Arthur Lydiard has died

For those who want to see Arthur's photos while he was in Boulder, click on the link below. It looks like he had a great time while he was there.

Thank you Maverick.

Arthur probably influenced every athlete

and trainer, to some extent, in the world;

and he will continue...as we will continue

to use his program. Perhaps there may even

be a revival in Lydiardism!

God rest you in peace Arthur.

You can joke about it, but he was serious:

http://www.fitnesssports.com/lyd_clinic_guide/lydpg28.html

It relieves pressure on the top of your foot. For some folks, this is a problem.

I have known Arthur for a few years now. I went to New Zealand to talk to him and learn about his training. I was fortunate enough to be a guest at his house. Then this past November I had the honor to host him for a week here in South Point Ohio for our clinic. My family and friends fell in love with him. His smile and that gleam in his eye. Arthur went with my team for some of there runs in the local park and out at the lake where we had a cookout with him. It was a dream come true. What a coach, a man and a friend. Thank you so much Arthur, I am deeply touched by your influence, but most of all by your friendship.

The opening paragraph of the '62 "Run to the Top":

"No two athletes would give exactly the same reasons for taking up a particular sport. Dozens of factors, physical, mental, and psychological, influence a man to turn to football, cricket, swimming, or running. But if those reasons were analysed, you would find one basic element in them all--an outside influence from someone who loved sport and was devoted to it, someone whose attitude to sport inspired the young to follow."

The most appropriate eulogy possible.

Very well put

I had the pleasure of seeing him and talking to him in Dallas last Tuesday. This is sad news. He even joked during the lecture that we all have to die sometime. I'd say he lived a good and full life. No doubt that he will always remain a topic in the running community. R.I.P.

I had the pleasure of meeting Lydiard in New York a few weeks back. It was inspiring to see him seizing life in the way he did. It sets a wonderful example to follow.

It has been a very hard 30 hours for me but I felt I need to put something down in writing. I had a reservation on putting this tour together, considering Arthur's age and his health condition. But he was determined to have this tour. In New Zealand, he's pretty much left alone. His thought must have been that he'd rather die doing what he loved doing, which is to spread his word, than die on a rocking chair. That he did.

Only the night before his passing, he had a clinic at Sunmart ultra train run banquit. I heard some 600 people gathered and Arthur stayed late to answer questions and signed autograph. I talked to Greg McMillan who was accompanying Arthur around TX Saturday afternoon and we hang up the phone feeling very good. With 400 people showing in Boulder only a week earlier, Arthur was no doubt enjoying all the attention. When I told him that I lined up 18 cities in the US, he couldn't believe it. He was actually happy that so many people still wanted him in the US.

I'd like to thank all the local organizers and host families who put so much effort into helping Arthur spread his word. Coach Mike Jones in a small town of Ashland, OR, put together a great start of the tour with only two weeks to prepare; Dori Robertson of Spokane, Brian Jones of Playmakers in Lansing MI, Scott Dvorak of Charlotte Running Company and Zika Palmer of ZAP fitness in Charlotte NC and Matt Ebersole of Athletics Annex in Indianapolis ID were dream organizers--everything was like a clock-work; Mike Pritzy of Chicago put so much effort into this and put together a first-class clinic plus unofficial get-together for school XC kids where some 200 kids showed up; we had an unfortunate hiccup in NY but Wayne Baker put together the actual clinic within 3 days (!) so a handful of people in the Big Apple had a chance to meet with Arthur; Mark Coughlin and Jeff Klein in Atlanta GA came into the picture late but successfully brought Arthur to the Atlanta Marathon on Thanksgiving week; Tom Derderian put so much effort into the clinic without a local sponsor and he successfully gathered over-200 crowd on weekday night; Harold Smith of small town of South Point all put a first class clinic where people from 6 different states came to meet with Arthur; Robert Vaughn, a personal friend of Arthur, worked alone to organize the Dallas clinic in two weeks because things kept falling apart in Dallas/Fortworth area but he did put one together successfully. And of course people at Fleet Feet Boulder... Kathy Hawk, Greg Cunningham and Jay Johnson worked literally days and nights to organize "the Night to Remember".... I wish I were there just to experience. Arthur was absolutely delighted with the Boulder experience except for the snow storm! People at Sunmart in Houston, John Cook and Dan Miller and others were absolutely wonderful in a tough time. And I personally like to thank Greg McMillan who was with Arthur in his last minutes. The list goes on; there are people like Kevin Young in Santa Barbara, Matt Capelouto and Bob Morris in Orange County, and Mark Winitz of Monterey Bay who worked hard and fast to prepare for the clinic which now have to be cancelled. But these are the people who really created the opportunity to literally thousands of people to meet with this living legend in person. We had national sponsors who paid thousands of dollars to bring Arthur in business class; Sunamrt in Houston, ASICS, Running Network and Shooting Start Media and others. Also individuals such as Bruce Johnson, who is the inventor of Breathe Right Nasal Strip, who supported the project financially. These are the people who brought Arthur Lydiard to the US one last time and gave him an opportunity to realize that he is still respected and loved. These are the people who gave thousands of people around the country an opportunity to one last time see Arthur Lydiard and listen to this living legend speak. These are the people who should be recognized and thanked.

