Bill Pierce is regarded among seasoned athletes and marathoners as one of the 10 marathon ‘supercoaches’. The 64-year-old running coach was in Hyderabad as an event ambassador for Hyderabad marathon. The lead author of the celebrated and much followed book ‘Run Less Run Faster’, is also visiting other cities in India including Bangalore and Chennai to spread the word on importance of staying healthy, fit and of course, on running.
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A veteran of 39 marathons, Bill is professor and chair of Health Sciences, Furman University, Greenville, South Carolina, USA. He also co-founded Furman Institute of Running and Scientific Training (FIRST) to promote running as a physical activity and provide sound training based on scientific principles and research. During his visit to the city, the coach interacted with The Hindu .
What is the message you are trying to spread in India?
Like in the US, people in India too are struggling with the epidemic of inactivity. I am trying to make everyone realise and understand that sitting is the new smoking, which means sitting is as harmful as smoking. We are becoming like robots and increasingly our lives have become sedentary. We are dependant on gadgets and sit for long hours in front of television, making us susceptible to cardio-vascular ailments, cancer, hypertension and diabetes. There is no physical activity at all, which is dangerous. I am trying to make people realise the importance of staying active.
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When can India produce world class athletes, especially in track and field events?
Honestly, it’s a very difficult question to answer. You have to look at multiple issues and provide a good ecosystem right from schooling for children to take up sports in India. Sports, especially athletics in European countries like Germany, China and even Australia are fully promoted by governments. Back home in US, it is the corporate companies that wholeheartedly support athletes. India has to find a right balance between these two options. Like other countries, there is also a need to have talent spotters, sports medicine institutes and other sports infrastructure for youngsters.
What is your advice for aspiring young sportspersons in India?
You can’t introduce running or any other sport directly to children. Initially, developing physical fitness and staying active by pursuing multiple sports like basketball, swimming etc should be the way to go. If parents concentrate only on running or any other sport, then there is every possibility that the child may burn out before even reaching the true potential. In the initial years of a child, parents need to concentrate on overall motor progression and introduce them to a variety of sporting activities. Swimming actually is a great cardio-vascular sport but I have observed very less number of children in India take it up in a big way.
Do you plan to set up FIRST institutes in India?
It will be very interesting to set up such a training institute on running and observe how Indian athletes perform to the coaching standards of the West. I am open to explore this possibility of setting up training institutes, but we need committed people. We can definitely fly-in US coaches to train athletes in India. We are still exploring this possibility.
Any advice for lay persons who want to run?
For me, running has always been staying active by taking part in vigorous physical activity. It should always be enjoyed with friends, and this is what I always advise.
A veteran of 39 marathons, Bill is professor and chair of Health Sciences, Furman University, Greenville, South Carolina, USA. He also co-founded Furman Institute of Running and Scientific Training (FIRST) to promote running as a physical activity and provide sound training based on scientific principles and research. During his visit to the city, the coach interacted with The Hindu.
What is the message you are trying to spread in India?
Like in the US, people in India too are struggling with the epidemic of inactivity. I am trying to make everyone realise and understand that sitting is the new smoking, which means sitting is as harmful as smoking. We are becoming like robots and increasingly our lives have become sedentary. We are dependant on gadgets and sit for long hours in front of television, making us susceptible to cardio-vascular ailments, cancer, hypertension and diabetes. There is no physical activity at all, which is dangerous. I am trying to make people realise the importance of staying active.
When can India produce world class athletes, especially in track and field events?
Honestly, it’s a very difficult question to answer. You have to look at multiple issues and provide a good ecosystem right from schooling for children to take up sports in India. Sports, especially athletics in European countries like Germany, China and even Australia are fully promoted by governments. Back home in US, it is the corporate companies that wholeheartedly support athletes. India has to find a right balance between these two options. Like other countries, there is also a need to have talent spotters, sports medicine institutes and other sports infrastructure for youngsters.
What is your advice for aspiring young sportspersons in India?
You can’t introduce running or any other sport directly to children. Initially, developing physical fitness and staying active by pursuing multiple sports like basketball, swimming etc should be the way to go. If parents concentrate only on running or any other sport, then there is every possibility that the child may burn out before even reaching the true potential. In the initial years of a child, parents need to concentrate on overall motor progression and introduce them to a variety of sporting activities. Swimming actually is a great cardio-vascular sport but I have observed very less number of children in India take it up in a big way.
Do you plan to set up FIRST institutes in India?
It will be very interesting to set up such a training institute on running and observe how Indian athletes perform to the coaching standards of the West. I am open to explore this possibility, but we need committed people. We can definitely fly-in US coaches to train athletes in India. We are still exploring this possibility.
A veteran of 39 marathons, ‘supercoach’ Bill Pierce promotes running as a physical activity and provides sound training based on scientific principles and research
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