11 July 2011

The 2011 European Endurance Conference, hosted by UKA, England Athletics, the British Milers’ Club and the Ron Pickering Memorial Fund, will take place on 8-9 October in London (Heathrow).

Building on the success of the UKA/England Athletics Coaching Masterclass Series and the inaugural European Sprints and Hurdles Conference in 2010, the event – with keynote speakers including Wynn Gmitroski, Jack Daniels and Terrence Mahon – forms part of the European Athletics Coaching Summit Series.

Mahon, the lead coach of the Mammoth Track Club in California, is coach to Olympic marathon bronze medallist and US record holder Deena Kastor, and Meb Keflezighi, the first American to win the New York Marathon in 27 years when he raced to victory in 2009.

He formerly coached Ryan Hall, tenth in the Olympic marathon final in Beijing 200 and US record holder over the half marathon distance with 59:43 – the first American to break the one hour barrier.

Gmitroski, who has attended five Olympic Games and 12 World Championships in a coaching capacity, is the former coach to 2007 World Championships 800m silver medallist Gary Reed, the Canadian Record holder with a best of 1:43.68 and fourth place finisher in the 2008 Olympic Games.

Currently the Head Coach at the Canadian National Endurance Centre, he also coached Angela Chalmers, Olympic 3000m bronze medallist and Commonwealth gold medallist, and Diane Cummins, double World Championships finalist and Commonwealth Games 800m silver medallist in Manchester.

Flagstaff-based Daniels, author of Daniels’ Running Formula, one of the most highly respected and widely read books in athletics, was named the world’s best coach by Runners’ World Magazine and was previously an Olympic medallist in the Modern Pentathlon.

His impressive CV includes a six-year period working as an Exercise Physiologist with Nike’s Elite Athletics West Program, teaching and coaching for more than 15 years at the State University of New York at Cortland and in 2005 moving up to Flagstaff to continue his ongoing research on the effects of altitude.

Also sharing their expertise on altitude, Professor Andy Jones and Dr Barry Fudge, key members of the UKA/London Marathon Altitude Programme team, will also take to the stage in London; amongst other things, the pair ensure that all athletes involved in the UKA/LM Altitude Training Camps follow the physiological monitoring protocol set up for altitude training to ensure they’re best prepared to go to altitude, to adapt to altitude once at the venue and are reviewed when they return to sea level.

Kevin Tyler, UKA’s Head of Coaching and Development, said: “Following the success of last year’s European Sprints and Hurdles Conference, we’re delighted to have the opportunity to host this year’s European Endurance Conference. The quality of the speakers and the opportunity for coaches to develop together is one that should not be missed. We expect that we will sell out quickly so I encourage you to book as soon as possible. I look forward to welcoming you to London in October.”

Further information, including conference fees and booking information, will be available soon on www.uka.org.uk/coaching