I talked to Sir Murray Halberg last night. I felt obliged to let Arthur's Boys what happened and how it happened in person. He said, "Don't be sad. But instead celebrate the man who lived his life to its fullest." Barry Magee also said that Arthur was a lifted man in the last 3 months "because he had a new goal; a new goal of coming to the US to spread his gospel once again." Arthur died doing what he loved doing. He was happy with runners and coaches once again. Many people disregarded Arthur "because his training method is old-fashioned". He was absolutely chuckled to see so many people still wanted him. And these people mentioned above made him feel that way. For that, I want to thank you all.

We are still planning on having the San Francisco clinic on Sunday, 12/19. It was supposed to be the Grand Finale of the tour. Now we'd like to make it the Tribute and Memorial Service to Arthur. Hope many people can join us.

this is a sad, sad day. I was one of the ones who was lucky enough to meet Arthur for the first time in the last couple of weeks. Thank you, Nobby, and everyone else involved, for making this final tour a reality.

I also was touched in Coach's final speech.... Thanks Nobby and to all who helped put this tour on. Friday night was a defining inspirational moment in my running career even before his passing.

Thoughts and Prayers...

Wow. RIP, Coach. Time to head out for a nice, easy long run.

Got to see Lydiard last Tuesday in Dallas, and speak with him before and after the presentation. It is amazing that he was so accessable and sharing with his message. I remember reading his books, back in the 60's, and thinking how logical it all seemed.

I want to pay tribute to the man who has provided me with so much joy, derived from my own training and racing, which led to an equally satisfying career in coaching.

My athletes will always train the "Lydiard Way".

Bruce Kritzler

Like so many, I became a much better runner due to Arthur's teaching than I ever would have been otherwise and got to know Arthur personally in 1977. As the years passed and training ideas changed, I began thinking that someone should get Arthur's name and ideas back into the mainstream. But I'm a thinker, not an organizer.

It was Nobby who did, several years ago, what I only thought about, and twice brought Arthur to the US for extended speaking tours. The logistics of arranging this sort of thing, of raising money for this sort of thing, simply boggle my mind. All of us who have seen Arthur speak on either of his last US tours really owe Nobby a huge "thank you." I know first hand some of what's gone into arranging this.

As I mentioned in an earlier post here, I spent a bit more than a day mostly by myself with Arthur and will agree that he was thoroughly enjoying the attention, the appreciation, the interest, and the chance to hook up with US coaches and runners. He said to me, as he's said many times over the years in other places, that he really likes US coaches because they are sincerely interested in learning more and are very helpful. I said to him, "You're treated much better here than you are in New Zealand, aren't you." He answered, very emphatically and unhesitatingly, "Yes!" I had e-mails from Barry Magee in the days before Arthur left for the US and Barry mentioned often that Arthur was very, very, pleased to be doing this.

Of course, it's sad that he had to go. But really, given that it happens to everyone, I'd be hard-pressed to think of a better or more fitting way for someone like Arthur to end it all. And I don't think any of us can be too grateful to Nobby for putting it together.

When I got to the Obits page in the New York Times this morning I saw the headline and was like Oh Man this sucks and my 9 year old daughter was like "who was Arthur Lydiard, dad?" and all I could say was "that's who's training philosophy I've tried to follow my whole life, like since I was 13" and I'm 40, now.

what a guy

I had the privilege of seeing AL at Playmakers in Okemos Michigan in early November- I took my HS son to hear him. I am so glad we did - he was very gracious, signed my son's log book, his copy of Run to the Top, and let me take a picture of the two of them. Nobby and all the others - thank you for bringing a living legend to the US for the rest of us to meet. I know one sixteen year old runner that whose running has been influenced for the better by that opportunity.

This is one of the greatest loss the running community has felt in a long time. He was and still is the most influential coach the world may ever know . I send my deepest sympathy to his family and to Mark Wetmore . The world will miss Authur ,buut we will always remeber him.

I suppose dishonoring Arthur Lydiard's memory is one way to piss everyone off unilaterally. Congratulations, either you are a disgrace or you are insignificant. Look again at Pushing Up Daisies' mean-spirited barbs. What a jealous psychopath. You need some professional help. Get some while you're still circling the drain and able, lest you find your handle proves uncannily prescient.

Rest in Pease Arthur.

I only 6 weeks ago took up his training regimen and have since been more excited about running than I had been in several yrs. I have him to thank for this.