Virtual Reality Training Turns Olympic Triathlon Course Into Motor Memory

Gwen Jorgensen’s secret training tool isn’t her $10,000 road bike—it’s her mind. As in when she kicks back and closes her eyes. “I use mental visualization to prepare for races,” says Jorgensen, who at 30 is a two-time world-champion triathlete. The trend in visualization training has taken hold in the top ranks of elite athletes. So Jorgensen spent this summer concentrating, via virtual reality, on the rutty streets of Rio’s Copacabana neighborhood. “Rio is a very tough bike course,” she says. “There are big hills, and there’s a technical descent that will be a major factor.”