06 September 2010

The UKA National Race Walking Centre at Carnegie Leeds Metropolitan University will stage the 1st European Race Walking Conference from 5 to 7 November 2010.

The conference, which is supported by UKA, England Athletics and European Athletics, will be the second event in the 2010 European Athletics Coaching Summit Series and is expected to draw coaches and athletes from across Europe.

The twin pillars of Long Term Coach Development and Athlete Development will be the themes for the conference, which will comprise an exciting mix of key note addresses, lectures and practical workshops.

The line-up of speakers will include coaches, practitioners from the fields of sports science and medicine, academics and top athletes.

Speakers already confirmed for the conference are:

• Brent Vallance (Australia): Australian Institute of Sport Walks Coach and Coach to Double Olympic Medallist Jared Tallent;

• Antonio La Torre (ITA): Coach to Ivano Brugnetti (2004 Olympic Champion) and Professor of Physiology, University of Milan;

• Patrick Duffy (IRL): Professor of Coaching, Carnegie Leeds Metropolitan University. Professor Duffy has played a significant role in the development of Sports Coaching in the UK, Ireland and internationally. He was instrumental in establishing the UK Coaching Framework and was formerly the CEO of Sports Coach UK and Director of the Irish National Coaching and Training Centre, University of Limerick and has worked with European Athletics;

• Alison Rose (GBR): Head Physiotherapist, Carnegie Sports Physiotherapy Clinic. Rose, a former international marathon runner, will lead a session on injury prevention. She has worked with UKA and the English Institute of Sport for a number of years and was physio to Kelly Holmes in the lead up to her double gold medal haul in Athens. She is also the physio to current World and European heptathlon champion Jessica Ennis;

• Brian Hanley (IRL): Biomechanist, Carnegie Leeds Metropolitan University. Hanley has undertaken a number of comprehensive studies into the biomechanics of race walking which have involved testing numerous athletes in the laboratory and studies of the 2007 and 2009 European Cup (Race Walking), 2008 IAAF World Race Walking Cup and 2010 European Athletics Championships;

• Pat Ryan (IRL): Director of Development, Athletics Ireland;

• Andi Drake (GBR): Director of Race Walking and exercise physiologist at UKA’s National Race Walking Centre at Carnegie Leeds Metropolitan University. Dr Drake has published widely around the physiology and biomechanics of race walking.

For delegate costs and how to book, visit Leeds Metropolitan University’s online store; the price includes all lunches, refreshments and materials, plus the conference dinner. The early bird offer is available until 30 September and there’s a discount for paying by card.

Additional support is offered to European Athletics Member Federation coaches. For more information follow the link to the European Athletics website.

Further details about the conference can be found at: http://www.leedsmet.ac.uk/conferences/racewalking/ or by contacting Dr Ian Richards: i.richards@leedsmet.ac.uk or Dr Andi Drake: a.drake@leedsmet.ac.uk

Kevin Tyler, UKA’s Strategic Head of Coaching and Development said: “We are delighted to announce the 1st European Race Walking Conference – the first of two major coaching conferences to be held in the UK this autumn as part of the European Athletics Coaching Summit Series – at the home of race walking in the UK in Leeds.

“The UKA National Centre for Race Walking brings together a number of essential ingredients for athletics success including high quality coaching, great facilities and sports science and medical back up and we are fortunate to be able to celebrate all of those key components across one weekend in November which is fantastic.”

In addition to the European Race Walking Conference, the European Sprints and Hurdles Conference, hosted by UKA, England Athletics and the Ron Pickering Memorial Fund, will take place on 13/14 November in London (Heathrow).

Confirmed speakers at the event – the final event in the European Athletics 2010 Summit Series – include internationally renowned sport scientist Dr Ralph Mann, Director of USA Track & Field’s Elite Athlete Sprint and Hurdle Programme, and UK-based coaches Malcolm Arnold and Dan Pfaff. Booking details will be published on www.uka.org.uk/coaching from Friday 17 September and additional speakers will be confirmed in due course.

The European Athletics Coaching Summit Series was launched in 2008 in response to the demand from coaches for practice-oriented conferences focused on a small number of disciplines. The summits are organised by federations and other national partners with support from European Athletics. The aim of the series is to cover all the athletics disciplines in a two to three year cycle.