Head CU Coach Mark Wetmore Interview

Nice stuff. No spin or fluff.

This is what I was talking about with my thread on "Coach" Davis and the US scene a few weeks ago.

"It is too easy to be a coach in this country...too easy to hang up a shingle."

Especially to get people's money.

If you didn't listen to me then, how about Wetmore now?

very interesting and well-done piece

Coach Wetmore's remarks are generic. Your remarks were a personal attack on Coach Davis and presume a lack of knowledge and experience on his part for which you have no foundation.

Very good job by the interviewer.

Wetmore is obviously very intelligent and well spoken. I think young distance runners would be well advised to print this out and read it over a few times.

he says that at Colorado "we eliminate unnecessary races" yet he allows his guys to race in training....in fact he uses workout performances to pick his teams. Wetmore burns more runners than perhaps any other college coach, but what he has left are generally in better shape than most.

That is simply not true. At CU, the only ones who race in practice are the idiots. The team is chosen through races. The time trial at the beginning of the year, the Shootout helps to decide the team for Pre-NCAAs and Conference and the members of the team are evaluated by their performances in races, not in practice. Your information is all wrong.

I guess Running with the Buffs is all crap then because in there he definitely uses workouts to pick who runs what.

I found it interesting that Coach Wetmore attributes the gaps between US distance runners and the rest of the world to EPO. Does he really think that not many US runners aren't using the stuff? Wouldn't it be interesting to just know who has ever been on the juice and who hasn't? Sure, rumor spreading is an industry unto itself, but wouldn't you just like to know? I'd love to have the Dr. that Malmo referenced in Eugene to just go ahead and out all the cheaters. I'd like the AW folks to just fess up, and I'd love to hear Al Joyner to spill the beans and for Salazar to come clean (if, in fact, he was dirty and I'm not altogether sure). Tom Tellez might have some interesting stories as might John Smith, Joe Douglas etc. I personally don't think anybody has the nads to do it, but it would be refreshing to see someone just tell the truth without regard to the politics.... Who knows, maybe Craig Masback has some things to reveal. Just maybe.....

Wetmore is one of the few colligiate coaches in the U.S. that has it down. He does not race and interval his athletes to the max like most college coaches. He also wins with Americans. Imagine that!!! In time Washington State University will raise to the top, since JD is now there following the method he learned from Wetmore. There is much talent in the State of Washington. JD is a heck of a recruiter. He will win!

The word is that Sloan doesn't really care all that much about the distance team. Hopefully J.D. is actually given scholarships to work with. Li was a hell of a coach, and could land A list Kenyans, and still wasn't given much to work with, otherwise he'll be fighting for money the whole time.

hey, any of u wazzu supporters know what Rasto Kiplangat and Eric "Chege" Kimau are up to? They still running?

thanks in advance,

Ryan

Chege left Pullman last spring he isn't running any longer. No Idea about Rasto haven't seen him for a year or so,

What book are you reading? He sees how a runner is doing in workouts but one thing he also does there is reserve a spot for Adam Batliner who is injured through most of the season and who isn't the fastest guy in races or workouts. He takes his top 7-9 from the races. To do otherwise is to be subjective and give runners mixed messages.

>Wetmore burns more runners than perhaps any other college coach, but what he has left are generally in better shape than most.<

"You can't burn out, if you never catch fire"

My point exactly Hodgie.

He takes his runners to the linits of their abilities and some beyond. As a result he loses a lot of guys but in the process he also turns a lot of walk ons and also rans who survive into solid scorers for the team.

Does Wetmore really believe the only difference between US runners and the rest of the world is EPO? We're not even where we were 25 years ago against ourselves. He's just using the "everybody's juiced except the good guys in the US" excuse as a crutch.

Before you speak, look at how our 17,18,19,20 year olds compare with the rest of the world. Perhaps this could provide some insight... but I am willing to believe more from a well qualified, well educated coach of great ahletes than some jerk (like me)expounding opinions on this message board.

Of course, when I say it, it is sour grapes and making excuses. I guess Wetmore is sour grapes too, just like Lydiard said of those who were skeptical of the E. Germans (even the great Lydiard could be dead wrong). See, it is possible to acknowledge the drug problem AND not let it discourage your efforts to be your best and coach others to do their best:

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RQ: The American distance runner have fallen behind the rest of the world. What do you attribute that to?

Wetmore: Drugs. Erythropoeitin. I think that?s single biggest contributing factor. International, world and Olympic level is rampant with drug cheaters.

RQ: When did you think that drugs became such a big factor?

Wetmore: I think it started to be a factor about fifteen years ago. It?s always been a factor because people have been searching for what started as supplements to help them perform well one hundred years ago. Their search became more comprehensive and they started to move farther away from what would have been supplements in to medicine and medical practices. I think that twelve to fifteen years ago incredible performances began to happen.

RQ: Do you think that Americans themselves have delved into this?

Wetmore: I?m sure they have, but I think that in the middle and long distances to a much lesser degree than the international level.

As the handle implies, I'm curious as to why everyone seems to like and agree with Wetmore, who is by his own words rock solid on the need to have a large knowledge of human physiology in order to be a good coach for your athletes.

I remember many people on a thread on this board ripping the scientific approach sometime within the past year. "E-P geeks" or something I believe was the term used?

Now we are all believers. How convienient. Helps you understand how easily Christ was crucified once public opinion turned against him.

And BTW, when some angle player like Marc Davis tries to portray himself as an equal with hard-working people Wetmore, I most certainly will call them on it.