RMRR member Tracy Peterson was recently named Colorado HS Class 3A Coach of the Year. Below is Tracy’s story of how became a runner and how he became an award-winning coach.
A runner always has a story of where, how, or why they started running. I started back in the 8th grade at Chapman junior high school in Chapman, Kansas. In an attempt to get out of the cold, we had to run the mile. I ran that mile in 6:15 in wrestling practice on a warm snowy 30-degree day. I finished the 8th grade track season with a 5:12 for the mile, good enough for 2nd at the junior high league track meet. I was hooked on running fast.
I began high school as a varsity XC runner. Over the next four years our teams won 6 league championships, two State track championships, two State runner-up track finishes, and a 3rd, 5th and an 8th place State finish in XC.I finished with a couple of individual state titles.
I went on to college and ran XC and track. I was awarded All American in a couple of distance events – the 10k and the 3000m steeplechase. At that time I knew I wanted to be a coach. I got my first opportunity at Kansas City (Kansas) Community College. In my first year we did very well, with a few of my runners going to Nationals and two of my runners receiving All American honors. A year later I moved to Colorado from Salina, Kansas, and two years after that I started working for a company that gave me the opportunity to run and coach.
I started coaching at Alameda High School in 2001.The school hadn’t seen a runner go to state in the mile or the two mile in over 20 years — I think it was way back when Reagan was president. Well, we qualified a boy in the 3200m that spring (2001) to the state meet. After 4 years with AHS it was time to try something new. I made a short stay at Westminster High School and we had a great track year. Then I spent the next two years coaching XC and track at Bear Creek High School, which was probably the most fun in coaching that I ever had. I brought the distance program from middle of the pack to a state power in less than 2 years with some of the best kids you could ever ask for to train. At every state meet while at BCHS I was approached about coaching at different schools. In 2006 I decided to take a break from coaching high school XC and trained like a mad man — I still have the course record at the Lair o the Bear 10 miler.
I began to miss the training with the kids at BC, but they had already replaced my position. I went on to Heritage High School in Littleton for track and, wow, the dedication and work ethic by the kids blew me away. I found the perfect team and facility and the staff was great. At the end of track I wanted to get back to coaching XC and the Heritage XC staff was already full so I applied at Colorado Academy in Spring 2007. I got the job the next day, I’m glad I have good references.
Colorado Academy is a different kind of school — it’s private, and they win in every sport except cross country. That is, until I brought my famous crazy enthusiasm to practice on the first day. Little did I know when I started coaching there that in 3 months I would qualify 5 misfit ex-soccer, lacrosse, and whatever else sport to the boys state 3A XC meet for the first time in school history (2007), placing 15th out of 30 teams.
This year I knew we could be a team to win state. We had the guys and the hard work — we put it together with young freshman Nick Taylor and junior Hondo Katz added to the roster. We were pretty much untouchable most of the season. We won the League meet, which was another first for the school. But along with our success other teams were having great seasons as well — Faith Christian, (league rival) TCA, Lyons, and Bayfield.
We got to state for the second time in school history (2008). We showed up to win and we did everything as a team to get it done, but TCA and Lyons,the early season favorites went one and two, with a surprising third-place finish by Colorado Academy. Nick Taylor 7th and Melake Getabecha 9th were All State in 3A and two weeks later I found out by a parent Eric Taylor that I was chosen as the 3A boys XC coach of the year. This was by far better than any race I’ve ever run in my life. It was all thanks to my guys and girls on the team that listened and put in the work. I’ve always considered myself a runner but most days I’m more coach than a runner. I still run 6 to 7 days a week with 6 to 10 mile runs daily. I do miss my runs with RMRR and being able to talk and socialize with runners my age but I always pop an email or show up to a RMRR race unexpectedly.
See you soon,
Coach Tracy Peterson