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BYU's Cross Country Coach Ed Eyestone not only trained one of the American runners competing in Beijing, he himself is in China lending his expertise to viewers around the world as an NBC commentator. This is his third Olympic Games.
You can always find Eyestone on the track. He coaches Cross Country at BYU, but he also coaches current Olympic Qualifier in the 3000m Steeplechase, Josh McAdams.
Eyestone says, "To see Josh McAdams make it to the highest level of his sport is very rewarding for me."
Eyestone grew up in Ogden and was a track star through high school, college and beyond. He represented the U.S. in the men's marathon in the Seoul, South Korea, and Barcelona, Spain Summer Olympics.
You've likely heard his voice on TV before if you watched the men's Olympic Qualifier for the marathon. After that gig, NBC liked him so much, they called him back.
He says NBC asked, "What are you doing this summer? And I said, ‘I can clear my calendar,' and they asked me to become the distance analyst for NBC."
Though Ed has commentated on dozens of marathons over the past 10 years for television, the Olympic Games will be a new challenge for him. He says, "There's a whole new level of expectation when you work with the network on a big event like this."
You'll hear Eyestone on NBC during all the men's and women's distance events including the steeplechase, 5000m and 10,000m races, and marathons. He says he is supposed to answer the why. "Why is so and so is making a move right now, or why the race is set up the way it is," he says.
Eyestone has had to do a lot of research, getting familiar with all the distance runners, their stories, their style, their strengths and weaknesses. He even makes predictions on who will win. "It can make you look bad sometimes, says Eyestone, "but they want you to jump in with both feet." But he cannot pick personal favorites. He says, "They say there is not suppose to be cheerleaders in the press box, so I got to make sure I keep that under control." That's going to be hard for Eyestone when he's commentating on McAdam's race. So even though you'll hear Eyestone keep an even voice when telling you the ins and outs of the men's 3000m steeplechase, you can bet he'll be rooting for the runner he coaches.
You'll hear and see Eyestone on NBC during all the men's and women's long distance races which really get going this weekend. Lindsey Anderson and McAdams will both be running the 3000m steeplechase. Zuzana Tomas from the University of Utah will be running in the marathon representing her home country Slovakia.
E-mail: abutterfield@ksl.com
