Joe Douglas, founder of Santa Monica Track Club

track club for toddlers

hi,
i have a 3.5 yr old who is well coordinated and loves to run- no joke! i am desperate to find a sports club, particularly a running club that he can join. pls direct me to any that you may know about or ideas that you might have. we live in pacific palisades.
amy barranco
310/720/0442

back in the mid to late 70s when I was there, most everyone had a job and most, a full time job. that includes the sub 4 minute milers and 215 marathoners. We would all rush to either the SMC track or the Santa Monica Pier ('the cannon') by 5:30pm daily, when he would start. I remember Perry Forrester getting there about 10 minutes late one day and he ran a series of miles in the 4:40s up Ocean Blvd. and San Vicente Blvd. in order to catch the main group with Bryant, Jones, Lawson, McMullen, etc. The guy was a beast!

The BEST coach I'll ever have. Trained under Coach Joe last spring at the community college level, and with his training i was running faster than what i thought i could run.

coach Joe, Thank you.

"gotta hava two things, focus and disipline..."

I love this guy

Joe isn't just a great coach, he's a great man. Track and Field owes much to this man who truly loves the sport and gives so much to it. Joe was my high school math teach at Westchester and my coach for track.

When I was in high school I did some training at Santa Monica College and Joe was always happy to give me tips on everything from pacing to breathing etc... Really great and straightforward guy. I hope to see Joe jogging out on San Vicente soon and I wish good luck to his guys in the 800m next week in Eugene!

I ran with joe in the mid 70s when we were just a distance club of mostly sub elite, 2nd tier guys; (like he said). He was a very dedicated guy. Meeting us in the rain at 6am for workouts and then again at 5pm at the smc track and in between teaching math at Westchester High. He did it for the love of the sport, long before he became famous in the 80s, when he added Carl Lewis and the other sprint greats. We dominated road races and track meets in the so. cal area in the 70s. alot of guys from the midwest and back east as well as locals, all chasing the dream and hoping to extend their careers a few extra years. looking back now, 30 years later, you appreciate joe and what he did even more. he made no money back then, other than his teaching job.

she making a comeback!

The interview ended about 30 seconds after the clip stops. Kevin just turned the camera off accidentally a bit early.

Aks Joe for me please "Where is Frances Santin" :)

Coach Douglas,

ATQ - Answer the Questions

Wow I think I met him while visiting Santa Monica lately! Great coach and gave good tips!

This is good stuff. I want to hear more from this guy.

Joe is right on when talking about discipline, really self-discipline. Our distance athletes can't compete internationally because hard work and discipline are gone from the household. What we would label as hard work, other countries would say it was a vacation. You can see those like Jenny Barringer (who do work hard) are the exception but hopefully the norm for our distance runners of the future.

great interview-Joe is spot on

where is the rest of the interview??

We need more Joe's in the sport! Where's the rest of the inteview???

How did the Athletes survive financially back then?

Joe Is the MAN!!!!