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University of Warwick
Endurance Academy
History: Endurance Running Hotbeds in the UK
In the late 60s, 70s and early 80s the Coventry and
Warwickshire area - and Coventry Godiva Harriers in particular - produced a
succession of runners who had domestic and international success: Basil Heatley,
Brian Kilby, Dick Taylor, Bill Adcocks, Sheila Carey, Dave Moorcroft and Dave
Long amongst others. Arguably they led the country in endurance running at the
time.
Behind the headline names, there were a series of other good
international athletes and excellent club runners, seeking to improve their
performance levels and coming together at championship events such as the
National Cross Country Championships or National Road Relays to compete against
other like minded clubs.
The talent was found in the local population, not imported,
and then developed by an army of like-minded individuals all of whom shared the
same values and energy. Driven by a desire to be the best they could possibly
be or help others be the best they could be – which in some cases was
world-class – the sheer number of quality runners, the performances they
produced and the momentum that this created was inspirational.
Yet in time our endurance fortunes have declined. And critically
for British endurance running, no other area has emerged as a genuine hotbed
– there are assembled groups of athletes from throughout the country that
train together, but nowhere is producing a wealth of talent as Coventry and
Warwickshire once did.
Can we simply repeat what worked before?
It is tempting to suggest that the rebuilding of the key
elements of these hotbeds could recreate the success of the past. However, too
much has changed both in sport and society for that simple approach to work.
The world has moved on and we have to reflect that in our planning –
taking the best of the past successes and finding ways to put them in a modern
context.
The pioneering work of the London Marathon and Great Runs
has increased the numbers of people running to unprecedented levels. No-one
would have anticipated in the early 80s that a huge growth in numbers on top of
the golden era of British distance running could lead to the current situation,
but male performance standards have demonstrably slipped. The timing could not have
been worse for such a slump, as it coincided with the near total domination of
the sport at the highest level by African (or African descended) athletes.
Female endurance running in the UK has enjoyed better
fortunes, due to exceptional individuals in Kelly Holmes and Paula Radcliffe,
but despite having inspired a new generation that promise much, there is still
no regional pattern to those emerging. Furthermore, the African women are now
threatening domination to compare with their male counterparts.
It is foolish to claim that any region that ‘got its act
together’ could systematically produce Coe, Cram, Ovett, Holmes or Radcliffe,
but British endurance running needs a number of hotbeds to emerge to act as a
starting point to unearthing such gems. If a number of new hotbeds could reach
the performance levels of Coventry and Warwickshire in the past, then the
chance of a world-class talent emerging increases, and the sport’s health will
begin gradually to improve.
How are we rebuilding endurance in Coventry and
Warwickshire?
We launched the University
of Warwick Endurance Academy in
2008 with the following aim:
to increase the number and quality of endurance
athletes in Coventry and Warwickshire and in turn to increase the number and
quality of teachers and coaches identifying and supporting those athletes.
The University of Warwick Endurance Academy works with local
schools and a new generation of teachers to:
• improve and develop the endurance experience within the
curriculum;
• re introduce the ethos of the school cross-country team and then
support the teacher in charge of cross-country to maintain this tradition;
• grow again the Coventry School Cross-Country League and city and
county Championships by encouraging young people from all Coventry and Warwickshire
secondary schools to these races and ensuring that the best of these runners
will go forward to represent their City and County in national schools competition;
• encourage those young athletes to join one of the local clubs in
the area and ensure there is a growing group of coaches / endurance enthusiasts
there to work with them;
• provide local joint training sessions for young athletes and
their coaches where they will be encouraged to develop the sort of level of
commitment and ambition that they will require to be a successful athlete;
• understand and promote the progression in training that young
endurance athletes should follow if they wish to be successful senior athletes;
• maintain contact with athletes who leave the area to go to
University outside the region and work hard to keep each individual involved in
the sport.
The University of Warwick Endurance Academy works at club
level to:
• provide support and advice supplied by a local network of
respected coaches;
• bring athletes and coaches together in a local running network,
responsive to their needs and always driven to make each athlete the best that
they can be;
• ensure there is structured club endurance training sessions for
senior athletes at least three times a week, all year round;
• encourage each local club endurance athlete in the age range 18
– 30 to consider if they wish to improve their current performance levels
and if they do, support them in their journey to see how good they could be;
• Identify local “new entrants” to endurance sport who are running
in the Great Run series and have the potential to improve. Our goal is to find
a series of new “Dave Longs’.”
• support and encourage local athletes to perform with distinction
in County, Area and National Championships;
• work with other clubs across the county and West Midlands to
encourage strong club endurance competition and share ideas.
• Encourage athletes and their clubs to share high levels of
ambition for middle and long distance running and to understand and commit to
the volume and types of training that are needed for success
The University of Warwick Endurance Academy works with coaches, teachers and club volunteers to:
• create a local running community where local people are
co-operating together to achieve local success and at all times recognising
their contribution to this momentum;
• reward and develop coaches through local monthly coach workshops
and the sharing of good practice co-ordinated by the Director of the Academy;
• monitor the progress of the Academy by measuring numbers competing
to a high standard at key identified events (initially at County and Area
Championships and Road Relays Championship)
The University of Warwick Endurance Academy works at University
level to:
• encourage applications to the University of Warwick and Coventry
University from talented endurance athletes who can achieve the necessary academic
requirements, and will then become members of the Academy;
• support other students, associated endurance sports and
University staff with quality coaching and the benefits of the Academy;
• strengthen the student teams of both Universities;
• encourage members with aspirations to world class performance to
stay in our area, once their course finishes, continuing their athletics
career.
How does the University of Warwick Endurance Academy operate?
The Academy’s philosophy is simple: encourage involvement,
inspire members to be the best they can be, give them real reasons to stay
involved in the sport through to senior years. In practice, this is achieved
by:
·
Developing volunteer coaches and teachers within the region -
drawing on key core values in excellence, ambition and drive,
·
Retention (and progression) of talent is a key objective of this
project and all athletes within the Academy receive regular communication and progress
tracking. We engage with specialists in the area of medicine, sports therapy,
sports science and talent development (drawing upon individuals and groups
already within the University community) to deliver appropriate services to athletes and develop coaches.
·
A Project Director / Head Coach
leads the programme; producing materials and resources; delivering,
evaluating and publishing these training templates, as well as supervising and
co-ordinating the delivery of support services. Just as important this person
acts as the ever present presence, staging group training sessions at least
four times a week, encouraging and supporting the momentum that comes from a
group of runners starting to improve.
·
The templates seek to outline the
competencies / skills required at each and every level both in terms of age and
level of performer. Crucially the work would investigate (and seek to solve)
athlete progression through the various levels and the essential building
blocks that are required at elite level.
·
This allows the Academy to
influence behaviour and activity at each every stage of the performer from
school age through to sub elite, ensuring that once we have identified and
developed athletes they are more like to succeed on the national or world class
stage.
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