'Endurance Machines': Interview with Coach Sean Williams

We catch up for a detailed chat with one of Sydney's leading middle and long distance coaches, Sean Williams. Learn all about the man with perhaps the biggest stable of elite enudurance athletes in Sydney, if not all of Australia.

Runnerstribe: First off, can you describe a bit about your coaching principles or philosophy?

Sean Williams: I feel that it is my job to take a person beyond a point at which he/she thinks a challenging task is impossible, to a point where they believe it is possible. Once this occurs, people can reach challenging targets.

People in modern Western societies such as Australia are undoubtedly softer, in general, than they were 100 or more years ago. Long gone are the days when kids walked and ran barefoot for hours each day. Very few modern day Australians live off the land and farm the land using predominantly manpower. And who would consider, nowadays, hunting for their food, using their own bodies and primitive weapons? Gone are the days when people have to fight for survival.

Australia is the "world champion" in levels of overweight and obesity in several age-groups - not something to be proud of. We live in a technological age where the average Australian sits or lies down for the majority of their time. Their days are spent driving to venues, often fighting for a car park, which may save them walking a further 50 metres. They more often than not sit in front of a computer at work or home and rarely exercise.

In African nations such as Kenya, the majority of the population still lives the way Australians lived 100 or more years ago - that is, a life full of movement and physical hardship. Compare Australians general health and fitness with that. Let me tell you who I think the lucky ones are - the Africans.

Even though Australia possesses a fine education system, along with an enriched, cultured and cosmopolitan society, I firmly believe that we need to be re-educated in the raw basics such as how to stay truly healthy. How can we re-develop our bodies and spirits so that we can once again be healthy, enabling us to take a rapid U-turn away from the horrible unhealthy spiral we are accelerating down?

I plan to show many people the way to fitness and well-being. I want to issue people with the challenge of actually using their bodies, and using them the way their bodies are designed to be used. Human beings evolved from the apes. Apes have 4 hands (ie no feet). The major physical difference between apes and humans is that humans run in an upright position predominantly using their legs and feet. Apes cannot do that. Humans developed feet so that they could run long distances to gradually wear down big prey over hours, even days. Our bodies are designed to be endurance machines. Humans are amongst the poorest land animals on earth at sprinting, but amongst the best, if not the very best, over long distances. My job is to try and create the very best endurance machines on the planet.

RT: How did you get into coaching?

SW: I started teaching in my early 20s and taught at the school level whilst I was a competitive runner. My big dream as a runner was to try and make the Sydney Olympics in my home town (that's all it was a dream- with the same height, shoe size and almost the same weight as basketball great Michael Jordan, I was never the classic build for a distance runner, but have always loved it just the same).

I helped out my original coach, June Ferguson (coach of 5 Olympic Gold medals- Betty Cuthburt 4 and Maureen Caird 1) with some Little As kids up at Epping Oval with middle distance events for a while.

After years of doing a lot of training, mixed with a bit of coaching, I realised I had probably reached my peak in distance running by my early 30s. With about 9 months to go to the Sydney Olympics I pretty well realised that I was not going to make it and lost focus on giving it 100% in my running training. I started helping Liz Miller, who was coached by Dick Telford at the time, in her quest to qualify for the Australian Olympic team in 2000 for the 10km. I would pace her in sessions, do long runs with her, etc. Liz ran 32.42 in the Olympic trial race and needed 32.40 so just missed out. I then had members of the Canadian Olympic team, including a distance coach Jerry Tighe, stay at our place during and after the Olympics. I liked Jerry's coaching style and character and decided that I would like to persue what he had been doing in my own backyard. I developed a squad of just a small handful of juniors in late 2000 and it has all grown from there.

RT: What is it you love about coaching? What's the moment when you realise "this is all worth it"?

SW: There are moments almost every day that I realise it is worth it. I feel very privileged to be able to make a living out of the sport I love.

A couple of moments spring to mind just from this past weekend at the Canberra marathon. Tim Rowe made his marathon debut and was the favourite. I had high expectations for a solid run from Tim, however everything wasn't ticking on race day. He had gut problems and at 15km he started cramping badly in the stomach. The race was torture for him and after having built up a big lead and being on his goal pace early on, the cramping made it a big challenge and he slowed drastically in the closing stages to be caught with 2km left. His time was way slower than target pace. I knew he had been through a lot in the weeks leading up to the race (his sister was in her final stages of a battle with cancer) and he was balling his eyes out in the medical tent just after finishing. His body was wrenching and contorting in agony as his guts seized up with extreme cramps. Tears welled up inside me and I certainly shed a few during his painful time. I had realised just how much I wanted Tim to succeed, for his own sake. He failed with his goal, but had succeeded in every way with his courage and commitment, both in training and in the execution. It just wasn't Tim's day.

A 75 year old whom I coach, Frank Dearn, was in the same race. He ran around 5.40 and won his age group. He finished around 3 hours after Tim. I had the chance to cheer Frank on a couple of times during the race as they double back doing a few loops. We had to get back to Sydney for something so I couldn't wait to see Frank finish. However, Frank called me after his race to inform me of his finishing time and "victory". You should have heard the boyish joy in his voice. This is coming from a grand old man who had 50 years as a successful barrister and a lifetime of success in his career and as a loving family man.

Yes, the lows of the sport make the highs all worth it!

RT: What characteristics does someone need to be a good coach?

SW: I know a lot of good coaches (and some bad ones too!) and have read about countless good (and bad) coaches. The only common denominator I can see with the good coaches is that they have a genuine love of and passion for their sport. They do what is best for their runners, not what is best for themselves.

RT: What are some of your favourite sessions?

SW: You can't beat getting out there in nature, away from a synthetic track and letting your runners loose. My favourite would have to be a tempo run on any flat beach at low tide, where the sand is hard packed. It is best if there is a howling southerly wind blowing. Watching the top runners fly along the beach at 2.40 per km pace with the tailwind and quicker for many km is poetry in motion. I usually try to keep up with the quick girls in such a session. Having the runners then be challenged by running back into the wind, battling to run at 5.00 per km pace, is classic- it is amazing how strong men can be turned into whimpering little boys in such situations.

Running them across mountain tops such as Mt Kosciusco brings similar experiences. You can't beat training in 100km/h winds in sub zero temps at 2200m elevation on massive hills when the pace is on.

RT: What distance/event do you enjoy coaching for the most?

SW: Any middle or long distance event, although the marathon has a grand lure about it. Coaching Liz Miller to 11th at Chicago and Damon Harris and Sarah Mycroft to top 20s at London was satisfying. Some youngsters in my squad will surely succeed even further in this challenging event and hopefully one day win a major marathon or even Olympic event. World Cross Country is a classic as well, plus any distance track races.

RT: How important are the 'five percent-ers', like gym work, cross training, nutrition, stretching, massage, etc?

SW: Bloody important. The more time a runner has, the more of this they can, and should take on. Of these, strength is the most important.

RT: What are your thoughts on the long term development of athletes?

SW: Success in distance running does not come overnight. Careful medium and long term planning is essential. Trying to keep them a) motivated and b) injury free are the biggest tasks. Runners in any given event should have 3 goals:

1. make the start line
2. make the finish
3. make the finish line as fast as possible (preferably faster than everyone else in the race.)
However, they can only reach goal number 3 if they first achieve 1 and 2.

RT: How young should/could athletes be when they begin distance training?

SW: As I mentioned in my philosophy, we are born endurance machines, so we start distance training from birth. I coach Kid's Groups where there are children as young as 4 years of age. Of course, the training they do at this age is very much "fun and games" kind of stuff. I have coached Selma Kajan (now ranked no.3 in Australia for 800m) and Lara Tamsett for close to a decade, starting coaching them when they were little girls.

RT: You've had a lot of success recently with some of your open athletes like Ben. St Lawrence, Tim Rowe, and Lara Tamsett. Where do you see them progressing to in the near future, and in the more distant future? What are your plans for them?

SW: In a nutshell:

Ben St Lawrence: fast 5000m racing and has potential to make major championship in next year or two (maybe worlds this year!) and final by London Olympics.

Tim Rowe: Tim: fast 10km-marathon racing and has potential to be very competitive in major marathons and championships in the near future- can be top 10 in Olympics by London. Can be international marathon star.

Lara Tamsett: Improving her racing over 5km-10km in next few years, also moving into the half marathon. May well debut in marathon before London Olympics but will become international marathon star in 5 years or so. Could eventually win World XC. Can possibly make worlds this year in 10km.

Steve Thurston: Making big comeback-may make Commonwealth Games next year in steeple or 5km and Olympics in London

Don't forget Becky Lowe (last year's City to Surf champ): I see her for 4 months of the year when she is not at Uni of Florida - another potential London Olympian. Hoping she comes back with us for good after her Uni is finished - she can also become a 10km/marathon star- very gutsy!

RT: You've also got a lot of excellent junior runners in your ranks. Who do you think we should be looking out for in the future?

SW: Selma Kajan: has progressed with PBs every year for 8 years in a row. This pattern will continue and she will be world class at middle distance in a few years.

Josh Johnson: is loaded with talent - a superstar of the future in the mile.

Hollie Emery: Finally over her respiratory problems which plagued her leading up to world XC - a distance star of the future who is moving to Florida to train/race with Becky Lowe but I am hoping for same long term scenario.

Todd Wakefield: Similar type of runner to Josh Johnson - the gutsiest racer in the squad. A superstar of the future in the mile.

Tom Hurley: The best stylist I have seen and if he commits, could do anything.

Liam Dwyer: Already a national champion and looks like a young Herb Elliot.

Zach Rea: Also a national champion and is very likely to go all the way in middle distance.

Morgan McDonald: national cross country champ who went to soccer for a while and, if he sticks to running long term, could be a freak.

Conner O'Sullivan: A little harrier with a really big heart - watch out for him in years to come.

Others who have big futures include Kristy Colman, Rachel Howard, Nathan Derriman, Jordan Williams and James King.

RT: Harry Summers is the other runner we haven't yet mentioned that a lot of people have been talking about - where do you see him going? What's the plan for him?

SW: I don't call him the "$30 million dollar colt" for nothing. In a "tempo run" on a grass track with soft earth and grass up above ankle height, he belted out 10km in 29.40 then proceeded to go to 12km in 35.25, just 5 days ago. A bloody talented runner who is just a novice in the sport. He could do anything in a short space of time- i.e expect big things in the next year or two. He almost beat Ryan Gregson at world XC and convincingly beat Richard Everest. 5km and 10km will be his best distances and he can rip the Aficans apart very soon - they won't know what the hell hit them - was that a sledgehammer?

RT: What are your thoughts on the state of distance running in Australia, and around the world?

SW: Australia is riding on the crest of a big wave and nothing is going to stop us now. Mottram started it and now we have countless youngsters about to hit the big time. Their success will breed success. The African nations are actually becoming westernised very quickly, thus they are "fattening up". That is obviously going to be to their detriment and to our advantage!

Running is the most universal sport on the planet. Every able bodied human being has competed in a running race. There has, and always will be, running. Running is even more universal than sex, more universal than any other accomplishment, more universal than any language, art or music genre. The best runners in the world are the ultimate human beings. Within the next 10 years, running will take its mantle in the fat, slack, let's sit on our asses and eat a pie, drink beer and watch cricket or footy Aussie culture. It will be like it is in Japan or Africa, where "celebrities" in society will actually be skinning distance runners, as people like Summers and Gregson bring home the gold.

'You can't beat training in 100km/h winds in sub zero temps at 2200m elevation on massive hills when the pace is on.'
Sean Williams