Cory Leslie is the Head Cross Country Coach at Arizona State University and a former professional runner for Nike. He’s made four U.S. teams including a bronze medal at the 2015 Pan Am Games. He has personal bests of 3:53 for the mile, 8:19 in the steeplechase, and 13:38 in the 5k.

Cory’s coaching career began at Furman University where he spent five years working with 2-time Olympian Robert Gary. At Furman, he helped guide the men’s and women’s cross country teams to six Southern Conference titles and two NCAA Championships appearances. In 2015, the men cracked the USTFCCCA top-15 and finished 13th at the NCAA Championships.

In this episode we dig in to his background and how get got into running, what drove him as an athlete and his development and passion for coaching. Cory is very open about how his dad and Coach Gary shaped his perspective working with young athletes. We also talk about managing a college team during the pandemic.

You can learn more about Cory’s private coaching services on VDOT O2.

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Song:  Breakadawn, by Mike Quinn