Running is a sport full of surprises. It is full of painful advances ...  a simple sport... yet so difficult. It is both mentally and physically taxing trying to keep at a consistent pace for extended periods of time, constantly pushing yourself to go faster and faster.  This is why you always need a coach to help motivate you on a daily basis.  This coach for me is Mike Mulrooney who is my cross country and track and field coach. He is a constant reminder of why I do this sport. He has only been coaching  for 30+ years and he has produced more successful runners than any other coach in the state and rivals the nation.

Mike Mulrooney has been a successful running coach for over a quarter of a century, and has done this while keeping up with his runners, (even if that means riding his bike). Coach Mulrooney is an inspiration to any athlete that he coaches, as he really cares about his runners. He even holds meetings every week to discuss things like mental imaging and being “bad a** tough”. Coach Mulrooney knows everyone by name, even students that graduated 5 years ago, he has amazed me every day for that last 4 years. With new facts about running, to inspirational quotes from some interesting people. But there is also a side of coach that not many  people know about, that is his knowledge of math a subject that does not agree with me the best.

Coach Mulrooney to me is more than just a coach, at one point he was a math tutor for me. Coach Mulrooney helped me through math when I was struggling my freshman year, and as poor grades required me to sit out the first 3 races of the year. He was not like any ordinary coach who just keeps badgering you “did you get that work done”. Coach Mulrooney actually would ask to see my math homework, and helped me through problems that i did not get. Now mind you, he has about 65 other guys to worry about. But he focused a small bit of his limited effort he had left to help me succeed in school as well as in running. That means so much more to me than my other coaches do regarding school. Coach is like a walking textbook, he always had the answers to my questions.

Mike Mulrooney deserves more than just a handshake and a thank you because he has put up with me and my teammates for four years. He has consistently pushed us to our maximum potential, even when we were dead tired and didn’t think we had anything left. But we kept pushing, because we knew that he had a method behind his madness. If that was making us lay on the floor in a dark room and mentally “running our race”, or to having us write our goal time on a race map, this is what we would do.

Although his intentions were to make me succeed, he did more for me as an individual that will help carry not only through running, but through life. As most of his lessons relate to goal setting for school and personal life, these lessons have helped me become a better individual and a better young man. Thanks Coach for all you did for me, it will help me more than you will ever know. This is why your picture will always be in my wallet, so when I need motivation, you will always be there to help me along the way. It has been a privilege to be a member of your team and you will always be my Educator of the Year!