“Over the years, our speed workouts have been responsible for helping to increase PPTC’s membership as one must first become a member to attend. We are grateful for this opportunity to contribute to the club in this way.”

Trevor Anthony Watson (“Coach Tony”) is from Jamaica and has lived in Brooklyn for over 29 years. He is Packer Collegiate Institute’s Head Coach for High School Cross Country and Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field. He is a practitioner of Korean Taekwondo Martial Arts and holds a fifth-degree black belt. He is also PPTC’s Speed Workout classes coach for the past 20 years.

ON RUNNING

How did you start running and what motivated you to race?

I started running when I was six years old because I liked it! I run because it’s easy and does not require special planning or equipment. I have always been very goal-oriented and running allowed me to channel that focus and determination.

As a younger athlete, I was very competitive. I loved to win. I would put myself through the hardest training you could possibly imagine--sometimes to the extent of exhaustion. I loved to push my limits. I was ready and well-prepared when it came to race day. I was always thinking of the tactics I would use to run my best race. I was a front runner and liked to go out hard and take the sting out of my opponents from early in the race.

I began competing in the 1970’s running the 1500m and progressed to running the 3000m, 5k and 10k. I trained twice a day; in the early morning and the afternoon. Training was tough but I liked it, and I got considerably better over time. I started racing competitively in 1979 both on the track and road and I often finished 1st overall. There were many successful races, but below are the first few that came to mind:

Some of Coach Tony’s Race Highlights

3rd overall in the 1500m in 3:58 at the 1979 Gibson Relays in Kingston, Jamaica
Won the 800m in 2:03 at the 1979 Northwest Track & Field Classic in Miami, FL
Won the 1500m in 4:02 at the 1979 Northwest Track & Field Classic in Miami, FL
Won the 3000m in 8:56 at the 1993 Northwest Track & Field Classic in Miami, FL
Won the 5-Miler in 26:16 at the 1995 Shore Road Classic in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, NY
Won the Masters 800m, 1500m, 3000m and the 4 X 800m Masters Relay in 8:22 at the 1996 Fairleigh Dickinson University Track Meet in Teaneck, NJ
10th overall in the mile in 4:32 at the the 1998 Metropolitan Men’s Mile in NYC

In 1996, I was approached by Sid Howard, who was the NYC Masters Champion at the time to run for Central Park Track Club (“CPTC”). Sid was also at the Fairleigh Dickinson meet and had noticed me there. I later joined Brooklyn Road Runners Club (“BRRC”) because of Steve, the CEO of BRRC.

A younger Coach Tony when he was running competitively.

What was the NYC running scene like when you were running competitively?

The NYC running scene seemed somewhat chaotic, because there were so many races all over. You had to carefully pick and choose where to put your efforts. Races back then were on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. It’s still very much the same.

“I loved to win. I would put myself through the hardest training you could possibly imagine—sometimes to the extent of exhaustion. I loved to push my limits. I was ready and well-prepared when it came to race day. I was always thinking of the tactics I would use to run my best race. I was a front runner and liked to go out hard and take the sting out of my opponents from early in the race. ”

Coach Tony and teammates from Unity Striders at the 1989 Northwest Miami Track & Field Classic 5 Miler.

There are more Black men and women running today as opposed to 10 - 15 years ago. I’ve seen this shift not just in training for a race but in trying to stay healthy overall. Many Black women have started a revolution of staying fit by running and are running more. There are now also running teams that cater to members of Color, and that’s a good thing.

ON PPTC

Why did you join PPTC?

I discovered PPTC through Anne Perzeszty, Michael Ring, and my wife, Charlene Kohler-Britton. I decided to join PPTC in 2000 when Michael and Anne asked me to coach the club. I like to help other runners achieve their goals and thought coaching was a good opportunity to do that. What I like most about PPTC is the ability to bond with the community and runners.

Coach Tony and Coach Charlene Kohler-Britton

What was PPTC like when you joined the club in 2000?

Anne Perzeszty was the President of the club at the time I became a member. There has always been a Board, the committees, and volunteers. Many things have remained the same since Anne’s presidency, but some things have changed.

The membership was actually very well organized and kept members informed and updated on all issues. A monthly newsletter was sent out with upcoming events and race results published in it. There was a race tracking website system that one of the members, Nelson Broat, put together where members entered all their race results and kept them all together. That was fantastic! It was even better than the NYRR system today.

Club meetings were always packed and where we had great conversations and presentations with food and drink! Almost all the members knew each other; of course, membership was only about 300 or so back then. While we didn’t have the technology and social media we have now, back then we seemed to have better communication on another level. It was more intimate with less digital memes that sometimes don’t really say much.

