USA Black History Month – Stan Wright, Track Coach

February is Black History Month in the USA.
In the world of coaching and African Americans, I will honor this post to the memory of Stan Wright.  I was 9 years old when I watched the Munich Olympics in 1972.  I had no idea what was going on in terms of the hostage taking, but I [...]

4×100 Relay Baton Passing – Upsweep, Downsweep or Push Pass?

Is there a preference on how to pass the baton blindly in a 4×100m relay?  At the International level, Canada, USA & Jamaica all use the push pass.  France, however, uses the upsweep pass.
Once upon a time, France held the WR in the 4×100m Relay before the Americans dominated the event.  That is, until Jamaica [...]

Track Spikes – using Pins, Pyramids, and Christmas Trees

This article will discuss choosing a pair of spikes and the different type of pins.  I won’t discuss the infamous illegal 1968 Brush spikes worn by Lee Evans and John Carlos… I’ll save that for the documentary.
I always have 2 pairs of spikes.  One is the inexpensive variety that is usually heavier and more durable [...]

Isometrics and Ab Core Exercises – The Hidden Secret?

Whenever I go to a party and people discover I coach Track and Field, non-athletes always ask for free advice on how to get a six pack.
Usually I give a smart-ass response in 4 words:  eat less, exercise more.
But when I give personal training advice to a friend on how to strengthen the abs [...]

Another 1968 Olympic Book by Richard Hoffer, Journalist

When you think of the Political Olympics, you immediately think of 1936 & 1972.  Some may include 1968 “up there” in the ranks.  While you`re at it, add 1980 and 1984.  Heck, add Montreal 1976 with the African boycott and the whole Taiwan mess.
That is why Ben Johnson’s 1988 Seoul race was so special.  For [...]

How to Increase Indoor Track Attendance & TV Coverage

I have an idea on how to increase the indoor Track and Field attendance, as well as TV coverage… chase after obscure World Records.  That is, chase after WRs set in Yards from over 25 years ago.
A recent case of this type of marketing was the special 500 yards WR setup for Jearl Miles-Clark, [...]

Speed and Strength Training with Resistance Bands

DYNA-BAND 6ft Green Medium Resistance Band
Resistance bands are great.
They can easily be rolled up to take along for travel.
You can tie 2 together and make a large loop.
You can shorten the length for extra resistance.
Resistance bands are available in a range of colours that relate to their stiffness or resistance. Colour-coding varies between the brands [...]

400 meters – The Numbers Game

Ever notice airline magazines and USA Today have those short articles with interesting stats and numbers?
I thought to give it a try with the 400 meters. 
Here goes…
The 400 meters
5800 – Number of subscribers to SpeedEndurance.com
3635 – Age of the current world record (in days)
2010 -  ? Year of the first sub 43 by Usain [...]

Dan Pfaff, Lee Evans in the News

The news of Dan Pfaff and Derek Evely leaving for the UK invoked some thoughts and discussion.
The UK is doing something right.  They are luring quality coaches from other countries with proper salaries and benefits into senior management positions.
Unfortunately, it’s leaving a void in the Canadian coaching system, especially at the High Performance Sprint Centre.
We [...]

The “Speed City” Documentary – We Need your Help

Bud Winter coached at San Jose State University from 1944 – 1974 and was responsible for the legendary “Speed City” in the mid 1960’s.
In total, he produced 1 NCAA Championship, 49 NCAA records, and 27 Olympians including including Tommie Smith, Lee Evans, John Carlos, and Ronnie Ray Smith, just to name a few. He also [...]

400 Meters – Speed is the Key

Gone are the days where the 400 meters was an event for 800 meter runners who moved down in distance.
Today, I am convinced the short sprinters have an advantage over the “strength” sprinters like Lee Evans and Butch Reynolds.  I am referring to the successes of Quincy Watts and Michael Johnson.  In MJ’s case, my [...]

What do Bud Winter and Usain Bolt have in Common?

Bud Winter coached at San Jose State University from 1944 – 1974 and was responsible for the legendary “Speed City” in the mid 1960’s.

In total, he produced 1 NCAA Championship, 49 NCAA records, and 27 Olympians including including Tommie Smith, Lee Evans, John Carlos, Ronnie Ray Smith, and Ray Norton, just to name a few. [...]

What is Speed Reserve? Part 2 – Training Methods

Click here for What is Speed Reserve? Part 1 – 400 meter Sprinter types

The news of Usain Bolt going after the 400 WR in 2010 inspired me to write this article.

What is Speed Reserve?

Speed Reserve, or Anaerobic Speed Reserve (ASR), is simply the difference between your maximum speed and your maximum aerobic speed.

The concept is [...]

Last Ten 400 meters Dash Olympic Champions

I was going to post the last ten 400 meters dash Olympic Champions, but decided to post the last 16 Olympic medalists since the post WWII “modern era”.

To read more about these athletes, click on the link under their name. Some names require no introductions.

This list is a classic, but it leaves me with [...]

Lee Evans and Ato Boldon, The Road to Sydney

First of all, this is British comedian Lee Evans, not the Lee Evans the 1968 Olympic 400m and 4×400m Gold medalist.

Prior to Sydney, the crew made several short video clips as Lee Evans attempts to train with various world class athletes.

In this video, what is funny is Ato’s trainer is simply called Ato’s Trainer. [...]

Obituaries – 400 meter Specialist Larry James 1947-2008

In the past 18 months this Blog has been around, we’ve had a few great ones pass away in such a short period of time:

Al Oerter
Herb McKenley
Peter Norman
Robert Taylor

And now Larry James.

Larry James is best known for his silver medal at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics in the 400 meters with a time of 43.97 [...]

LaShawn Merritt – Jeremy Wariner Photo Finish

When David Neville dove for the finish line at the 400 meters finals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, he broke up the pre-race favorite prediction of LaShawn Merritt, Jeremy Wariner and Christopher Brown of Bahamas. With an American sweep, no one won the 400 meter Olympic prediction contest, as the most common entries were [...]

4×400 meter Relay in Beijing

On Friday, I wrote about the 4×100 meter Relay in Beijing. Here are the stats for the 4×400 meter Relay in Beijing.

The Mens side is no surprise. It takes 4 guys an average of 45 seconds to break 3 minutes. 45.75 from the lead-off leg, then 3 guys running 44.75 with a [...]

Where are the Kenyan Sprinters?

Kenya, like Canada, has a hard time trying to develop a pool of 100m, 200m & 400m sprinters with Olympic and IAAF “A” Standards. I can’t remember the last time Canada sent a 4×400m relay team to a World Championships or Olympics. (HINT: 1992 Olympics) The Americans are overflowing in abundance in this [...]

400 Meters: Can you Drop from 45 to 43 in One Year?

In the 400 meters, can you drop your personal best from 45 seconds down to 43 seconds in one year?
The answer is yes.
In 1967, Lee Evans ran a 44.9 hand time (equivalent to a 45.04 FAT) behind Tommie Smith’s 400 meter World Record of 44.5, then ran 43.86 in Mexico City in 1968.
In 1987, Steve [...]

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