The McMillanElite team jogs down Beaver Street near downtwon Flagstaff. (Photo: Tanner Johnson/NAZ Today)
FLAGSTAFF (NAZ Today) – By: Tanner Johnson – Home to the Northern Arizona University’s five-time division championship cross country and track teams, numerous running organizations, and an Olympic training site (formerly), Flagstaff now includes an Olympic training team; the McMillanElite.
This running team was founded two years ago by Head Coach Greg McMillan. McMillan, a runner himself, has been involved with long distance running since high school in Tennessee.
In order to create his team, McMillan and his wife, Tracy McMillan, needed to find the perfect training site.
“We looked all over the West,” McMillan said, “and Flagstaff was the best fit.”
The reason Flagstaff was seen as the best choice was due to many factors that, when put together, created an ideal training area. McMillan wanted to have the site somewhere between 7,000 and 8,000 feet, with a mild winter, good health facilities, and lots of trail availability.
Another bonus of Flagstaff’s was the proximity to Sedona and other areas that the team could travel to in order to escape the winter weather. McMillanElite has brought in various prestigious athletes; including Brett Gotcher and Paige Higgins. Higgins was recently on the 2009 World Championships Marathon US Team and has several high marks in many races around the country. Gotcher has been placing in the top 10 in numerous USA Track and Field Championship races for the past two years.
The entire team is made up of 12 athletes from across the country. The team meets at 8 a.m. every morning at various locations to do a workout, averaging 100 miles a week, often on the Urban Trail System around Flagstaff.
The existence of this elite, Olympic-oriented, running team is a positive for the local running community here in Flagstaff. Neil Weintraub, founder of the Northern Arizona Trail Runner’s Association in Flagstaff, said in a e-mail interview, “Many local runners like myself are inspired by their presence and it has been very exciting to follow their successes.”
Weintraub also reiterated the fact about how Flagstaff is such a great area for running. “[The runners] remind us of why we are so lucky to be living in one of the greatest running towns in the country,” said Weintraub.
McMillan noted the success of the Lumberjack’s running program, and explained that he believed McMillanElite could provide an opportunity to a post-graduation NAU athlete with ambitions that are in congruence with the team’s goals.
McMillan said he founded the team in order to offer a chance to athletes with Olympic oriented goals. In the 1990s, McMillan witnessed the poor distance running program in the United States, and decided he wanted to do something to help the sport. So far, McMillanElite has seen a strong incline in success.
The accomplishments of the elite running team are reflected in the numerous championship race appearances and high placing within these races. Gotcher recently placed first in the USA Track and Field 20 kilometer Road Championships. Three team members placed in the top ten in September’s men’s USATF 5km Championships. The team’s Jordan Horn placed 16th in the USATF 10-mile Championships on Oct. 4. Weintraub also remarked in an e-mail about how he believed the continued success of the runners could draw in more elite level athletes to the Flagstaff area.
The team is funded mainly by sponsorship from companies associated with running. Adidas is the primary sponsor, but other sponsors include the New York Road Runners and the USA Track and Field Foundation. Funding also comes from donations.
McMillan said he believes his team has the talent to reach its Olympic ambitions, and has a legitimate chance in the international arena to perform at the elite level.
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On the net: http://www.mcmillanelite.com/
What isn’t said is that McMillanElite represents a new direction for US distance running, by way of a return to the methods of the most successful running coach who ever lived: Arthur Lydiard of New Zealand. Lydiard’s methods dominated running in the 1960s and 1970s, with many world records set and Olympic medals won. Runners everywhere are watching Flagstaff and rooting for Greg and his team.