As someone who has been with PPTC for 20 years, what aspect of the club do you think can be improved?

Coach Tony running at the 2010 NYC Marathon

As a former track runner, one thing that is somewhat bothersome to me is that the club has shifted more and more in the direction of focusing on mostly very long distances. While there has always been support in the club for marathon training and ultra distances, PPTC used to hold track and shorter distances in higher regard back then than it does today. There used to be great enthusiasm for the training and the groups we used to take to compete in the Millrose Games for many years. Over time, it seems as if shorter distance races, with the exception of the Al Goldstein Summer Speed 5K, are not valued as much as distances like an ultra. I think that overall shift in club culture has really discouraged a number of our members from concentrating on the shorter distances.

I personally know younger people who have expressed interest in joining the club to run track, as implied by our club’s name (Prospect Park Track Club), but then hear from others that our club is actually now mostly concentrating on the marathon or longer distances and they feel discouraged to join us.

“In terms of overall diversity, I think the general concentration on mostly longer distances might be discouraging runners who enjoy faster and shorter competitions. I think PPTC’s outreach to communities of color and diverse running abilities could also be stronger and more focused.”

How did you start the PPTC Speed Workouts classes?

Coach Tony taking off in a 2019 PPTC picnic relay

In 2000, Anne Perzeszty, Michael Ring, and I put together a proposal for a speed workout class for PPTC and went to Michael’s apartment for a Board meeting to present it. We began with a once a week workout for 10 weeks. Our first session had 20 people signed up. By the end of the year, we had over 50 people signed up so we asked permission from the Board to do two sessions a week to meet the needs of the members. All the workouts were held outdoors, even during the winter months. We always had our car handy so that people could leave their belongings safely, and we provided water.

One thing we have been most proud of and humbled by is the overwhelmingly positive feedback by runners who have attended our speedwork sessions over the years. We have heard of too many PR’s to recount, as well as how our class has helped runners increase their overall knowledge about how to train smarter and reach their goals faster. Many have expressed thanks for our support during injury or hard times. Many have requested coming more than once a week. We have had some folk who have returned each year for over 10 years. Over the years, our speed workouts have been responsible for helping to increase PPTC’s membership as one must first become a member to attend. We are grateful for this opportunity to contribute to the club in this way.

How have the Speed Workout classes changed since you started?

We have since split the classes based on pace. We also began using the Indoor Armory when it opened, (arranged by Michael Ring), from November to March. Early on, we added weekly written programs and that also morphed into having faster and slower weekly programs, as well as a suggestion for different distances. We also started asking runners to bring their own water bottles.

In light of the pandemic, quite a few of our runners have been asking about resuming speed workouts so we are now working with the Board to develop a virtual speed training program to meet our members’ needs.

The residents around Prospect Park are fairly diverse, but the active members of our club have not always been diverse. Has that always been the case?

I think that has always been the case with the club. I do know of quite a few Black and Hispanic runners who had been members, but felt somewhat marginalized, and felt that the overall club culture did not meet their needs as runners and as members.

In terms of overall diversity, I think the general concentration on mostly longer distances might be discouraging runners who enjoy faster and shorter competitions. I think PPTC’s outreach to communities of color and diverse running abilities could also be stronger and more focused.

COACH TONY’S FAVORITES

Race distance: The mile.
Recovery tool: Foam roller.
Meal after a strenuous workout: Generally a bagel and a glass of orange juice.
Race: The Brooklyn Half in 2001 was definitely one of the highlights where I surprised myself running 1:18 at age 43. Also, finishing 2nd in the New Orleans 5k. I have many favorite races.
Running memory: There are many favorite running memories, but running in Central Park under the Christo and Jeanne-Claude Gates was one of my top memories.
PPTC event: Cherry Tree 10 Mile Relay.

QUICK TAKES

Pre-race rituals: Getting to the start of the race early. Warming up thoroughly, doing drills before the start, and getting to the start line 10 minutes before the race goes off.
Current running goal: I am 62 years old now so a sub-5 minute mile would be very nice! :)
Soundtrack on the run: I love music, but I do not run with it because it distracts me from just being in the zone.
Cross training: Biking and playing table tennis.
Pandemic running: I am not training for anything right now, but my aim is to stay healthy, and I am motivated to keep running to stay physically fit and stress-free.
Advice to newer runners: Experiment with shorter distances first before jumping into a marathon. Be patient with your training. Work hard.

Text by: Coach Tony and PaFoua Hang
Interview by: PaFoua Hang
Photos provided by: Coach Tony, unless noted otherwise
Produced by: Alison Kotch

PPTC Member Spotlight | Trevor Anthony Watson (“Coach Tony”)