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Dec-12-2013
Kara Goucher Returning to Boulder To Be Coached By Mark Wetmore
by David Monti
(c) Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved
(12-Dec) -- After nine years of living and training in Portland, Ore., under
coaches Alberto Salazar and Jerry Schumacher, two-time Olympian Kara Goucher
has decided to move back to Boulder, Colo., where she will train under her
college coaches, Mark Wetmore and Heather Burroughs, at the University of
Colorado. Goucher, 35, revealed her plans in a blog entry posted this
morning.
"'Follow your heart' is one of my favorite sayings," Goucher wrote. "I've
trusted my instincts a lot in my life, and it has gotten me pretty far."
She continued: "My heart hasn't let me down."
Goucher, who won the bronze medal at 10,000m at the 2007 IAAF World
Championships in Osaka, moved to Oregon in 2004 with husband Adam to be
coached by Salazar. Under Salazar, Goucher enjoyed excellent progress,
making her first Olympic team in 2008, in both the 5000m and 10,000m;
lowering her 5000m and 10,000m personal bests to 14:55.02 and 30:55.16,
respectively; and running the fastest marathon debut ever by an American
woman in 2008, 2:25:53, at the New York City Marathon. She also ran a
spectacular 1:06:57 at the 2007 Great North Run half-marathon in Newcastle,
England; she is still the only American woman to win that prestigious race
in its 33-year history.
In 2011, she made an emotionally-charged change to part with Salazar and
join Schumacher's group, where her primary training partner became Shalane
Flanagan. Under Schumacher, Goucher was also successful, taking fifth at
the 2011 Boston Marathon, finishing third at the 2012 USA Olympic Marathon
Trials, and placing 11th at the 2012 Olympic Marathon in London.
"And so here I am, 35 years old, 12 1/2 years into a professional career,
and I am following my heart again," Goucher continued. "Adam, Colt, and I
are moving back to Boulder, Colo. I am returning to finish out my elite
career under the program in which I started. Mark Wetmore and Heather
Burroughs are my new/old coaches. I could not feel better or more confident
about this decision."
Wetmore, whose collegiate men's team just won the NCAA Division I Cross
Country title last month, already coaches two professional athletes, both
Colorado alumni like Goucher: two-time world championships medalist Jenny
Simpson and Olympic steeplechase finalist Emma Coburn.
Goucher was predictably circumspect when giving her reasons for leaving
Schumacher's group. She said that she simply "needed something different"
for her family, which now includes three year-old son, Colt, born in
September, 2010.
"I reached out to Mark and Heather and they were kind enough to welcome me
back," Goucher wrote. "Their other post-collegiate athletes were kind
enough to welcome me as well. Jerry Schumacher and Pascal Dobert, my
current coaches, are sad to see me go but very supportive of my decision.
My teammates have been very supportive as well, especially Shalane Flanagan
and Emily Infeld."
Flanagan, who became good friends with Goucher, tweeted this morning, "going
to miss the endless chatter and giggles over all the miles," attaching a
photo of the two women hugging before the start of the Boston Marathon.
Since finishing fifth over 10,000m at the USA Outdoor Championships in Des
Moines last June, Goucher has only competed in low-key races, like the
Stumptown Cross Country Race Series in Portland, in October and November,
where she competed twice. She had planned to run the TCS New York City
Marathon last November, but withdrew from the race at the end of August
because a foot injury had been slow to heal.
Goucher underscored in her blog post that she was not done with running at a
high level, and dismissed the inevitable speculation that always accompanies
coaching changes for top athletes.
"There is no dramatic story here, I just need something different," she
concluded. "I have had to be brave many times before, and I'm being brave
again. I have found the courage to trust my instincts and to follow my
heart. After nine great years in Oregon I am headed back to the place and
the coaches who helped me begin this journey. It feels right and I'm
excited about the future. 2014 is going to be an exciting year. I feel
like my future is limitless."
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