For the last twelve years Ann Arbor's Mike McGuire has coached an incredible women's cross country program at the University of Michigan. He has a long running history in our state that includes his own running prowess.

His career began with All State honors at Farmington High, then a Big Ten Championship on the track in the six mile.  He also received All American honors in Cross Country and the three mile while competing for U of M under current men's coach Ron Warhust. As a sophomore he broke the indoor three mile record with a time of 13:20.

All of that success came to a halt when he developed a stress fracture, Plantar Faciitis and also mono.  He slowly came back to the road race circuit after graduating in 1979. McGuire blazed up the roads in 1981 placing 4^th at the Crim, breaking the Frankenmuth course record (which still stands) in the 20 km and culminating it with a 2:15:47 victory at the Detroit Free Press Marathon.  His efforts also won him Michigan Runner of the Year.

Not long after, foot problems started again. Over the last ten years he has had five surgeries on his foot.  This still hasn't stopped him from wanting to run.  It has just changed his focus to helping other athletes.

McGuire credits Eastern Michigan coach Bob Parks for helping him get off to a great start. He began coaching at the college level while just 28 years old.  Four years under Parks at EMU was a blessing.  According to McGuire, "Parks had the biggest influence on my career. With limited resources he always put together great track teams. He was completely immersed in sports. No one had better work ethics. He loved people, the history of sports and enjoyed telling stories."

After a short two year stay at the U of Kansas, McGuire returned to his alma mater when a position was created as recruiting coordinator for men and women's track. It enabled him to explore his love for travel. He once traveled to ten states in seven days. 

He didn't envision himself as a college coach but found that university kids really want to run. He found a tremendous amount of positive energy on the campuses and has fed off that energy.  As U of M's women's cross country coach, he has set the standard for excellence in the Big Ten.  Since 1992, his teams have won five times and been runner up another six. Three of those years' garnered NCAA divisional championships while placing as high as second in 1994 and fourth in the 2003 NCAA National meets.

Success has also carried over to the track. As assistant track coach, U of M has won five indoor and five outdoor Big Ten titles over the last ten years. Katie McGregor was his biggest standout. She was the NCAA Cross Country champion in 1998. Molly McClimon was the first U of M Big Ten and District Champion. Rebecca Walter who came to U of M as a walk-on was the 2003 Big Ten Cross Country Champion and athlete of the year as a sophomore.

He credits a number of things for his success as a coach. He prefers women who come from the Midwest and are more familiar with the tough weather conditions Michigan offers.  He said high school times are not the major factor in recruiting as much as observing the potential to improve. U of Michigan is very demanding academically so finding women that can handle the stress of studies and athletics narrows the profile scope. McGuire is fortunate that athletes want to come to U of M. Runners like McGregor and Walters makes it easier to show off the program. Per McGuire, " the best athletes have good time management skills and know how to balance seventy mile weeks of training, competing and campus life with studies."

An outstanding budget, that includes support from NIKE, has helped keep runners at the University after school is no longer in session. The competitive season starts right after Labor Day and runs through the second week of June. McGuire's teams have a solid travel budget to get to a number of the most prestigious meets.

Now at the age of 47, McGuire has learned that he doesn't have all the answers.  Coaching has been a continual learning experience and he appreciates the enlightenment that has come from having a profession, not a job.

He would like to see more people come out to watch a meet. Attendance of six or seven hundred is not uncommon. "Cross country is a fun sport to observe because you can move about the looped courses and see the action at many different stages".

Big Ten Championships have the most meaning to him and his focus has paid off.  McGuire has been name Big Ten women's cross country coach of the year five times, an honor well deserved for his dedication and enthusiasm for the sport of running.