What does it take to be a good coach? What does it take to lead others to success? We explore these questions and many more with the one and only Coach Ricardo Santos, coach of the Stanford cross country and track teams. 
Coach Ricardo Santos is an accomplished distance coach at Stanford University, where he has been the primary men's distance coach since August 2019. He has had remarkable success, including coaching Charles Hicks to become the first Stanford runner, male or female, to win an NCAA individual cross-country title in 2022. Under Santos' guidance, the Stanford men's cross-country teams have achieved 13 top-10 finishes in NCAA championships and won numerous regional and conference championships. Santos has been recognized with multiple Coach of the Year honors, including USTFCCCA West Region and Pac-12 Men's Coach of the Year in 2022. His coaching prowess extends to track events as well, with his athletes setting records and earning international recognition. Santos brings a wealth of experience to his coaching role, having previously coached at the Boston Athletic Association and Iona College.

This conversation encapsulates the subjects of what it takes to coach a successful team. We discuss culture, instilling patience, a process mindset, and what makes a good leader. We also go through his recent success with athletes Charles Hicks (who won the 2022 NCAA XC title) and Ky Robinson (who won the 2023 5k/10k Outdoor titles).

It was an absolute pleasure having a conversation with Coach Santos and dissecting his extremely successful career so far! I know you'll find value from this conversation with one of the best coaches in the world.

There's a saying, "A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way." This perfectly describes Coach Santos, and I know you will learn from him in this conversation. 

You can listen wherever you find your podcasts by searching, "The Running Effect Podcast." If you enjoy the podcast, please consider following us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and giving us a five-star review! I would also appreciate it if you share it with your friend who you think will benefit from it. 


The podcast graphic was done by the talented: Xavier Gallo.


S H O W   N O T E S

-GET YOUR SAMPLE PACK OF 2Before: 2before.com 

-My Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/therunningeffect/?hl=en⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

-Coach Santos's Stanford Profile: https://gostanford.com/sports/track-and-field/roster/coaches/ricardo-santos/4403

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