Featured Coach: Joe Thorne
Posted: July 7, 2008
Joe Thorne is the newest member of the Rogue staff. However, don’t be fooled. This self-professed “new kid on the block” is certainly not new to running. Joe began running in 1998, his freshman year at Lakeside High School in Atlanta, Georgia. Although originally only a form of cross training for basketball, it quickly became central to his life.
Before he knew it, Joe was a 7-time State Champion and a 4-time All American. Upon graduation, he packed up his running shoes and moved Austin to attend the University of Texas, where he excelled as a 2-time NCAA All American in cross-country. Despite all of his achievements in competition, Joe runs for “simple enjoyment” and coaches because it provides an “avenue to guide and help others with their running.” At the end of the day, he says the most important thing to remember about running is that, “at times, it may feel overwhelming, but taking one day at a time and being consistent are two critical aspects.”
In his own practice, running “has taught [him] many life lessons, contributed to a healthy lifestyle, and added fun and adventure to a daily routine” among other things, which, he thoughtfully adds, he could not adequately express even on multiple pages. Joe ventures: “Perhaps I should write a book.” In exchange for all the ways it enriches his life, training requires “commitment, dedication, effort and faith, all of which are easily said but difficult to practice fully." His next event will be the competitive Peachtree Road Race in his hometown of Atlanta, Georgia on the fourth of July.
Now, Joe works at Rogue Equipment and co-coaches Steve Sisson’s Team Rogue group. This summer, he will direct the Lil’ Roguesters program for kids in grades 5 through 8, and coach Rogue’s first ever Running 201 program for beginning runners looking to increase their endurance and build mileage. Starting in August, he will also train runners for the IBM Uptown Classic 5K. Joe has worked with kindergarteners through fourth graders and with adults of all levels, from walk-joggers to elite runners, in the past. When explaining how he fits with Rogue, Joe says, “Rogue’s ideals of running and training, while not forgetting to have fun, is the cheese, while I’m the macaroni.”
