A graduate of Arizona State University, Eddie Diaz is a certified UESCA running coach with over 20 years of competitive racing under his belt.
Though he took a 17-year hiatus from formal running and competing to focus on his other passions like mountain biking and soccer, he looked at his wife one day and said, “I’m going to try this Spartan Race.”
He went into that race with one thing on his mind: it’s a little bit of running broken up by some obstacles, so just have fun. And he enjoyed that race more than he thought. He decided to do another one and was hooked. His competitive juices began flowing, and he quickly realized he was going to have to start taking running seriously again.
As a prior competitive track runner, Eddie specialized in both the 400m and 800m races. He won multiple titles and podium finishes at all levels of competition, with his Personal Records sitting at 47.6 seconds in the 400-meter and 1:50:09 seconds for the 800-meter.
As he started down the path of taking running seriously once more, he fell in love with the sport all over and decided to obtain his running certification in order to coach others to their potential and personal records. He is passionate about helping others have a healthy heart, soul, mind, and body, and wants to help others without breaking their bank. He believes that providing the education behind a proper running plan helps empower runners and ultimately brings them to their own personal records.
Personally, Eddie is a firm believer in Christ, an avid runner and enduro style mountain biker, and also loves the overall lifestyle of healthy living. When asked what he believes are benefits to running, he states: “One body, one mind, one soul. When these things work together, it’s truly an amazing sight to see. This is what running does. It pushes you to your limits, it pushes you to achieve Personal Records. Something as simple as a wondering mind, troubled soul, an injured body or a bad running plan can take you out of your game, but running provides a much-needed outlet for many.”
His 1-Mile PR: 4:09 (~ 1998)
Current Stats:
- 1k: 3:00
- 1-Mile (set 6/3/2020): 4:58
- 1-Mile (set 4/24/2021): 4:51
- 5k: 17:33
- 10k: 38:03
- Half Marathon: 1:24:27
He can be followed on Instagram at @eddieaz_ocr or @running2prs