2010 Highlight: Simon Bairu

Although Chris Solinsky‘s 26:59 and Shalane Flanagan’s 2nd-place finish in the NYC Marathon may have earned Jerry Schumacher 2010 Coach of the Year honors in the public’s mind, the breakout that Simon Bairu had in 2010 might be Schumacher’s finest achievement from a motivational standpoint.  After a sub-par performance in the Kim McDonald 10,000m at Stanford, Bairu got an earful from his coach, who told the Canadian star that he’d been completely out-worked by his OTC teammates that year.

Bairu took it to heart, attacked his running with renewed dedication, and reaped the rewards in 2010: a win over American Record-holder Ryan Hall in the Rock ‘N Roll Arizona Half, a 12th-place finish at World Cross, and a new half-marathon PB of 1:02:08 in Philly in September.  But the crown jewel, according to Bairu, was his return to Stanford, where he shattered the Canadian Record for 10,000m, running a 27:23.63 to knock 27-seconds off his personal best and 12 seconds off the previous national record.