Show Notes: - Dieter is a very unique personality. It's hard to think of one or two words to describe him; there are so many appropriate adjectives. His personality is complex and deep. My best guess is that this complexity, this density, comes from his extraordinary and broad life experiences. - Dieter was born and raised in the former East Germany. He was there when the wall came down. Today, he still takes much pride in his German heritage, but ultimately he moved to America to escape that heritage. His story is too long and complex to tell here, but when you start to understand it - as I have over the last year - you begin to see one of the most dedicated, caring, and intelligent coaches in the world. His gruff exterior isn't necessarily a facade...but it is a layer of protection that provides a barrier between his true personality and an often sensationalist, quick-to-judge, undiscerning public. - Dieter's record as a coach speaks for itself. He is undoubtedly one of the best marathon coaches in the of all-time. His athletes have won over 20 major marathons. They've come close to breaking the world record several times, most recently with Evans Rutto. And I am confident that his athletes will again come close - or maybe even break it. - On the surface, it probably appears that Dieter micro-manages every aspect of the training program. That's actually not true. He believes very strongly that for an athlete to succeed, he needs to learn some things on his own - a type of running tough love. For example, during a recent workout two athletes continued on a run when they were supposed to drop off at a certain point. "Dieter, should we catch up to them and tell them to stop?" I asked. He sighed and waved his arms in front of his face. "No. This is their decision. They must learn on their own sometimes. Otherwise, they might not believe you. If I tell them to stop, then they will always wonder if they could have continued. Let them continue. Either they will make it, or they won't. Either way, they will learn themselves." - In a way, I think this is part of the reason this arrangement works so well. We know the Kenyans don't over analyze anything. And we have the impression that Dieter does. But the truth is that Dieter over analyzes everything but his athletes. He puts no limits on what they can achieve. In fact, he recently told me a great story about world records. When Ron Clarke broke the 10,000-meter world record, he did so by about 30 seconds. No one could believe it. Years later, Dieter and Ron were chatting over a beer about that world record run. Ron told him that the reason he was able to break the record by so much was because he didn't limit himself in training. He didn't think that the pace required to equal the world record was the limit to human performance. Instead, he knew it was possible to run faster. So instead of running certain workouts at world record pace, he ran them faster. This fits well with the Kenyan mentality of not thinking about pace or limits. "You just have to stay relaxed and run," Dieter told me. "The second you start to think about the pace - it's over. Finished. Your legs get heavy and your arms are full of lead. But if you know your body and stay relaxed - who knows how fast you can run?" - Dieter's goal - his motivation - is to break the world record. He knows it will require a special type of athlete. An athlete who runs very fast in the 10K and very fast in the half marathon. It's strange to say, but what he's thinking is that a 27:00-10K/60:00-half athlete probably isn't fast enough to run 2:04. He wouldn't have enough "speed reserve" to do it. So it will be interesting to watch over the next few years to see if Dieter gets a few "really fast" athletes that will allow him to refine his current training program and to go after the world record. To learn more visit chasingKIMBIA.--- chasingKIMBIA.com is a blogumentary documenting the lifestyle and training of some of the world's best marathon runners. Season One provided an unprecedented vantage point of the highs and lows of professional running as seven athletes prepared for the Chicago and New York City marathons. Season Two brings even more excitement and deeper coverage to the sport as we travel to the training camp in Iten, Kenya where the athletes are preparing for the Boston, London, and Rotterdam marathons. This is your backstage pass. Follow the journey at www.chasingkimbia.com.