in the local and national running community.

Although none of our founders remain at the Therapeutic Associates PACE clinic, all four clinicians were shaped by PACE. Therapeutic Associates encouraged all of us to challenge convention with creativity and expert care. The knowledge of the Pace Academy was incubated inside the walls of the Therapeutic Associates PACE clinic. Therapeutic Associates PACE clinic is the launchpad for the Pace Academy and all of the founding instructors.