Encourage kids to enjoy running and play in athletics. Don't force them to run too much competition.

Athletes need to enjoy their training. They don't enjoy going down to the track with a coach making them do repetitions until they're exhausted. From enjoyment comes the will to win.

Train, don't strain.

I get more gratification out of getting some obese person who had a heart attack running around and enjoying life within a year. I get more gratification from that than putting a person in the Olympic Games. The Olympic athlete probably doesn't appreciate what you've done, but the other guy does. I think it's really rewarding.

The idea that you can't lose contact with the leaders has cut more throats than it has saved.

I discovered years ago that the best results in this respect could be gained by running 100 miles weekly at my near best aerobic efforts and that, supplementary to this, running as many easy miles as I could

No one will burn out doing aerobic running. It is too much anaerobic running, which the American scholastic athletic system tends to put young athletes through, that burns them out.

Well, no athlete respects a big, fat coach who's going to stand there and rest the watch on his stomach.

You must realize one thing. In every little village in the world there are great potential champions who only need motivation, development and good exercise evaluation.