Our Coach Brent Haley was Honored 10/23/2015 |
The Best Running Moment of My Life
October 28, 2015
Last Friday, I experienced one of the best running moments of my life.
I wasn’t racing. I didn’t attend a race. I wasn’t wearing running shoes,
nor did I log a single mile. I didn’t even watch anyone else run.
But it was still a day of running I will never forget as long as I live.
I was at Largo High School in Largo, Florida, where I witnessed my dad
getting inducted into the school’s track and field hall of fame. He was
one of the best track and field athletes in Pinellas County and the
state of Florida, and he still holds the county record for the
400m/440yd distance today. (You can read more about my dad and what I’ve
learned growing up as the daughter of an elite runner
here.)
I also had the honor and privilege of spending time with my dad’s
legendary high school track coach Brent Haley. My dad (left) with Coach Brent Haley at a meet in 1971
My dad with Coach Brent Haley on October 23, 2015 as he was inducted
into the Largo High School Hall of Fame
Coach Haley is one of the greatest high school track and cross country
coaches that has ever coached. During his 40-year coaching career, his
teams won 10 state championships in Florida, set numerous records and
had two teams ranked number one in the nation. He was also honored by
the National High School Athletic Coaches Association as its coach of
the year in 1976.
But what strikes me most far beyond Coach Haley’s running accolades is
the indelible impact he has left on everyone he has touched. Today,
former athletes – grown men in their fifties and sixties – well up with
tears when thinking about him and continue to seek his wisdom,
validation and love. I don’t know if I’ve ever been in the midst of
someone who is so beloved by so many. A real life legend.
I recently read something online that described coaching as having a
front row seat to an athlete’s journey to personal greatness – achieving
dreams, defying personal limits, realizing their potential.
That is what I witnessed on Friday. My dad relived moments of achieving
greatness in his running career (amidst tragic bouts of injury) while
his incredible coach stood beside him once again – a front row seat to
remembering what hard work, sacrifice, dedication and success are all
about. A coach and his athlete, together on the track again
It was a simple night. Dinner at Outback Steakhouse with former cross
country super stars and family. Sitting in the stands at a local high
school football game. Teenagers with painted faces walking up and down
the stands, returning with popcorn and Blow-Pops on homecoming weekend.
Clapping with glee at a grassroots half-time ceremony where they
mispronounced my dad’s last name. My mom and dad with former classmates who came to watch the induction ceremony. One of them even made a sign!
It was a simple night, yet it was remarkable. It wasn’t really about a
plaque or an award or the hall of fame. It was the unadorned beauty of
how running can come into our lives and give us so much more than
running. It was being a spectator in the front row witnessing how
running has, so humbly, shaped who people have become and what they’ve
learned about life. Most importantly, it was a first-hand view of how
running brings people into our lives who will forever change us for the
better. As Coach Haley celebrated his 75th birthday that
night and then stood next to my dad 44 years after the day he graduated,
I was overcome with emotion for the power of running.
Running is always more than running.
As we headed home from Friday’s festivities, I sat in the front seat of
our SUV, clutching a yellow folder to my chest.
In it was a letter from Coach Haley and all of his collective wisdom
from 40 years of coaching that he gave to me at dinner. Handwritten
notes with his most successful workouts. A spiral-bound notebook full of
knowledge and information from some of the best coaches across the
country. Anecdotes about former runners with their names and stories. A
lifetime of knowledge and lessons in one folder. His wisdom is not meant
to be held secret, but rather to share with other passionate coaches and
runners to continue to make our sport better and we as runners greater.
I am speechless and profoundly grateful.
I look forward to sharing some of the lessons from that folder with all
of you in the coming weeks and months. Until then, I leave you with this
poem that was on page 7, encouraging us all to break free of living
average and to always be a champion.
What running moment stands out most in your life? Do you have a running
coach who has left a meaningful impression on your life? If so, tell us
about him/her. |