USA 15 km Championships Results

Shay ran over a minute PR without backing off training for the 15K (not Vigil's style). In sticking with Vigil's training schedule, Shay put in over 140 miles the week before going into the 15k. Not eactly fresh legs. I'm sure Culpepper was in the same boat as he is preparing for Boston.

Is Shay the best male marathoner that Vigil has ever coached in his 50 years in the sport?

Yep. The male marathon has not been Coach Vigil's forte. Actually with the exception of one athlete, neither has the womens marathon.

How many women marathoners has Vigil coached? And is this going to turn into another Vigil bashing thread. The guy is a great coach hands down.

He must be. Afterall a guy named curious says so.

CU BUFF wrote:

Is Shay the best male marathoner that Vigil has ever coached in his 50 years in the sport?

I think he coached Peter DeLaCerda, who was 2nd in the 2000 OT Marathon, not too shabby. Didn't get to go to Sydney (nor did Mark Coogan) b/c Pittsburgh was hilly and hot as hell that day and no one got the "A" standard.

Peter nor Ryan have ever broke 2:14. I am sure that Vigil has to have coached a few sub 2:12 guys? He is a legend afterall, isn't he?

How many "big name" marathoners has Vigil had to coach to begin with? Vigil is an outstanding coach because he can take under developed runners to the highest levels. He can get the most out of his athletes. He does not latch onto an already proven runner and take the credit. He is a true developer and has long term plans for his athletes. Shay is only 25 and has not even been working with Vigil for 3 years yet. A good marathoner is going to take time to develop. Ryan has been progressing nicely under Vigil. Deena was working with Vigil for 5 years before she had break through performances, and she has much more talent than Ryan. All these other coaches who take on the biggest talents show nothing in regard to their coaching abilities. A coach who takes on a less talented athlete who wants to work hard and brings that athlete to a whole new level is what coaching is all about, and that is Vigil.

East Coast, you are missing what makes a legendary coach and you know it, so do not try to respond with some uneducated response. Do some research on different coaches and their athletes, and look into which coaches had the more talented runners, and see which athletes prospered and which ones fell to the wayside. Just look at what Vigil did in Alamosa...thats all the far you shall need to look.

yeah, Shay is such an untalented guy, incredible how Vigil coached such an untalented runner to a 2:14 marathon, Shay is so untalented that he won only 1 NCAA title....only one, can you believe that?He didnt even break 28min for 10k in college...and Vigil coached such an untalented guy to a 2:14 marathon..cant believe it.

I don't understand why people rip Vigil so much about marathoners? I mean, if you rip on him what does that say about the other people who coach US marathoners?

there are no good marathon coaches in the US, KK is more or less self-coached, so is Culpepper and Meb has plenty of "space" with 27:13 10k-ability.

There's a very bold - and very inaccurate generalization.

You are wrong when you say "there are no good marathon coaches in the US."

I disagree with you completely, as do many others with a lot of knowledge about, and years in coaching.

look at what the japanese do and then name the american coaches who have similar success(coaching several 28min guys to sub 2:09).

Shay only ran those times and won NCAA's once he adopted Vigil's training methodologies from his book "Road To The Top". Just ask him, he'll confirm.