How Alberto Salazar Will Coach Shannon Rowbury

Published by Runner's World on October 24, 2013

Oregon Project coach Alberto Salazar believes that Shannon Rowbury, the latest addition to his training group, is a “world-class athlete that we believe can win a medal in future global championships." The Project gets numerous requests from athletes wishing to join, but Salazar says, “We look for athletes who are talented, have potential to medal, and who have kind personalities,” and that Rowbury fits that description.

Rowbury, 29, a Duke University and  San Francisco native, was the 2009 world championships 1500-meter bronze medalist, an Olympic finalist in the 1500 in 2008 and 2012, and the seven-place finisher in the 5000 at this summer’s world championships. Salazar sees her as a complement in training to Treniere Moser, who had a career renaissance at age 31 in 2013 as part of the Oregon Project, winning the 1500 at the USA Track & Field Championships before an injury kept her out of world championships.

“When it comes to the specific, gritty, fast middle-distance stuff, Treniere will benefit from having Shannon around to share chores with during workouts," Salazar says at the Oregon Project website. "They will both become faster and stronger for it. We strongly believe that two great athletes can push each other in a healthy way so that both can achieve amazing things. Galen [Rupp] and Mo [Farah] are an example of that.” Presumably, Mary Cain, the New York State high school phenom who broke myriad scholastic track records in 2013 and placed tenth in the world championships 1500 final, would train with Rowbury and Moser when her schedule permits.

Salazar is known to tinker with his athletes’ running form. He says Rowbury “does things very well,” but “there are a few biomechanical things she can improve upon and we believe that she has room to grow stronger aerobically and be a bit speedier than she already is over the last lap.” He adds, “We'll progress Shannon slowly and look for her to be running quite well by the time the championship indoor season rolls around.”