BOULDER — One of Colorado prep running’s most venerable names is bringing her experience to Boulder’s smallest school.
Former Boulder High running star Melody Fairchild will be the next cross country and track and field coach at Shining Mountain Waldorf School. For Fairchild, who has spent the past 15 years coaching, the Waldorf philosophy is an ideal match.
“I’ve had an opportunity to get to know some of the kids at Shining Mountain over the past few years,” Fairchild said. “I’ve been so curious about Waldorf education that I looked into it and shadowed some teachers and stayed in touch. I really wanted somehow to be a part of that community and that school. The Waldorf philosophy really fits with my personality and approach to life.”
Regarded as possibly the best female distance runner in Colorado prep history, Fairchild owns the all-time Colorado prep record of 10 minutes, 21.37 seconds in the 3,200-meter run, as well as the all-classification state meet record of 10:34.09. She also held the all-time Colorado 1,600-meter record before Niwot junior Elise Cranny broke it at the Boulder County Invitational this season.
A 1991 graduate of Boulder High, Fairchild also own the state cross country record of 16:45.1. In her career at Boulder High, Fairchild won eight state titles between track and cross country and brought home two national cross country titles.
She has spent the past 15 years coaching at high schools in Oregon and Connecticut, while also helping out as an assistant at Boulder High. She also had stints coaching at the Division III college level with Wellesley College in Wellesley, Mass., and with Willamette University in Salem, Ore.
Fairchild also has spent time training several of the Shining Mountain athletes, whose girls track team won the school’s first-ever team title in any sport, and said one of the current runners on the team tipped her off that the coaching job was open. When she got the tip, Fairchild said she didn’t blink.
“I’m really stepping into a new era in my life that’s exciting and I’m looking forward to working more and more in Boulder County on developing athletes,” Fairchild said. “I always wanted to but I wasn’t sure how things would come together. It feels like everything is gelling right now and it’s very exciting.”
Most recently, Fairchild has been coaching the Boulder Landsharks youth running program and working to perfect her holistic style that focuses on coaching each athlete as a whole person.
“I like to approach their journey as a runner the same as their journey through life,” Fairchild said. “In running, you learn from trials and tribulations. Running is a metaphor for life. I emphasize performance and excellence in running, high goal-setting, and also emphasizing that running is an opportunity to learn to be mindful in our daily lives.”
Fairchild was one of three true candidates for the job. First-year athletic director Mike Hawkes, who replaced John Hamilton officially on June 8 and was working alongside him for the past six weeks, said he chose Fairchild as his first coaching hire for two reasons. First, he liked her approach to coaching the team and her familiarity with the culture and the Waldorf philosophy. Second, she wanted to coach both track and cross country, which he feels strengthens both by having the same leader.
“All of the accolades she’s racked up bring a lot of excitement,” Hawkes said. “But beyond that, all of the things she hopes to do and the things she hopes to teach to the kids are even better. She’s determined to share her love of the sport with the kids and to help them really learn to love running.”
Fairchild accepted the job on May 24.
Taking over for the defending 1A champion Shining Mountain girls, Fairchild has plenty of talent to work with after former coach John Hamilton guided the team to a title. The boys team also finished 10th.
Among the top returning Lions are rising junior-to-be Ginger Hutton, who won three state distance titles and set a new 1A meet record in the 400. Fairchild has already begun working out with Hutton, who competed in the Great Southwest Track & Field Invitational in Albuquerque, N.M., last week.
Fairchild said she attended the Lions’ postseason banquet, met parents, and enjoyed the optimistic feeling everyone seemed to have. She’s optimistic, too.
“To be a head coach gives me an opportunity to impart a training philosophy and a way of running. It’s really exciting,” Fairchild said. “Just like when I prepare for a race, there’s a healthy dose of butterflies in my stomach to fill some really big shoes that John Hamilton created. I feel really lucky that I have great rapport with the kids already. I hope I can establish that trust right off the bat.”
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