One of the most awesome parts of my job is getting to know all the great athletes and coaches in our amazing sport. It occurred to me on a run one day that most of the state is very unaware of who is around them. What we mean by this is that our state is rich with track and field history and more stars then we can count. The funny thing about it though is that many of these stars go unnoticed and get lost in the crowd. So here at MileStat we are going to reverse that trend and feature some of these stars and faces here to not only teach but to celebrate some of Virginia and the country's best athletes and coaches.
Starting locally in Richmond Virginia is one of the best marathoners our state has ever seen. She was the Richmond Marathon champion in 1987, an All-American in 1979 while at the University of Richmond, and was both a part of one of the most historic high school programs in Virginia then and now. This of course is Maggie Walker coach Deborah Snagg.
Deborah Snagg is not only one of the best distance runners but also one of the most humble runners out there too. Don't be surprised if most of her current runners do not even know how great her career has been. The amazing thing though is that her career is far from over. Though she does not run the full 26.2 marathon distance as much, Coach Snagg has found real success at the 5K distance. Each year, just like many of the high school athletes, Coach and her team head down to North Carolina for the annual Foot Locker South race. Despite getting older each year, Coach has shown that age is not a problem and that she still has it. Check out here times below! They could make most varsity teams now!
2014: 4th 21:18
2013: 3rd 20:52
2012: 3rd 21:13
2011: 3rd 20:49
2010: 1st 20:36
2009: 2nd 20:27
2008: 2nd 20:34
2007: 1st 20:37
2006: 1st 20:28
2005: 1st 20:26
2003: 2nd 21:03
2002: 2nd 21:02
2001: 2nd 20:40
As you can see by those times she is still quite the runner and a big reason why the Green Dragons seemingly are always on top of their game. She not only has one of the best masters running careers in the central region's history but also had an amazing high school and collegiate career as well. Coach Snagg is in the UofR Athletic Hall of Fame and set the school records in the 1500, 3K, 5K, and 10K while at Richmond. Snagg also was a part of the a legendary Thomas Jefferson (Richmond) squad and was even the Central Region's first (yes, first) 880 and Mile champion!
Not only does talent and work ethic come into play with her but also great coaching. Deborah was coached by one of the greatest in state history back in high school and still coaches under him today. That is none other then Maggie Walker's Jim Holdren. Jim is one of the winningest coaches all-time and a Virginia hall of famer.
Lastly, the story has almost come full circle with Coach Snagg. She has gone from being coached by a great to becoming a great to now coaching greats again. Former Maggie Walker runner, Esther Erb, completed the circle by becoming the US's first ever Marathon National Champion this past fall.
We bet you didn't know all of that! So keep checking back all season as we feature more faces in the crowd.
Photos courtesy of John Herzog, Brandon Miles, and the University of Richmond