Coach - Tony Coffey

Tony Coffey has been a coach of the Impala Racing Team since 2000, serving as Assistant Coach until his appointment as Head Coach in summer 2003. He is also Running Coach at the Pacific Athletic Club. He is a USATF Level II Certified Coach. He has been a competitive runner since1976 at the high school, college, open and masters levels and has completed over 20 marathons. His education background includes an MBA from UCLA and a BA from Harvard.

Tony C's Coaching Philosophy:
The benefits of group training with athletes of comparable talent is that athletes at all ability levels can achieve results that might not be attainable while training alone. The group imposes a form of discipline while at the same time fostering a strong sense of team spirit. It is also important to treat each member of the group equally, recognizing that everyone can make a contribution to the success of the group and that they can each make progress towards their own individual goals.

Tony advocates the basic Lydiard model of periodization. This involves establishing long-range racing goals and building towards them throughout the year. He prefers his athletes to err on the side being slightly under-trained and under-raced, as opposed to risking injury and illness by pushing too hard. Along this line, he uses a hard/easy, or hard/easy/easy pattern of workouts in order to keep you fresh and on schedule for your seasonal goals. The training program is also flexible to accommodate different age and ability levels. He also strongly recommends the use of heart rate monitors during training.

In order to achieve the best results, you must adopt a complete training lifestyle that complements your running workouts. This includes a proper warm-up and cool-down during track workouts and races, a regular stretching routine, a healthy diet, adequate
hydration, and sufficient rest.

Finally, you must be process, not results, oriented. If you focus on a commitment to the long-term training process, the race results will take care of themselves and you will have a more positive experience.

Coach - Christine Engel

Christine Engel joined the Impalas as assistant coach in 2006. She is also the top assistant coach for cross-country and women's track programs at the University of San Francisco under the direction of head coach Helen Lehman-Winters. Engel brings an exceptional resume of athletic and coaching experience to the post after a standout track career at Clemson University and a strong head coaching background at the prep level in her native New Jersey.

Engel spent three years (2001- 04) as the head cross country, indoor/outdoor track coach at West Morris Central High School in Chester, NJ. During her tenure at the school, Engel earned Morris Indoor Track Coach of the Year Honors following the 2001 and 2002 campaigns as selected by the Newark Star Ledger and received 2003 Cross Country Coach of the Year accolades from the same publication.

A highly decorated prep star in her native New Jersey, Engel earned All-American honors at Mount Olive High School. During her senior year with the Marauders, Engel won the mile at the prestigious Golden West Invitational and was ranked second nationally in the mile by Track and Field News. In addition, Engel was named Gatorade Athlete of the Year for New Jersey in 1992. During her prep career, Engel was a six-time New Jersey Meet of Champions winner in the 1600 meters (four outdoor titles, two indoor). Following her dominant prep career, Engel was selected as one of New Jersey's "Track and Field Athlete of the Decade".

Engel earned 12 varsity letters at Clemson University in cross-country, indoor and outdoor track. A two-time All-Atlantic Coast Conference selection, Engel competed on the cross country and track squads. A member of the Tigers' school record setting 4x800, Distance Medley Relay and 4x1500 teams, Engel also competed on Clemson's ACC Champion DMR squad. In addition to team highlights, Engel litters the program record books, ranking in the top-five in the 800 and the mile and owns the Littlejohn Coliseum 800 record. Her standout career was recognized with inclusion into the Clemson University Athletic Wall of Fame.

Engel earned her Bachelor's Degree in P.R. & T. Management from Clemson in 1996 and spent three years working for Atlantic Lucent Technologies as an account executive before beginning her head coaching career. Engel holds a U.S. Track and Field Level One Certification.