Double Olympic 1500m champion and IAAF Vice-President Sebastian Coe has been confirmed as guest of honour and after-dinner speaker at the ‘Coaching Legends’ Gala Dinner which forms part of the 2011 European Endurance Conference weekend on 8-9 October in London.
The event is hosted by UK Athletics, England Athletics, the British Milers’ Club (BMC) and the Ron Pickering Memorial Fund.
Building on the success of the UKA/England Athletics Coaching Masterclass Series and the inaugural European Sprints and Hurdles Conference in 2010, the two day event forms part of the European Athletics Coaching Summit Series.
International keynote speakers include Wynn Gmitroski (CAN), Jack Daniels (USA), Dr Thomas Rowland (USA) and Terrence Mahon (USA).
British speakers include Professor Andy Jones and Dr Barry Fudge, key members of the UKA/London Marathon Altitude Programme team, George Gandy (National Event Coach for Endurance), Toby Smith (Senior Physiotherapist at the English Institute of Sport), Dave Sunderland (England Athletics National Coach Mentor for Middle Distance and Steeplechase), John Rogers (UKA Endurance Doctor) and Martin Rush (National Coach Mentor for England Athletics for Walks and Endurance).
Following the Saturday evening dinner, Coe, who is also chairman of the London 2012 Organising Committee will talk about his experiences being coached and working with coaches throughout his career, as well as the importance of coaching in athletics more generally.
“The BMC is delighted that in the run-up to Olympic year we have double Olympic champion Seb Coe to speak at the Endurance Conference,” said Tim Brennan on behalf of the BMC.
“Seb competed regularly in BMC races during his development, and his coach and father Peter was influenced by the training ideas of BMC founder Frank Horwill. It is wonderful news that he will be present to pass on his knowledge and inspire a new generation of coaches.”
Details of pre-event information can be found on the dedicated ‘pre-event preparation’ page of the official Conference website at the following link: http://conferences.uka.org.uk/index.php/page/pre-event
Conference places are now limited so interested attendees are encouraged to book their place as soon as possible. Details and booking information are available on the UKA website: www.uka.org.uk/coaching/conferences
European Athletics’ support for the conference includes the offer of Coaching Summit Series scholarships to its Member Federations to help them cover the costs of travel and accommodation for coaches attending.