by Larry Eder
RunBlogRun presents
The Art of Coaching with Walt Drenth
August 25, 2025
This is a new series that we have begun at #RunBlogRun. #TheArtofCoaching is a new series exploring the art and science required in modern coaching of track and field athletics.
We are building this series at the request of many of our coaching readers, who are looking for inspiration and suggestions on how to improve their coaching.
We at RunBlogRun see coaching as the meeting place of scientific theory and its practical application. That was why we published American Athletics (1989-1994) and American Track & Field (1994-2017) in print to 37,000 high school, community college and university track and cross country coaches.
Walt Drenth is a well-respected coach who has coached at high school, small college, and large university settings. Walt won the NCAA Cross Country Division One title with his women’s team at Michigan State in 2014! Walt Drenth has developed many fine steeplechasers, and among the athletes he has coached, both in college and as a professional athlete is one Des Linden.
In this interview, I found Walt Drenth easy to talk to and his affection for his athletes (he coached for 30 plus years, taking 51 teams to NCAA Champs with 180 All-Americans). Walt Drenth is a class act and we are fortunate to have interviewed him as the premiere interview for The Art of Coaching.
Here is Walt Drenth, by the stats (courtesy of Michigan State):
COACHING HONORS
• Two-time Pac-10 Women’s Coach of the Year (1999, 2000, Cross Country)
• West Region Women’s Coach of the Year (2000, Cross Country)
• Two-time MAC Coach of the Year (1988, 1989, Cross Country)
• Three-time Central Collegiate Coach of the Year (1987, 1988, 1989, Cross Country)
• Five-time CAA Coach of the Year (1990, 1992-95, Cross Country)
• Two-time District II Coach of the Year (1990, 1995, Cross Country)
• District IV Coach of the Year (1989, Cross Country)
• Five-time Great Lakes Coach of the Year (2006, 2007, 2010, 2014 Women’s Cross Country, 2017 Men’s Cross Country)
• Five-time Big Ten Coach of the Year (2010, 2011, 2013, 2014 Women’s Cross Country, 2015 Outdoor Track & Field, 2019 Women’s Cross Country)
• 2014 USTFCCCA Women’s National Coach of the Year
ATHLETE HONORS
• 729 Academic All-Big Ten honorees (Cross Country, Track)
• 180 All-Americans (Cross Country, Track)
• 51 NCAA Championships Berths (Cross Country, Track)
• 81 Academic All-Americans (Cross Country, Track)
• 169 Big Ten Distinguished Scholar honorees
• 40 Conference Championships (Cross Country, Track)
• 40 NCAA Top-20 Finishes (Cross Country, Track)
• 18 Academic All-American Teams (Cross Country, Track)
• Seven Great Lakes Regional Championships (Cross Country)
• Four Great Lakes Regional Athlete of the Year (Cross Country)
• One District IV Title (1989, Cross Country)
To reach Walt’s bio, please check out: https://msuspartans.com/sports/track-and-field/roster/coaches/walt-drenth/273
Special thanks to Mike Deering (The Shoe Addicts), who managed the editing and production of our podcast, The Art of Coaching.
