Schaumburg's Macnider takes one last lap

Down at the far northeast corner of the track at Gary Scholz Stadium stood longtime Schaumburg track and field coach Jim Macnider, conducting another practice.

This was just another day of many Macnider has put in during his 25-year run as Saxons head coach and 37 total that he has spent at the school. And this particular workout is one of his favorites.

"We run this one once a season and usually the kids are all bundled up from the cold, but this is a good day today," said Macnider as he turned to bark out quarter-mile times to his runners. "This tests the kids and makes them work by running this kind of workout. We do it once, but I think it helps in the long run."

There have been many good days for Macnider at Schaumburg. both in his career as a track coach and during his very successful career as head cross country coach.

This season will be Macnider's last as head track and field coach. He will continue as the cross country head coach.

Since he is retiring from his teaching position at Schaumburg, Macnider had to choose one or the other and he chose to continue in his capacity as head cross country coach.

That doesn't mean that people won't see the current dean of coaches in the Mid-Suburban League at meets, keeping times and barking out encouragement to the kids wearing the Cardinal and Gold.

"I am not the track program - this is Schaumburg's program," Macnider said. "I just have happened to have been here for a while, that's all."

While he is right that the program will surely continue without him, the success he has had as coach at Schaumburg cannot be ignored.

During his stay, the Saxons have delivered 22 state medalists and five state champions. While he will continue on in cross country, the numbers there are even more staggering.

The Saxons have won three state titles and nine trophies in total, with the most recent a third-place finish in 2006.

"I think the trophies and the amount of kids he has that are still running after high school says a lot about the type of program he has run there and the types of kids he turns out," said Prospect cross country and distance coach Mike Stokes. "He always has a good competitive team in cross country and always has a chance to win a state title, and those distance kids in track are always tough."

Macnider himself was a very accomplished runner, but his running career started with him running the bases in little league. He also played football and basketball his freshman year at Niles West, but that quickly changed.

"I had a hernia after my freshman year so football was done," Macnider recalled. "Then I tried indoor track and had some success at it. My coach looked at me and said you aren't going to grow any more, so that ruled out basketball, which left baseball. Once I started outdoor track, that was gone too."

Macnider went on to a very successful career in college at North Central and nearly parlayed that into becoming an competitor in the 1980 summer Olympics. Had the United States not boycotted the Moscow Olympics that year, Macnider would have likely been a competitor in the marathon.

With his life engulfed by running, it's only natural that his passion would trickle down to the athletes he coached. That is evidenced by the multitude of former Schaumburg runners that are now coaching elsewhere in Illinois and around the country.

From California to Kentucky and all over the state of Illinois, Macnider's products are carrying on the passion and message that made them great competitors during their time at Schaumburg.

"Jim allowed track and field to be a part of your life, but he didn't make it your life," said former standout and current Waubonsie Valley head coach Pat Rafferty. "He taught us all how to love to compete, and that's what I try and teach my team."

While there have been plenty of good days for Macnider over the last two and a half decades, he has faced some difficult challenges as well. Hip replacement surgery three years ago and a battle with prostate cancer challenged him but never quite seemed to slow him down.

"When he had his hip problems and you could tell he was hurting, it never slowed him down," said Fremd coach Jim Aikens. "He just kept going because you can really tell he has such a passion for the sport and for the kids."

Where does this passion come from?

"Just the chance to see kids get better," Macnider said. "We had a kid here a few years ago that never went under six minutes in the mile, but at the end of the year he did - that's just great, to see a kid improve like that."

"You can just see how passionate he is about seeing and getting the kids better," said longtime Schaumburg assistant and former Saxon athlete Scott Lilley. "His dedication and work ethic to something he really loves is impressive."

So what now? What does Macnider do with all this free time in the spring - after this year, of course?

"I will still be around, I am sure," Macnider said. "Whether I am here all the time or with my grandkids, or hanging out at home, I am sure I will find something."

And many good days ahead, for sure.