Scott Bauhs, Amy Hastings, Anna Willard, Jon Pierce Bauhs, Hastings, Pierce and Willard Join Team Running USA

onceuponatime wrote:

why would Anna Willard switch her coach and location like that? Whatever she was doing was working.

The exact same question occurred to me just from seeing the subject line, before reading any of the responses on this thread. Unless she is going to move to the roads then it's at least a bit of a head-scratcher. Given the disparity in levels of success between road running and track with this group, I'd say there is little basis for the "speculation." Sorry, but if someone showed up to my training group and said something like what tRg said, she'd get laughed at and not just by me. Nothing against tRg, per se, it's just a notion lacking apparent reasoning. It runs contrary to the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" wisdom. Even if she felt the need to make a move, Willard probably would be better off with the Cook group or even OTC elite or NOP. Even if she were to stay where she was, as a pro she wouldn't have been tied to Michigan 24/7/52. You know the Hansons leave Michigan for stretches in the winter, too. It's her choice, of course, but it has the appearance that she compromised for her relationship, which is fine if that's a trade-off she wants to make. I genuinely like Willard, I'll admit to being a fan and I wish her well.

From what I know, mammoth lakes looks like a great place to train. It also looks like they are bringing in some more track people, like Hastings. Not to mention that the road runners who are already there have respectable track times to their credit.

I don't think anybody is seriously claiming that Willard is going to be training alone.

As for why she, or any of the other runners (Pierce it was mentioned ran well with ZAP) would move to California is something that we cannot know.

It is possible they were blackmailed into going, relatives were kidnapped by a deranged group of pro-mammoth lakes supporters. There are a variety of possible reasons anyone of them had to move, and unless somebody has facts all opinions are equally valid--even if some are more unrealistic than others.

I hope all the runner there continue to do well.

I can not figure out why you would leave Mike McGuire for Terrance Mahon? Mike has far more experience and success. If Willard left for Cook it would make sense but not Mahon.

I'm pretty sure Willard is a non-believer, I've heard her talk about that in an interview before... so that will be interesting given that the Halls are the exact opposite. Could cause some tension, though.

amenamen wrote:

I'm pretty sure Willard is a non-believer, I've heard her talk about that in an interview before... so that will be interesting given that the Halls are the exact opposite. Could cause some tension, though.

Okay, but that doesn't mean they can't be friends, even close friends. Maybe if this was a college campus there would be more of the tension you suggest, because of the contrast in lifestyles, but this training group lives in isolation up in the mountains, so big theological differences are not going to really express themselves in different lifestyles.

As for Willard moving, definitely a head-scratcher but we don't see all aspects of it either. And even if it's a bizarre move, it's the right time to do it. TM has time to learn Willard and Willard has time to adjust to new training.

amenamen wrote:

I'm pretty sure Willard is a non-believer, I've heard her talk about that in an interview before... so that will be interesting given that the Halls are the exact opposite. Could cause some tension, though.

In their considerble free time in remote Mammoth Lakes, the Halls will now have something to focus on -- converting Willard.

Will Mahon be directly coaching each of these athletes or is Larsen picking up a couple? If its Mahon like I suspect then he will spreading himslef plenty thin. Maybe he deeds to pick me as assistant coach up to help him out.

Yes, he "deeds" to!

rojo wrote:

Scott Bauhs, Amy Hastings, Anna Willard, Jon Pierce Bauhs, Hastings, Pierce and Willard Join Team Running USA

All those people eh?

Not John Cook,

Why in the world would you feel the need to write like that?

Rojo should look up your ip and ban you for life.

This is what ruins Let's Run.

Relative to Anna Willard's move, for those of you who are not obsessive compulsive SoCal track fans, you probably haven't paid attention to the fact that Jacques Sallberg has for several years been a steadily improving 2nd tier steeplechaser (sub 8:30) under Larsen and McMahon in the Mammoth group. Larsen has shown that he can coach track runners successfully for more years than most of the posters on this board have been alive. Willard is not going into a program devoid of track successes. I expect she will explain her reasons for the move when some track media person gets around to interviewing her this season.

Simply calling a spade a spade. Your opinion is irrelevant. Any other questions?

When Terrence Mahon got the job he had previously coached a group of post collegiate guys in Bryn Mawr. Record?

I think that most people have moved into his program well, but it seems there is a lot of inconsistency in the nonrunning portion of the training.

Thoughts? Concerns?