DANVERS — Track and Field Coach Zach Lankow has been around St. John’s Prep since he was a freshman in 2003. He graduated in 2007 and returned to the Eagles in 2014 as an assistant track coach before taking over in the fall of 2015 as head coach.
Although Lankow began coaching in 2014, the thought entered his mind long before then.
“I remember my junior year, I was hurt pretty much for the entire year. I was like a lost puppy around the school. I didn’t know what to do, I couldn’t do what I wanted to be doing,” Lankow said. “I came to practice every day and held the watch, wrote splits for kids, and did whatever Ray Carey wanted me to do. I was just informally there to do whatever needed to be done. I knew at that time I do really like this side of the sport, too.”
Now, Lankow is the assistant cross country coach and head coach for the winter and spring teams. Although a blast, it’s a lot for anybody.
“There are challenges all the time.” Lankow said. “When the fall season is winding down, I usually have a Sunday off between seasons. I know some coaches in other sports who towards the end of a season will say they’re glad it’s almost over, but for me, it’s nonstop. Pretty much from August 20 to June 20, it’s straight through.”
As for which season he prefers most, Lankow was quick – no pun intended – to the point.
“Whatever season I’m in is probably my favorite,” Lankow said. “They all have their similarities and differences. There are elements in each that I love… Nothing is guaranteed, so I try to just enjoy the one that I’m in.”
The Eagles are coming off a year in which they set 15 records and had a few All-American runners.
“It was a great year. It was a lot of fun. I have the best assistant coaches I could ask for and great support from the school,” Lankow said. “The senior class was really incredible with great leadership. It was a great balance of the team knowing when to work hard, but at the same time, knowing how to have fun. We won the conference in all three seasons, stuck our noses at the championship level, and won the state relay title in the spring.”
This past year, Lankow has two distinct memories that will stay with him forever.
“At the Division 1 state meet, we had an incredible relay day. We just missed out on the team title by four to six points, but had a huge relay day,” Lankow said. “We broke the meet record in both the 4×100 and 4×800. The 4×100 was a FAT (fully automatic timing) state record [and we were the] first team in Massachusetts history to break 42 seconds. The 4×800 ran a 7:49 which was a meet record, too.”
“Nathan’s (Lopez) 2-mile down at nationals was pretty spectacular as well,” Lankow said.
If there’s one philosophy Lankow lives by as coach, it’s improving every day.
“Show up every day with the attitude of wanting to get better,” Lankow said. “The consistency in any sport, especially track and field, showing up is the first part. If you can show up, that’s great and you’re more than halfway there. The other big piece is having the attitude of wanting to improve that day. If you do both of those things, I think you’ll make pretty good progress.”