Posted: February 21, 2005

Athletics: Interview with Glenn Latimer, New USATF Men's LDR Chair

In mid-January, owing to Jim Estes' resignation to become USATF's Manager of Long Distance Running, Glenn Latimer assumed the position of USATF Men's LDR Chair. Latimer, who had been Estes' vice-chair, has a long, varied history in the sport. The English-born Peoria, Ill. resident has worked as a coach, agent, club leader, race director, elite athlete coordinator, magazine editor and consultant. The athletes and events he's been associated with read like a who's who and what's what of running: Mark Plaatjes, Martin Pitayo, Marian Sutton, Wanda Panfil, Gert Thys and the late Ian Syster; The Steamboat Classic, The U.S. 10K Classic and The LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon. Running USA wire's Charlie Mahler interviewed Latimer recently to get his take on the latest, and perhaps most challenging, addition to his resume.

MAHLER, Running USA wire: Congratulations on the new position. How does it feel to be the person in charge of men's long distance running for the whole nation? Can you sleep at night?

LATIMER: I think it is an honor to help work with USATF. I think we all have an obligation to "put something back" into our sport. I sleep fine at night!! I always joke that "I do my best work in dark alleys" - i.e. people do not know what I am involved in, which events I am behind (e.g. planning the fast times, and world record attempts at Chicago) but now this position is a little more high profile.

RUSA: Of course, the USA is coming off an Olympics where it earned two medals in the marathon, so perhaps it's the perfect time to build things in LDR?

LATIMER: Perfect may be too strong a word. It is too simplistic a view to think that Meb and Deena are going to change the running world. Even Meb and Deena don't think that! It is a partial opportunity. Other factors come into play also in building LDR. In particular having the new staff position in the National Office of Manager of LDR, Jim Estes, should help considerably.

RUSA: What is your background in the sport?

LATIMER: I ran as a youngster in England. I was a reasonable high school athlete. I represented my County, and still have a medal when our Youth Team (Under 16) from Notts AC was top three in the English National Cross-Country Championships. I ran 9:33 for two miles as a sixteen year old, and 1:56.4 for 880y as an eighteen year old. I went to Loughborough College (Seb Coe and Tim Hutchings followed in my "footsteps" many years later). My contemporaries were people like Brendan Foster and Ian Stewart.

After college I played semi-pro soccer, coached a top level of high school soccer, and ran for fun, and played cricket and basketball. A year after I came to the USA, we arranged for the semi-pro soccer team to come over here on a tour. Warming up for a match in Camp Randall in Madison, WI, I tore my cartilage in my knee. After surgery I decided to quit soccer and to start running again. I ran my first marathon in 1980 in 3:20, and then improved over the next two years to 2:23:41. I also ran 31:44 for 10K and 51:47 for 10 miles. Nothing earth shattering, but I knew how to train to maximize by limited ability.

RUSA: A lot of people might be surprised to learn that the USATF Men's LDR Chair is a completely volunteer position. Where are you going to find the time for all the work it involves?

LATIMER: An old adage is that if you want a job done, then you should ask a busy person because they know how to manage their time. I am a firm believer that we make time to do the things we want to do. However, I have noticed a recent sharp increase in the number of telephone calls and emails I receive!

RUSA: What do you think the biggest challenge of the position will be?

LATIMER: We need to elevate the profile of long distance running as a "sport." The "activity" of running is very healthy. We need the "sharp end" of our sport to be promoted on TV. If NASCAR, poker and fishing shows can be televised, then we need to create the playing field for sponsors to want to be involved in long distance running. This topic is a separate treatise really, but in Europe you can watch the World Cross, and in Japan, the major marathons are huge TV ratings shows. It is tough, but we have to compete with what is on TV. Even if it is on a niche channel, we need to be on TV. Look at the OLN success last year in covering the Tour De France (admittedly because of the Lance Armstrong link.)

RUSA: What are your top priorities?

LATIMER: 1) Helping to make the best selection possible for the site of the 2008 U.S. Men's Olympic Marathon Trials. We have a terrific, very experienced group of people giving us input. We need to chose a site which helps to elevate the profile of our sport with the American public, and which maximizes our chances of our team doing well in Beijing. We need people vying for podium places in Beijing. We have the talented athletes, so the system should facilitate their preparation for the Olympics. We do not want to "beat up" our best athletes in a late, hot Trials race, which means that they cannot be competitive in the Olympic Games. So we have already done work on the time window for qualifying and for the Trials to be held.

I am against us sending "Olympic tourists." Our best athletes need to be at the Olympics and be competitive. Meb and Deena have paved the way. But times have been lean at the top level of international competition since 1972 with Frank Shorter, and since Joanie in 1984, except for a few bright flashes like Steve Spence, Mark Plaatjes, Lynn Jennings, our women's cross-country team at World's a couple of years ago.

2) As part of the last answer, you can see that I am pro-athlete. I think I understand the world of elite athletes from my experience. But I also understand the sport from the perspective of the events and the sponsors. We really do have to work together to elevate the profile of the sport.

