Schabron takes over at his alma mater

Richard Anderson photo
Laramie High School cross country coach Greg Schabron was an all-state runner for the Laramie Plainsmen and an all-conference runner for the Wyoming Cowboys.

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

Greg Schabron noticed a young runner doing some rehab work Thursday on a stationary bicycle in the Laramie High School weight room, wearing a Hershey Track and Field t-shirt.

It brought him back in time. “That’s where I got my start, in Hershey track,“ Schabron told the young athlete.

Schabron went on to be an all-state runner for the Laramie Plainsmen and an all-conference runner for the Wyoming Cowboys. Now at the age of 31, he’s the head coach for the LHS cross country team.

“I really enjoyed it in elementary, junior high and high school,” Schabron said, as he prepares his team for its season opener on Friday with the Laramie Invitational at Jacoby Golf Course. “It wasn’t until my sophomore year in high school that I decided to make a real effort and train year around and put the dedication into it that was necessary. I decided that not only did I want to start qualifying for state, because I was somewhat mediocre, that I wanted to go to college to do the sport as well.”

His love of running has never wavered.

“It is so healthy and such a good thing for people to do,” Schabron said. “What I like about it is you don’t have to be the most athletic person to be a runner. They can set down times and see how they improve from year to year and month to month, just to get some real satisfaction out of that.”

Now, it’s all about teaching the kids.

Friday’s meet is a precursor for the University of Wyoming’s season-opening invitational.

“I just want the kids to go out there, have fun and do the best that they can,” he said. “For them to go and see how some people can push it harder might be a little motivation. They can say, ‘You know what, maybe I can turn it up a notch or two and still be OK at the end of the race.’”

Hard work and motivation is what made Schabron the runner he was in high school and college. He hopes to bring that work ethic to his young athletes. The light turned on his sophomore season of high school.

“We had some good senior leadership on the high school team, where some kids came out and ran in the summer and went from being decent to just killing everybody,” he said. “I said, ‘That’s what I want to do. I think I can do that.’ It took a while and it took a lot of patience, consistent running and effort, something I was really glad that I did.”

At the time, indoor track wasn’t sanctioned, so he trained himself. He went on to become an outstanding distance runner for the Plainsmen in track, as well as in cross country.

“The coaching was really good and it kind of got me going to college and it helped me decide what major I wanted to do. I was like, ‘I like doing this, but eventually I can’t do this, so how can I be involved in the future?’”

His running career grew at Wyoming, where he just missed qualifying for the NCAA Championships in cross country. He then began a post-college running career, before settling down a few years ago to have a family. He and his wife, Kristy, now have two young children.

Again, it is all about the kids.

“As they grow up, I can see myself getting into it (running) again,” he said.

The year-around training turned Schabron into a strong runner in high school and college. That is something he stresses to his young runners. He also talks about the little things to achieve their goals.

“All of the nickels and dimes add up; all of the little runs that you complete,” he said. “I was talking to the kids today about hydration levels and making sure that they get in their lifting and that type of thing. It all comes together and factors in a race.”

After three years as an assistant at LHS, he’s excited about putting his own stamp on the program he grew to love.

“Emily Willems and I shared the philosophy that volume, which is mileage, is important,” Schabron said. “The kids have to have a good amount of mileage We also have to be careful with high school kids because they are still growing. The only major change that the kids are seeing at this point is more intensity right off the bat.”

Friday’s home opener is in contrast to the past, in which Laramie hosted a smaller meet late in the season. Schabron said that once he got the head coaching position, getting that meet changed was his first priority.

“When they hired me last spring, the first thing I asked (LHS activities director) Scott Handley was, ‘Hey, what do you think about this?’ He was very supportive, but we didn’t know if the university would go for it. Right off the bat, (UW coach) Randy Cole was supportive and said, ‘Let’s do this and let’s do this.’ It will be great to see the high school kids on that course, along with seeing the college kids running.”

The girls race will begin at 4:50 p.m., followed by the boys at 5:30 p.m. Other schools competing in the 2.5-mile race will be Cheyenne Central, Cheyenne East, Pine Bluffs, Saratoga, Gillette, Sheridan and Riverton.

Following the high school races, the college women will take to the course at 6 p.m., with the men taking off on their 4.25-mile race at 6:30 p.m.