Elite Training Center for Sale: Pete Rea on the End of an Era at ZAP Endurance - 09-16-2020

It is the end of an elite era.  The beautiful training
center in Blowing Rock, NC that has been home to some of the best
endurance athletes in the country is for sale.  What does
that mean for the elite athletes that live and work there? 
And what about the adult and teen running camps that ZAP has
hosted for the past 18 years?


 


Coach Claire talked to head coach and owner, Pete Rea to find
out.


 


Pete Rea, the Elite Athlete coach at ZAP Endurance Team USA, has
an impressive resume. He has led 51 athletes to Olympic Trials
since the facility’s opening in 2002, and also coached the
following:


42 Senior US teams 

9 ZAP athletes to spots on Senior World Championship Teams
including 6 to the US World XC team

4 USATF Club XC Team Championships (‘06,’07,’09,’14) 

1 US marathon champion (Tyler Pennel) 

1 Olympian (Pardon Nghlovu - Zimbabwe 2016 Rio Games
Marathon)



 


Pete together with his wife, two-time Olympic trials qualifier
Zika Rea, are coaches at the facility, host adult running camps
during the summer and retreats all year. The facility has a
state-of-the-art weight room, a bio-lab for physiological
testing, and a 24-bed lodge. RunnersConnect has held fall running
retreats at ZAP for years and it's always been a highlight of the
season.


Big changes are coming to ZAP, however, and Coach Claire talks to
Pete to discover what’s in store for the team and their beautiful
45-acre center. They also talk about the evolution of running
since the ‘90s, what Pete sees as the future of running, and
what’s next for him and the athletes he coaches. 


Prior to ZAP, Pete served as a private coach to athletes of all
ages and abilities in Atlanta, Georgia. He was also the distance
events coach at The Walton School in Georgia. Pete was a distance
running standout both as a prep athlete in Connecticut, at the
University of Connecticut, and as a post-collegiate runner in the
early 1990s. Pete has been a freelance writer for over 20 years
for publications such as Running Times, Running Journal, and more
than a dozen fitness publications around the US. 
Questions Pete is asked:

        


2:59 You've been the head coach at ZAP Endurance, formally ZAP
Fitness, since the beginning in 2002.  A lot has changed in
the world and in the world of running since then.  Can you
talk about what those early years were like in the sport and at
ZAP and how it’s changed?


 


5:59 How has the environment at ZAP changed now versus in 2002?


 


6:57 You mentioned that the ZAP facility is for sale. That’s a
big part of why I wanted to have you on this show. Can you talk a
little bit about that, what’s going on and what the future’s
going to be like?


 


8:24 How does not having a training facility in the future, how
does that change the group training model? Because they won’t be
getting up together. They won’t be probably having their meals
together as much anymore. 


 


9:16 You mentioned that ZAP does group camps and group retreats,
and that’s actually where we first met. RunnersConnect always has
a training camp at ZAP. So what is that going to look like in the
future?


 


10:33 What has the year 2020 been like for the athletes that you
coach at ZAP?


 


11:59 What about the athletes that you have that have been
injured? Have they been really using this time to heal and take
care of themselves and scale back? At least maybe that is a
silver lining for some of the people?


 


12:35 You have led 51 athletes to the Olympic Trials with
ZAP.  What does it take for an athlete to reach that level?


 


14:52 How would you describe your coaching style?


 


16:42 Time on feet matters, but you can’t go hard all the time,
right?


 


17:17 Would you advise a recreational runner who’s looking to
move up to the marathon to do a lot of running at a controlled
pace?


 


17:46 How much slower than marathon pace would you say is a good
recovery or easy run pace?


 


22:49 What advice would you give the people listening about
training without a goal race? How do you stay motivated? How do
you add a little spice to it? How do you keep that carrot in
front of you when there’s no race?


 


24:39 Two of your athletes, Joe Stilin and Joanna Thompson, have
recently moved to New York City, but they are still affiliated
with ZAP.  How will you work with them from a distance?


 


26:01 In 2019, the Swiss running company On became the official
sponsor of ZAP.  Can you talk about the change from Reebok
to On?


 


27:19 What’s On’s answer to the Nike shoes? They’ve got some
carbon fiber plates?


 


28:11 Any predictions for the London Marathon coming up?


 


29:13 What's next for your athletes?  What are they training
for?


 
Quotes by Pete:

 


“Athletes now are fully aware of the types of training others are
doing both domestically and around the world, and that’s helped
athletes who at one point probably thought they were training
hard and then realized they weren’t.”


 


“We’ve got a couple athletes right now who are struggling with
injury. The party line is, ‘Well, if you were going to be hurt,
if there’s such a thing as a good time, it’s now.’”


 


“What he averaged over the long term was clearly one of his
greatest strengths, not what he did over any given three weeks or
even a month or six months.”






Take a Listen on Your Next Run


 


Leave a space for libsyn link


 


Want more awesome interviews and advice? Subscribe to our iTunes
channel
Mentioned in this podcast: 

 


ZAP Endurance


Elite Minds by Stan Beecham


On Running


Hansons Running


SweatyBetty.com/RTTT for 20% off through Nov. 1


Runners Connect Winner's Circle Facebook Community


RunnersConnect Facebook page


claire@runnersconnect.net


 


Follow Pete on:


 


ZAP Facebook


ZAP Instagram


ZAP Strava






We really hope you’ve enjoyed this episode of Run to the Top.


The best way you can show your support of the show is to share
this podcast with your family and friends and share it on your
Facebook, Twitter, or any other social media channel you use.


The more people who know about the podcast and download the
episodes, the more I can reach out to and get top running
influencers, to bring them on and share their advice, which
hopefully makes the show even more enjoyable for you!