What Top Ranked Programs Do Differently
Published October 26, 2025
Hello!
In the state of Colorado, the state meet will be happening next week. If your state doesn’t have state on November 1st, then it’s coming up soon after that.
Last year, the Niwot boys won the Nike Cross Nationals championship. I’m blessed that Kelly Christensen of Niwot is a close friend, and I’m fortunate that he’s willing to share his training approach in the new edition of Consistency Is Key, which came out a year ago.
In the book we talk about the Car Analogy and how you have to:
- Build the Aerobic Engine
- Strengthen the Chassis
- Rev the Engine
Here’s how Niwot Strengthens the Chassis and Revs the Engine.
Strengthen The Chassis
- 20-30 minute weight room sessions after long runs
- Single-leg and single-arm lifting for muscle balance
- Basic core work (pull-ups and push-ups)
- Hurdle mobility and mini-band work twice weekly
- “Rope stretching” (Active Isolated Flexibility) before workouts and long runs
- Regular foam rolling and lacrosse ball work for fascial release
Rev The Engine
- Strides 4-5 times per week (80m to 200m)
- Mix of sprint work throughout the week:
- 6-8 second hill sprints
- Flying 30s
- 120s and 150s
- Wicket drills twice weekly before recovery runs
- 200s and diagonals on turf at various paces
- Mile-pace hill repeats
What Do Great Programs Do?
So now that we’ve seen what Niwot does, let me give you a summary of what all eight programs featured in Consistency Is Key are doing.
The programs featured in the book are…
- American Fork Boys (Utah)
- Naperville North Girls (Illinois)
- Niwot Girls and Boys (Colorado)
- Mountain Vista Girls and Boys (Colorado)
- Minster Girls (Ohio)
- Sandburg Boys (Illinois)
- St. Joseph-Ogden Girls and Boys (Illinois)
- The Woodlands Girls and Boys (Texas)
It's worth noting that Minster and St. Joseph-Ogden are both in the smallest classifications in their respective states. The training that follows works for any size school.
Long Runs
First off, you know what EVERY single one of these programs does? Long runs.
Not just any long runs though - most of them make them progression runs where kids finish faster than they start. Niwot even has this cool thing called the “Game of 3’s” where they break it into thirds and get progressively faster.
Strides and Sprinting
All eight programs do strides regularly. Some do them after easy runs, others sprinkle them throughout the week. But they all make sure their distance runners don’t forget how to run fast!
Speaking of fast - these programs aren’t afraid to sprint or hit the hills.
Several programs do flying 30s or other sprint work to rev the engine. They’re proving that distance runners need that top-end speed all year.
Mobility and Flexibility
Now, here’s something interesting about the mobility work.
Most of these programs do hurdle mobility drills, and quite a few do “rope stretching” (Active Isolated Flexibility). Naperville North, Niwot, and others swear by it. And Coach Iverson at Naperville North has used yoga for years in his program.
Wickets
Half of the eight teams do wickets (aka mini-hurdles). It’s really just fast running over low hurdles to work on form and posture - nothing complicated, but super effective!
If you want to try wickets with your team when you start off-season winter training I’ve got a great progression guide you can download right here - I’ll walk you through exactly how to get started.
Pre-Season Camps
Almost all of these powerhouse programs do pre-season camps.
Whether it’s Niwot heading to Western State University or The Woodlands taking their top 15 boys and 15 girls to Fayetteville, Arkansas, they all see huge value in getting away as a team before the season starts.
Obviously, there’s not much you can do with just a few days or weeks left in the season, but I thought this would be a good review of what the best programs in the country are doing and give you some ideas for what you’re going to want to change for next year’s training.
The Big Takeaway?
These super-successful programs aren’t just running a bunch of miles. They’re building complete athletes with:
- Challenging aerobic workouts (long runs/progression long runs)
- Engine Revving (strides and sprints)
- Mobility/Flexibility (rope stretching)
- Neuromuscular work (wickets/mini-hurdles)
- Strong team cultures (camps)
Boulder Running Clinics
One of the most remarkable things about the last year's Boulder Running Clinic was that the coaches who had coached both winning teams - Coach Jonathan Dalby and Coach Eric Selle of Mountain Vista, and Kelly Christensen of Niwot - were in attendance, not as speakers but as participants learning alongside everyone else.
Think about that for a second. How often do you get to attend a clinic where the coaches of BOTH Nike Cross Nationals championship teams are there learning just like everybody else? It really makes the Boulder Running Clinics a one-of-a-kind event.
I was talking to one of the speakers this week and helping them workshop what they’re going to talk about, and I explained that we do a picture with coaches who either:
- Taken a team to NXN
- Had an individual qualify for NXN
- Had an athlete qualify for Foot Locker.
In that picture is at least 20 people and sometimes as many as 30. It’s an unbelievable photo.
So if you’re thinking about coming to the clinic, this is a great time to get your flight, book your hotel, and get your ticket.
That’s it for today.
If your team is racing this weekend or next, good luck to you and your athletes.
Let’s go!
Jay
P.S. If you want to read the Niwot team profile in Consistency Is Key, just click this link and you’ll get a digital document:
Not only do you get that profile, but you get six chapters from the book.
You get the Car Analogy chapters, which include Build the Aerobic Engine, Strengthen the Chassis, and Rev the Engine Most Days.
Plus you get the Fast, Faster, Fastest chapter, as well as the Sleep chapter and the Mental Skills chapter.
If you’re interested in buying a single book, it’s easiest to do it on Amazon. While I appreciate people who want to support my work, just know that I make as much money on an Amazon purchase as any other purchase.
If you want to buy a bundle of books for your team, you can do that at this link.
Jay Johnson
