UNC superstar Parker Wolfe has officially turned pro with Nike! Wolfe, who previously signed an NIL deal with Nike during his time in college, will join former UNC teammate Ethan Strand in Flagstaff, Arizona to train under Coach Mike… pic.twitter.com/lHtBacYOee
— The Stride Report (@TheStrideReport) July 8, 2025
Smith is gonna have one heck of a roster of athletes. Heck of a hire by Nike because people obviously want to train with him in Flagstaff
I know he is at the twilight of his career but I’m still looking for what Mike smith has done for Galen rupps career. Seems like Rupp has had little to no success under smith. This is taking into account his injuries and the fact that again he is at the twilight of his career. Would like to see at least 1 more 2:06 or better marathon. He’s younger than kipchoge by a few years at least
Smith is gonna have one heck of a roster of athletes. Heck of a hire by Nike because people obviously want to train with him in Flagstaff
I know he is at the twilight of his career but I’m still looking for what Mike smith has done for Galen rupps career. Seems like Rupp has had little to no success under smith. This is taking into account his injuries and the fact that again he is at the twilight of his career. Would like to see at least 1 more 2:06 or better marathon. He’s younger than kipchoge by a few years at least
2:06? He’s almost 40 and his best came in super shoes at age 33. On top of that, his body is broken. Not even Smith can overcome all that.
This is really exciting. I think these guys will work very well with Mike Smith's training. My understanding is that Smith and Milt have very similar approaches.
My first reaction was that I am impressed with Milt's humility in letting his two biggest stars go and encouraging them to go elsewhere to keep improving. But then I wonder if in reality, Nike just said they wouldn't pay Milt to coach them and essentially forced Strand and Wolfe to get into their new Swoosh TC system, which hasn't really had many big names sign on til now.
Smith is gonna have one heck of a roster of athletes. Heck of a hire by Nike because people obviously want to train with him in Flagstaff
Agreed. That roster is seriously stacked!
I'm very happy that Wolfe and Strand are joining this group. The thought of Nico and Wolfe training together for the next three years has me very optimistic about their 5k and 10k prospects in 2028. To be clear, Nico is obviously doing very well right now; I'm just thinking about how even better both these guys could potentially be for the LA Olympics.
Awesome news for US distance fans! They seem like great friends and training partners, so this signing should help them transition smoothly into their pro careers.
Milt seems more concerns with athlete’s long term development than any other coach I’ve ever heard. Showed in Fisher’s jumps with BTC, hopefully it will with Strand and Wolfe
Smith is gonna have one heck of a roster of athletes. Heck of a hire by Nike because people obviously want to train with him in Flagstaff
I know he is at the twilight of his career but I’m still looking for what Mike smith has done for Galen rupps career. Seems like Rupp has had little to no success under smith. This is taking into account his injuries and the fact that again he is at the twilight of his career. Would like to see at least 1 more 2:06 or better marathon. He’s younger than kipchoge by a few years at least
Omg I was hoping for this, Wolfe training with Nico, and both he and Strand getting altitude training at 7000’, seems like the best option for US distance running. It sucked to see Wolfe have to skip his last NCAAs, but Milt making that choice to help Wolfe’s longevity was definitely the right move, and as crazy as it sounds when he’s already a 7:30/top 3 OTs guy, he could have a breakthrough year next year.
This post was edited 2 minutes after it was posted.
This bodes well for the depth of Smith's training group. Right now he only has Nico Young who's in good shape that we know of. Grijalva is still on the comeback from injury, Woody isn't doing great, and Abdi Nur is nowhere to be found. With Wolfe and Strand joining and possibly Brazier, Smith has a great group.
Great job Rojo as Parker Wolfe signs with Nike as he will run with Ethan Stand in Flagstaff with Mike Smith who will be coaching them as they are the runners and he is the coach as they hope to punch their ticket to World as they need to get in more shape better before punching ticket to worlds
Great job Rojo as Parker Wolfe signs with Nike as he will run with Ethan Stand in Flagstaff with Mike Smith who will be coaching them as they are the runners and he is the coach as they hope to punch their ticket to World as they need to get in more shape better before punching ticket to worlds
Parker Wolf signs with Nike with Ethan Stan in Flaggstf with Mike Smith as they will trane together as Mike Smith will coach Parker and Ethan as they're the runners as Mike is the coach