Vote for Lee LaBadie as the FloTrack American Distance Coach of the Year!

LEE LABADIE, 66

Men's Cross Country/Distance Coach | University of Akron (Akron, Ohio)

American Distance Athletes:
Clayton Murphy

2016 Accomplishments:
1 U.S. Olympian (Men's 800m)
1 U.S. Olympic Medal (Men's 800m Bronze)
2 NCAA Titles (Men's Indoor 800m, Men's Outdoor 1500m)

2016 U.S. Top 10 Ranks (3):
No. 1 Men's 800m (1:42.93 -- Murphy)
No. 5 Men's 1000m (2:20.12 -- Murphy)
No. 10 Men's 1500m (3:36.23 -- Murphy)

Before 2016, Lee LaBadie had a fascinating career. He was the second runner ever from Illinois and the first ever Big 10 undergrad to break 4:00 in the mile, back in 1971. And after a successful coaching career that spanned from the 1970s to the early 1990s, he didn't work as a full-time coach from 1993 to 2006--an unusual mid-career 13-year break.

However, all of that will ultimately be remembered second after what LaBadie's star athlete, Clayton Murphy, accomplished in 2016. Just three years ago, Murphy was a high school senior whose 800m PR was 1:54; he ended 2016 as already one of the greatest American middle-distance runners ever.

Here's how it went down. Murphy came into the indoor season with a 1:45 outdoor 800m PR from his fourth-place finish at the 2015 U.S. outdoor championships. He ran 1:46 indoors and won NCAAs. Then he briefly switched his outdoor focus to the 1500m, running 3:36 and capturing a dominant NCAA title in that event. Two days after the NCAA 1500m final, Murphy ran 3:36.23 in Portland, Oregon, missing the the Olympic standard by 0.03 seconds and turning pro after the race.

Without the 1500m Olympic standard, Murphy opted for the 800m at the U.S. Olympic Trials, and it paid off spectacularly. He won the final in Eugene, OR, in 1:44.76. In Rio, he lowered his PR to 1:44.30 in the semifinals and then skipped the 1:43s entirely and ran 1:42.93 for an Olympic bronze medal in the final.

The bronze was the first Olympic medal by an American man in the event since 1992, three years before Murphy was born. And 1:42.93 makes Murphy, still just 21 years old, the third-fastest American ever.

LaBadie won't say he's shocked, though: "The goal at the start of this year was to win two NCAA titles, become an Olympian, and make the Olympic final. And once you make the final, you're in the ballpark, and anything can happen." How did it happen, though? According to LaBadie, "this year for Clayton was about racing head-to-head. He raced the people he was running against. When a runner says, I need to find an edge, I need to hit a time, so often, that doesn't work."

And he credits Murphy for the medal, saying "The only reason I would be nominated is that Clayton ran so well all season long. I'm just part of the team. He's the team leader."

FloTrack Coach of the Year Schedule:

Dec. 7th - Nominee #1: Mark Wetmore and Heather Burroughs
Dec. 8th - Nominee #2: Alberto Salazar
Dec. 9th - Nominee #3: Ray Treacy
Dec. 10th - Nominee #4: Lee LaBadie
Dec. 11th - Nominee #5: Drew Wartenburg
Dec. 12th - Nominee #6: Dan Browne
Dec. 13th - Nominee #7: Jerry Schumacher, fan voting begins
Dec. 28th - Fan voting closes
Dec. 29th - Winner is announced

For the past decade, FloTrack has traveled the planet covering our sport and seen up close what a struggle it can be to compete at the highest level. Unlike in much of the rest of the world, it's tough for U.S. runners to find a coach who can devote enough time. Most professional coaches here either really work as college coaches or are sponsored by a single shoe company. To support the great work our professional coaches do, we're announcing the FloTrack American Distance Coach of the Year, presented by T-Mobile. Later this year, one coach will win $10,000 for his or her work with American distance runners in 2016.