HARRY MARRA
Combined Events Coach
2012 Highlights: Harry Marra’s most decorated year of coaching came in 2012, when he led multi-event star Ashton Eaton to four world records, two national championships, an Olympic gold medal and the coveted signature title of “World’s Greatest Athlete.” Eaton started off the 2012 season with a short, yet very successful indoor campaign in which he won the long jump at the USA Indoor Championships, with an indoor personal best of 8.06 meters/26 feet, 5 ½ inches. Eaton went on to win a world title in the heptathlon, bettering his own world record in that event to 6,645 at the IAAF World Indoor Championships in Istanbul, Turkey.
That was only a precursor to Eaton’s outdoor season, which included setting the world record in the decathlon – 9,039 points – as well as in two individual decathlon events (the 100 meters in 10.21 seconds and the long jump in 8.23m/27 feet) at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon. Eaton further confirmed his title as the “World’s Greatest Athlete” when he won gold at the London Olympic Games.
During that span of unparalleled performances from Eaton, Marra was also busy coaching Eaton’s fiancée Brianne Theisen, a fifth-year senior at the University of Oregon. Theisen, who is a finalist for the Bowerman Award, won two NCAA titles, both indoors in the pentathlon, and outdoors in the heptathlon. In the pentathlon, Theisen’s win was her third straight NCAA title in that event. Her total of 4,536 points came very close to her NCAA and Canadian national record of 4,555 in that event. Outdoors, Theisen’s score of 6,440 points in the heptathlon was a huge personal best and made her the second-best NCAA heptathlete and the second-best Canadian heptathlete of all time. It was Theisen’s third national title in the heptathlon.
After graduating, Theisen went on to represent her home country of Canada in the Olympics, finishing eleventh with 6,383 points, while setting two personal bests in the javelin (152-5) and the 800 meters (2:09.29).
Coaching History: Marra joined Oregon Track Club Elite’s coaching staff in the summer of 2010. He serves as the team’s combined-event coach, specifically working with OTC Elite decathlete Ashton Eaton. An offer to coach at the University of Oregon brought longtime multi-event guru Harry Marra to Eugene in the fall of 2009. He served as the Ducks’ assistant coach for both the indoor and outdoor seasons in 2010.
A former decathlete himself, Marra served as Head Coach of the USA National Decathlon Team from 1990 to 2000. During that time, the team set every possible World Record in the decathlon, highlighted by Dan O’Brien’s gold-medal victory in the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games.
Prior to serving as the National Team coach, Marra spent 12 years (1981-1993) as the Head Track and Field Coach at San Francisco State and four years in the same position at Springfield College in Springfield, Mass. He also served as Assistant Track and Field Coach at the University of California at Santa Barbara from 1975-77.
In 1981 and 1982, Marra was named as coach for the US Olympic Festival. Five times Head Coach for the USA National Decathlon Team that competed against the Germans, Russians and Canadians (1985, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997). He was named Assistant Manager for the 1995 IAAF World Athletics Championships, with responsibilities to the decathlon and throwing events. He was USA Assistant Track Coach for the 1999 Pan American Games, where his athletes won five gold medals, four silver medals and one bronze medal, while setting two Pan American Games Meet records. He has been an official part of the Team USA Staff with a personal athlete at the following World Championships: Paris in 2003, Helsinki in 2005, and Osaka in 2007. Two of his athletes won the prestigious Multistars Combined Event Challenge in Italy in 1993 and 2007.
Marra has teaching/coaching experience at all levels of education and has authored numerous articles on track and field training. He has lectured around the world on athletics training and has recently completed a video on Sprint/Speed Training.
He was twice named “Coach of the Year” for the Northern California Athletic Conference. He is founder and director of “Deca-Jam” – the first international decathlon competition to be held in the USA with major prize money.
Marra has produced six different decathletes who have reached the 8000+ point level (see below). He has toured all of Europe with these athletes, reaching high levels of success. Marra’s top decathlete today is Ashton Eaton (see below). Paul Terek is the 14th best decathlete (8,312 points) in USA history, and the first athlete in US history to win three USA Indoor National Heptathlon titles.
Coach Marra has been inducted into both the Christian Brothers Academy (High School) and San Francisco State University Athletic Halls of Fame.
Marra also served as consultant to the San Francisco Giants, on speed, strength and conditioning issues from 1988 through 1999. With Marra’s specialized fitness program, the San Francisco Giants led the National League in the least number of days on the Disabled List for the 1997 and 1998 seasons.
Personal: Marra lives in Eugene, Oregon with his wife Madeline. He has two grown children, Christianne and Andy.
A List of Some of Coach Marra’s Top Athletes:
ASHTON EATON: World Record Holder in the Indoor Heptathlon: 6,568 points. 2011 USA Decathlon Champion: 8,729 points (No. 5 All-Time American score). NCAA Decathlon Champion in 2008, 2009 and 2010. Personal Records: 60m – 6.66; 100m – 10.33; 400m – 46.28; 1000m – 2:32.67; 1500m – 4:20.56; 60m Hurdles – 7.60; 110m Hurdles – 13.35; High Jump – 2.11m; Pole Vault – 5.26m; Long Jump – 8.04m; Shot Put – 14.74m; Discus – 45.51m; Javelin – 57.23m.
BRIANNE THEISEN: NCAA Indoor Pentathlon Record Holder: 4,560 points. Heptathlon PR: 6,098 points. NCAA Pentathlon Champion in 2010 and 2011. NCAA Outdoor Heptathlon Champion in 2009 and 2010.
PAUL TEREK: Decathlon PR: 8,312 points. Heptathlon PR: 6,040 points. Pole Vault PR: 5.70m. Three-time USA National Indoor Champion. 2004 Olympian.
SHELDON BLOCKBURGER: Decathlon PR: 8,301 points. Heptathlon PR: 6,020 points. High Jump PR: 2.22m. Long Jump PR: 8.01m. 110 Hurdles PR: 13.96. Pole Vault PR: 5.30m. Pan-American Games Bronze Medalist. USA Indoor Heptathlon Champion.
BART GOODELL: Decathlon PR: 8,109 points. Discus PR: 52.88m (former American Record Holder in Decathlon Discus).
PAUL FOXON: Decathlon PR: 8,254 points.
BRIAN BROPHY: Decathlon PR: 8,276 points. 1995 World Championships team member. Discus PR: 52.96m (former American Record holder in decathlon discus).
STEVE KOEL: Javelin PR: 76.22 meters. NCAA Javelin Champion and NCAA meet record holder in 1986.
