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Vicki Mitchell

BUFFALO, NY - University at Buffalo assistant cross country and track and field coach Vicki Mitchell has been invited to join the Fila Discovery USA training program, a program designed to develop American distance runners into elite marathon athletes able to compete with the best in the world.

Established in 2000, the program, an offshoot of the successful Discovery Kenya training program, was developed by Dr. Gabriele Rosa, one of the top marathon coaches from Kenya who has trained some of his country's top marathon runners. Mitchell will be coached by Dr. Rosa and other top coaches at the Fila Discovery USA training camp in Mt. Laguna, CA, 50 miles east of San Diego.

"I feel very fortunate to have been given this offer," said Mitchell. "I feel it is an unparalleled opportunity to develop athletically, learn professionally, and grow personally. It is a 'once in a lifetime' offer and great chance to interact with and learn from the top coaches in the world, as well as some of the most talented athletes in the world...It will certainly be a big challenge physically and mentally, and I feel it is one that will carry over and benefit my role as a coach."

The Fila Discovery USA program brings together some of the top distance runners in the country, allowing them to devote 100% of their time to training together to achieve maximum results. The structured, long-term training program is specially designed for marathoners as it is high in mileage and intensity, and runners are selected to participate based on race performances, goals and physiological testing. Athletes are screened for characteristics common to elite long-distance runners and then put through extensive laboratory testing and an extensive interview process to determine if they can handle and learn from the intense training program.

Mitchell's running credentials and potential at the marathon distance made her a perfect candidate for the Fila Discovery USA program. A seven-time NCAA Division III National Champion and a 10-time All-American while at Cortland, Mitchell has coached the cross country and distance runners at UB since 1999. A native Western New Yorker, she has been a member of five USA National Teams, including the 1993 World University Games team and the 1998 IAAF World Championship Road Relay team. Mitchell qualified for the US Olympic Trials in the 10,000-meters in 1996, and she qualified for the 2000 US Olympic Marathon Trials in her marathon debut at the Hong Kong Marathon in 1999 where she took third place and was the first American finisher. More recently, she finished third in the 8K and 10th in the 5K at the USA National Championships earlier this year.

Mitchell's training will be designed to prepare her for the short-term goal of competing in the Chicago Marathon, scheduled for October 7, 2001. Long-term goals include competing on the 2003 World Championships Marathon team and in the 2004 Olympic Trials.