Ep 417: Colin Lamb on Building Lander University Cross Country, Training Philosophy & NCAA D2 Recruiting Secrets | Airey Bros Radio
Update: 2025-12-06
Description
This episode of Airey Bros Radio was originally streamed LIVE on YouTube on November 3, 2025 and is now available on all podcast platforms. 🎙️We’re sitting down with Coach Colin Lamb, the new Director of Distance Running & Associate Head Coach for Track & Field at Lander University, to talk about building a Division II distance program the right way.
Fresh off his July 2025 hire, Coach Lamb joins Airey Bros Radio to break down:
🔗 Watch the original livestream replay on YouTube
🎧 Listen & subscribe to Airey Bros Radio: Spotify /YouTube
☕ Fueled by Black Sheep Endurance Coaching – ultramarathon coaching, nutrition, and performance support
💖 Value-for-Value / Support the Show: Buy Me a Coffee
⏱️ ABR Time-Stamped Show Notes
Fresh off his July 2025 hire, Coach Lamb joins Airey Bros Radio to break down:
- 🏃♂️ His journey from Dayton student-athlete to SMU assistant and now Bearcat leader
- 📈 How he’s building Lander’s distance program and establishing a new culture in the Peach Belt Conference
- 🎓 Recruiting vision, training philosophy, and life in Greenwood, South Carolina
- 💸 Why Lander’s frozen tuition, in-state value, facilities, and support staff make it a serious option for distance runners
- 💪 Strength & conditioning, athletic training, and what it takes to create a championship-caliber DII program
🔗 Watch the original livestream replay on YouTube
🎧 Listen & subscribe to Airey Bros Radio: Spotify /YouTube
☕ Fueled by Black Sheep Endurance Coaching – ultramarathon coaching, nutrition, and performance support
💖 Value-for-Value / Support the Show: Buy Me a Coffee
⏱️ ABR Time-Stamped Show Notes
- 0:00 – Cold open: how Airey Bros found Lander through wrestling & wanted Coach Lamb on
- 0:27 – ABR intro, mission & Black Sheep Endurance shoutout
- 1:04 – Introducing Coach Colin Lamb & his new role at Lander University
- 2:30 – Socials & where to send recruits (Lander XCTF + Coach Lamb IG)
- 3:20 – Origin story: outrunning classmates, youth club, early mileage
- 4:40 – Coaching roots with his dad & youth coaching experiences
- 5:54 – Dayton → SMU: psychology degree, sport management master’s & volunteer coaching
- 8:05 – Why Lander? Location, family, facilities & AD Brian Reese’s vision
- 9:46 – Rebuilding a young program & chasing Peach Belt / regional relevance
- 11:00 – In-state recruiting, freshman-heavy roster & overlooked SC talent
- 13:14 – Culture reset after three coaches in four years
- 14:04 – What kind of student-athletes fit Lander (no-excuse grinders)
- 16:01 – Roster breakdown: SC-heavy squad with a few out-of-state additions
- 16:44 – State school value: lottery money, academic aid & 11 years of frozen tuition
- 18:14 – DII homey feel vs SMU’s big-time model & access to administration
- 19:04 – How SMU built a big recruiting class with a $90K price tag
- 20:25 – Family-centered recruiting & explaining value and cost to parents
- 21:49 – Discovering hidden programs like Lander through shows like ABR
- 22:08 – High school recruiting vs transfer portal & having a long-term plan
- 23:31 – Building a three-season program in XC, indoor & outdoor track
- 24:32 – First XC season at Lander: progress, expectations & measuring growth
- 26:03 – Selling recruits on being part of program history & first-time achievements
- 27:05 – Weather, practice times & why morning sessions win in the South
- 28:11 – Training grounds: gravel loops, farm XC course, paved path & campus loop
- 30:00 – First All-Conference runner in 16 years & a big school record
- 31:03 – Southeast Regional preview & goals for men and women
- 32:28 – Who’s who in the region: Wingate, Catawba, Anderson, Flagler & more
- 33:29 – Peach Belt breakdown & DII competition across XC and track
- 34:02 – Double threshold talk: where Lander is at & weighing risk vs reward
- 35:40 – Training philosophy: mileage, consistency & getting 95% out of athletes
- 37:08 – Multi-sport kids, low mileage backgrounds & finding “diamonds in the rough”
- 38:13 – Social media vs phone calls in modern recruiting
- 39:04 – Has he settled in yet? First months on the job & constant travel
- 42:03 – A day in the life: CEO of a small business (budget, study hall, admin)
- 44:38 – Campus growth, enrollment boom & long-term stability at Lander
- 45:49 – Campus vibe: pool, cabana, single rooms, