Alberto Salazar
Alberto Salazar
Alberto Salazaris an American track coach and former world-class long-distance runner. Born in Cuba, Salazar emigrated to the United States as a child with his family. They moved to Wayland, Massachusetts, where Salazar competed in track and field in high school. Salazar is best known for his performances in the New York City Marathon in the early 1980s and his 1982 Boston Marathon victory known as the "Duel in the Sun." He held American track records of 13:11.93 for 5,000...
NationalityCuban
ProfessionCoach
Date of Birth7 August 1958
CityHavana, Cuba
CountryCuba
I like the marathon because it's one race where you can find out who's really the toughest. On the track, sometimes a guy can just pull away, and you want to stay with him but you don't have the leg speed. The marathon is slow enough that anyone can stay with you if he wants, if he has the will. The marathon is ultimately a test of will.
There are a lot of guys out there now who know they are not working as hard as other people. I can't fathom how they think.
Whatever we accomplish in life, if it's solely for our own good, then it doesn't mean that much. The things you do that affect others in a positive way are the ones that count. Whatever facet of life you're in, God has given you a gift; do the best you can with that gift.
I've run a lot of miles over the years, some fast and some not so fast. I've won some big races and I've had some big disappointments, but I enjoy the freedom of running and the challenge of training and competition as much now as when I first started back in high school.
I've found that my athletes run their best races after about 10 weeks of intense training.
An athlete who tells you the training is always easy and always fun simply hasn't been there. Goals can be elusive which makes the difficult journey all the more rewarding.
Early in my career I was accused of being overconfident and even cocky, but I really was confident that I had done the training and didn't see any other reason to say otherwise.
I'd rather run a gutsy race, pushing all the way and lose, than run a conservative race only for a win.
I had as many doubts as anyone else. Standing on the starting line, we're all cowards.
If you want to achieve a high goal, you're going to have to take some chances.
We may train or peak for a certain race, but running is a lifetime sport.
I'm a traditional marathoner with a shuffling stride... I'm not the prettiest runner in the world, but I am efficient.
The dynamic has really changed in the U.S. Americans believe they can be competitive, that they can win medals.