Like Father, Like Son: My Story on Running, Coaching and Parenting

by Matt Centrowitz, Nathan Williams, Chris Kwiatkowski

Matt Centrowitz' journey as a runner, coach and father.

Genres: Sports

208 pages, Paperback

Published January 19, 2017

Reviews

[Mark Mindel · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a runner, you'll love the inside scoop on the story of this Olympian and his son, the first United States Olympic Gold Medalist in the 1500 meter run since 1908! Matt's story progresses from his beginning love of cross country in the Bronx when he was 14 and looking for something to do, up through setting many, many records along the way, including the US national record in the 5000 meters in 13:12:91. Matt attended Power Memorial High in NYC (home of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (then Lou Alcindor), went to college at first locally at Manhattan College, then transferred to Oregon University where he not only ran with Steve Prefontaine under the same coach, Bill Dellinger, but actually was with him the night he died. Matt qualified for the Olympic Games in Montreal in 1976 in the 1500, and also won the 5000 in the US Olympic Trials in 1980 but President Jimmy Carter ridiculously boycotted the Moscow Games and robbed Centrowitz of another shot at a medal. Matt eventually began an impressive coaching career at American University. His son, called Matthew to distinguish himself from his dad, also went to Oregon and eventually won Gold at Rio in 2016 in his dad's first event, the 1500. Great lessons on life, not just running here from one of the old legends of the sport. The elder Centrowitz after retiring from American University, took on a position at his old school, Manhattan College, and was at the MAAC cross country championship meet, hosted by Siena, at the Crossings this fall. You can get a copy (signed!) at Fleet Feet Albany on Wolfe Rd.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great Oregon track stories

The best part about this are the stories about how Matt bonded with Bill Dellinger over their years together at Oregon, how Matt discovered his special run along the beautiful McKenzie River Trail, and some of his stories about Pre. He includes a couple of classic tales about how insanely competitive Pre was, once even mock (or maybe not mock) choking Matt for not giving Pre the lead in a relay race. And how Matt and Pre spent most of the day together a few hours before Pre died. Great stories about Matt and Matthew Jr's races, too, but those are mostly for hardcore distance running fans. Matt Sr. is is a legend of Oregon running. I got to watch in person when he ran his incredible 13:12 5000m in Eugene and outkicked Alberto Salazar to break the American Record. Classic stuff for a running fan -- especially if you like Univ of Oregon and Track Town running history.

[Joseph · Rating 3 out of 5]

I agree with the consensus view of the other readers reviews. An interesting , to the point story of Matt the elder's career. As mentioned by other reviewers some parts of his running career could have been expanded upon (anyone who picked up and read this book is probably a fan of track and cross country and would appreciate a little more detail on training, competition etc.), although I like the conciseness of the book. Again the editing was a little off, but hey I didn't read this for literary reasons. Compared to other sport autobiographies this one seemed very honest.

[William Firth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book gives us a glimpse into the life of the father of the reigning Olympic 1500m champion. I read the book in about a day, so it definitely kept my interest. I did find, however, that I wasn’t completely trusting of Matt Centrowitz. The book seemed extremely one sided (which it should as an autobiography) and I am skeptical of the major foreshadowing during his early life of his son’s Olympic success...All in all, a worthy, fun, and quick read.

[David Goode · Rating 5 out of 5]

Filled with wonderful stories of Matt and how he became the coach and father he is today.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's less about Mathew than the title might imply, though first and last chapters recount the incredible race in which he won the Olympic gold medal in men's 1500 meters at Rio 2016. Much more detailed on Matt the elder's experiences growing up in NYC, becoming a superstar at Power Memorial HS and U. Oregon, two-time Olympian, multiple national champion and American record holder at 5,000 meters, and now of course very successful track/x-c coach at American U.

I've followed Mathew's career since high school and get yelled at (in a nice way!) by Coach Centrowitz on the regular while working at AU ["the track is closed!" being a particular favorite], but still learned a lot from this short read -- Mathew's having toyed with transferring from Oregon to AU during a frustrating first college season, Matt's having worked for a time in the gourmet coffee business in NYC between running and coaching careers, Matt's playing cards with Steve Prefontaine the day before Pre died, Matt's very strong negative feelings about missing the 1980 Olympics due to USA boycott, etc. etc.

There's already a snarky thread on letsrun about how many typos appear on the back-cover blurb alone, and indeed this is not a professionally polished book [it's self-published], but for the most part that did not affect my enjoyment. You can hear Coach Centrowitz' blunt, loud voice in the discussion of "callousing" as a training principle, for example, loud and clear, without benefit of a copy editor's coming through and changing all the "spoke to Bill Dellinger and I"'s to ".....me".

Great inside look at an amazing career and family. As a bonus, I now realize I ran the B & A trail marathon in 2009 with Mathew's Broadneck HS coach Dana Dobbs, who helped persuade him to give up soccer for cross-country. After about the 100th spectator said "way to go, Dana" to our little pack, I told him "Dana, you're a popular guy", and he cited being a local coach. Little did I realize I was racing someone who played a role in changing American middle-distance history. Well done, Dana!

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story. Could use a little proof reader but a worthy read for sure!

[Brandon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book, too short

Good read. Wish there were more stories and a longer detailed account of situations. Overall, I thought it was a pretty good book.

[Rob · Rating 3 out of 5]

A valiant effort in dire need of an editor. Matt, if there ever is a 2nd edition, I can be that editor.

[John Spiller · Rating 3 out of 5]

Matt Centrowitz's autobiography was a quick read, and this is the biggest drawback of the book. I thought he glossed over aspects of his life (being on a national championship team in cross country, building a track program at American) that would have made for interesting reading. I felt like the finished product should have been the rough draft for a more comprehensive story.

If you are a causal running fan, this is probably not the book for you.