3) To that end, I want to see our best distance runners being willing to represent the USA in international competitions. I have already talked to several athletes, agents and coaches about this point.

4) We need to support our developmental programs. That means that we should try to help them with facilitating financial support, through the private sector, if USATF does not have the funding to help these programs. Basically, at present, we have "unfunded mandates" except for Mammoth Lakes. Dr. Joe Vigil and Bob Larsen have done a great job, there, but we could see some changes in that structure, and we need to keep the knowledge and experience of Joe and Bob involved in developmental programs. I am very confident that Bob Sevene will do a terrific job with the developmental team in Monterey Bay. Bob knows how to coach and motivate.

There are other great people out there working hard, and working independently. We (USATF) need to find a way to help them. Look at the terrific work that young coaches like Brad Hudson and Kevin and Keith Hanson are doing, plus Pat Goodwin and Dennis Barker in Minnesota and Zika Palmer. I am receiving terrific support from this group of coaches and their athletes for what we are trying to accomplish.

But Sev, Brad, Keith and Kevin, Pat, Dennis and Zika are finding their own way to get the job done. I think USATF should try to help them. These groups are high performance developmental programs. As such, it makes more sense to me that they are part of USATF. I see Running USA's role as more of a trade organization. They reached that viewpoint themselves at last year's Running USA Conference. And under that umbrella, maybe the corporate side will see advantages to sponsoring developmental programs. From the recent Running USA Conference, we have agreement that we now have six equal elite developmental clubs which we are going to help and support.

5) We need to create a stepping stone to the developmental programs. I have heard the term "Grassroots Elite" but that is an oxymoron. We need some sort of support for the guys before they can make it to Sev, or Brad, or Dennis, or Kevin and Keith, etc. Maybe that is the traditional running store team, which helps the emerging regional level athlete.

6) We have to market our "stars." We have established stars like our last three Olympic marathoners (Meb, Dan Browne and Alan Culpepper), and we have guys like Tim Broe, who I have known since he was 14 years old as he is from the Peoria area. Probably the best potential talent is Dathan Ritzenhein. We could build a whole new running boom for the "sport" of running around Dathan at the World level. He is a huge talent, and he is intelligent and personable. Without wishing to jinx him, he ought to develop into an American superstar athlete. I met with him last May and gave him some advice about what to expect in his professional career. All of these guys are the role models for youngsters and developing athletes to want to imitate.

RUSA: The Olympic Marathon Trials is a big part of an LDR Chair's responsibilities. Where are things now with selection of the 2008 site?

LATIMER: We have a very comprehensive system ready to go. On the Men's side we have a great group of experienced people who will give us input. Jim Estes had the idea to seek the input of our 2004 men's Olympic marathoners. I have expanded on that idea to include other constituencies for input.

RUSA: It seems like quite a difference now compared to after the 2000 Olympics looking ahead to the 2004 Trials - more interest in the Trials, higher profile events showing interest, excitement about the event rather than trepidations.

LATIMER: We have strong interest already, some of which is coming from the major marathons. In the review process, we will give everyone who bids a fair "shake" but we should be pleased that we have interest from some of USA's major marathon events.

RUSA: Wrangling with the other USATF areas for developmental monies seems to be a constant concern for LDR. Is LDR better positioned now for funding after the success of Meb and Deena at the Olympics?

LATIMER: I have already made that point to Craig Masback. You are correct that it is a tough road to get funding for LDR from USATF. Sprinting rules because (supposedly) they bring home the gold. I think we have to try to use the success of Meb and Deena to pry the funding door open a little. I don't think it will be easy. However, LDR finally has a staff position in Indianapolis with Jim Estes in his new role, and that should help significantly. Specifically related to high performance, Fred Finke, Elizabeth Phillips and I will be working closely with Jim to make progress on these fronts.

RUSA: How should people who care about long distance running in the USA measure your success?

LATIMER: Well, I am Interim Chair of Men's LDR until the USATF Convention in December, at which time people will judge me on what we have achieved in eleven months. Then there will be an election. Assuming I wish to continue and stand for election, then we will see what the voters say about my performance this year. (You see - I sound like a politician already!!)

RUSA: Is there anything else you'd like the USA running community to know about you and what you hope to do?

LATIMER: I have a lot of experience in many facets of running. I understand the "activity" of running. I understand the "sport" of running. I understand coaching and developing athletes. I understand the perspective of events, both large and small, and that of event organizers, sponsors, agents, coaches, etc. I have a lot of contacts in the running world, so I think I am a "big picture guy" which ultimately, I hope, will be a benefit to the LDR world. I like challenges and overcoming them. I think I have a pretty decent track record in what I have accomplished in running.

Ryan Lamppa, Running USA Media Services Director
385 Oak View Lane
Santa Barbara, CA 93111

(805) 696-6232, fax (805) 967-5958
Ryan@RunningUSA.org
www.runningusa.org.