Arthur Lydiard Coaching Course (running)

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Sunday, November 16th, 2014
Friday the 14th: 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM Saturday the 15th: 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM Sunday the 16th: 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM.

The Arthur Lydiard Foundation will be teaching Lydiard level 1 and 2 coaching courses in Victoria, BC from Friday, November 14th to Sunday, November 16^th at the Pacific Institute of Sport (PISE). The weekend of courses also include Road Runner’s Club of America coaching certification (RRCA).

Four-time Olympian and multi-marathon champion Lorraine Moller will lead the instruction along with Nobuya Hashizume, the world’s leading authority on the Lydiard method of training. “We look forward to coming back to Victoria to teach the Lydiard method. “Said Hashizume. “We have really refined the delivery of the content and have had great success throughout the US and Japan, teaching Lydiard’s principles to all levels of coaches and athletes.”

The Lydiard method is generally considered the most utilized type of training for distance runners of all abilities and for those who run over a range of distances from 800m to the marathon and beyond.

Lydiard is credited with coaching athletes to 17 Olympic gold medals. From tiny New Zealand, the self-taught champion coach went on to be the national head coach of five different countries, including Finland, who largely credit Lydiard with that nation’s rise to the top of the world in distance running during the 1970s.

Lydiard’s contributions to the sport in Japan and Finland earned him the highest level of recognition. He was given the equivalency of Knighthood in Finland as well as the top government award in Japan. When President Kennedy honoured Nike founder Bill Bowerman for his contributions to getting America running, Bowerman said, “I am merely the disciple, Arthur Lydiard of New Zealand is the profit.”

Moller, former athlete, coach and author won bronze during the 1992 Barcelona Olympic marathon at the age of 37. She won many marathons over her career including Boston. She earned three Commonwealth Games medals during her career as well as bronze in the World Cross Country Championships. Moller is the co-founder of the Lydiard Foundation, with its purpose of promoting the superior training method, as well as protecting it. Although it is the most popular training method, it is often misunderstood.

Hashizume was a corporate coach in Japan at Hitachi. Corporate Japan is well known for not only supporting the sport of distance running, but heavily promoting it. Where in North America and Europe it is shoe companies who primarily support athletes, it is electronic and auto manufacturers who pay, sometimes big dollars, for the right to place their brand on the shirts of distance runners. Hashizume, like many people in Japan, are fascinated by Lydiard and his athletes. Not too long ago, Peter Snell, multi-time Olympic champion and world record holder sold out talks throughout the country; on a tour arranged by Hashizume. Snell, now a physiologist, when asked what he would change about Lydiard training now that he is a doctor said, “Nothing.”

Hashizume made his pilgrimage to New Zealand to seek out the master coach. He ended up living with Lydiard for year and became well versed in the principles. It was Lydiard who asked Hashizume to carry on his method of training. Lydiard passed away at the age of 84, while on a speaking tour through the US to packed auditoriums everywhere.