Tim Broe, who placed 11th in the 5,000 meter race at the 2004 Olympics in Athens with a time of 13:33.06, has been named as the new boys’ cross country coach at Wellesley High School. Walter Johnson, who has been coaching the boys, will coach the girls’ team.

This Illinois-born 38-year-old has an interesting background, filled with highs (competing in the Olympics, setting the indoor 3,000 meter record, running a sub-4-minute mile, NCAA steeplechase champ, cross country and track state championships while in high school) and lows (injuries, injuries, injuries). He acknowledges in this Running Times article (“Tim Broe and the Misfits of Michigan”) from 2 years ago that he made plenty of mistakes as well during his college running career at Alabama, where he partied too much and slept and trained too little. He didn’t do much strength training until injuries sent him searching for solutions. The Running Times article documents Broe’s shift into coaching, in particular of a post-collegiate group in Michigan. Broe also has experience coaching high school cross country at his alma mater in East Peoria.

Broe’s wife works for local running company New Balance, so there you have one reason for him coming east.

Broe’s Wikipedia profile says he’s focused now on becoming a cornhole champ. We’ll need to check on the accuracy of that… Though we do know fishing and hunting are among his non-running interests.

Here’s Broe in the Olympics in 2004: