Flash S.

I have been coaching runners and giving back to the sport of running for 21 years. My coaching is based on the principles of the can-do, positive attitude set forth by my own coach. My style comes from the 25 years of experience I've had as a competitive runner in high school, college and Open and Masters competition at the world and national levels.

I enjoy working with runners of all ages and abilities, and I especially enjoy working with middle school and high school athletes, because with them I can make the biggest difference. My specialties include improving form and posture, stride length and efficiency, flexibility, speed and endurance. I do video analyses, provide feedback and do follow-ups to chart improvements over time. I prepare customized training schedules based on the athlete's needs, time constraints, lifestyle and goals, from 5 to marathon.

A typical training session will include a dynamic warm up, stretching, form drills and a workout to follow.

Bio:
A competitive runner since 1989 at Stafford High School, and a coach since 1994, Clinton "Flash" Santoro has always been very involved in all aspects of running. A UConn grad, he specialized in the 3000m Steeplechase and went on to compete in grad school at Central Connecticut with a career PR of 9:03 and PRs of 8:26 and 15:27 in the 3000m and 5000m, respectively. In 1993, he finished 8th in the country at the USATF JO Cross-Country Nationals and in 1998 he was the silver medalist at the NEC Championships. Since the onset of his training, he has completed nearly 1,000 races.

As a coach, Flash led Rockville High School (Connecticut) to 3 consecutive seasons with only one loss, culminating in a Track & Field State Champions title in 1998. At Tolleson (AZ), he helped a talented group of coaches and athletes to earn a State runner-up title in Track & Field in 2003. His runners swept nearly every position at each of the regular season meets. A fierce competitor as both athlete and coach, he boasts a record of 100 wins, 3 losses in just 4 years of track. Ironically, he never stresses winning as part of the training, but his athletes always put forth their absolute best efforts. A specialist in coaching long-distance running and track events from 100m to 10,000m, Shot, Javelin, Discus, hurdles and the three jumping events, he has a plan for everyone.

In recent years, he coached with the highly successful but now defunct AZTECH Training and Racing, under Bill Strachan. He brought that program westward and started a youth program for the City of Surprise. Flash now works as a personal trainer and in customer relations, marketing and event coordination at Sole Sports. Prior to that, he taught 7+ years of high school foreign language. There, he started an Ultimate Frisbee Club, which is now a part of his runners' weekly training. As passionate for language as he is for running and coaching, he is able to communicate with people in over 10 different languages.

His coaching philosophy revolves around the principle of hard work, realistic goal setting and positive thinking, where the word "can't" regarding effort is taboo. From his experience, he is well aware that natural talent can only take one so far and often results in lazy, uninspired, last-minute training. His belief is that hard work, (coupled with training smart, staying mentally focused/positive and being patient), always pays off. Running for him is not a regime nor is it the cookie-cutter "same training for everyone, every year." He is inventive, and a master strategist, which he attributes to his high school coach, Steve Levinthal.

Flash's main goal is to inspire his runners to be lifetime athletes, stay healthy and enjoy all aspects of their sport, rather than be relegated to the sidelines.

• Individual National Champion Gold Medalist in USA Masters’ Track & Field
- 3,000 Meters Steeplechase: Illinois 2012, Maine 2007 - 5000: Washington 2008 - 3,000 Meters : Massachusetts 2005
• USA Masters Track & Field World Championships 3,000 Meters Steeplechase: Finished 12th in the world, Sacramento 2011.
• USA Track & Field 3,000 Meters Steeplechase: Nationally ranked 10th, 1998.

Active warmup, dynamic/static stretching, workout, critique, cooldown/stretch