Marc T. Ellingson – Class of 2006

Having rarely gone more than 3 miles in a single run prior to college, the 8k did not even seem feasible.  Ultimately, it was Coach Thornton who got me to join the cross country team instead of just running track.  The first day, a 7 mile tempo run, just about doubled my total summer mileage, and I didn’t even finish it.  Riding back in the truck with him, he made it clear that I definitely need cross-country.  Two years later, I was completing the 11 mile tempo runs and pushing the pace with the rest of the guys.

It was always entertaining to show up 15 minutes before practice.  Every day brought something new.  One day he was telling Baxter, “Looks like you’ve been slacking on your abs this summer” and that he should head to the salad bar.  And the next he’d ask Havey (who else?) about whether he checked his new girlfriend, and her mom, for cankles.  When he complemented you on a race, you knew you deserved it.  But his responses after bad races were much more memorable. 

After getting outkicked on the indoor track by some Tommie, coach came storming over to me and yelled, “Was that guy passing gas cause you sure as hell didn’t want to stay with him.”  And after a terrible performance at the Miac championship, he used a more uplifting line, “The sun will shine again”, and left it at that.  He had faith in his runners and believed in their abilities.  He let you have it the way it was, and I respected that. 

 

Other notable sayings/memories:

Runner: (insert dumb question)

Coach: Is a 20-pound robin fat?

 After beating Carleton all season, we were still being “ranked” behind them.  Coach said, “You can put sh*& in one hand, and rankings in the other and see which one fills up first.”

 Watching coach win the Central Region Coach of the Year award at the 2004 national’s banquet.  In the interest of speeding the ceremony up, he ran up to get his award.  Unfortunately, none of the other coaches followed his lead.

 

After the national meet:

      Coach: “Who was that girl you were with?”

      Me: “That was my ex-girlfriend”

      Coach: “What the hell is wrong with you?

 

Coach’s passion for the sport, and his constant witty humor, wore off on his athletes, and it helped me appreciate competition and running. The tempo runs became a part of the week that I looked forward to; it was a chance to push as a team, to learn to work together, and to keep each other going.  It instilled a sense of leadership and discipline that benefited everyone.  I believe it was those 11 mile tempo runs, designed for us to run smart as a team, that got us a conference and region title in 2004.

 Thanks coach, Marc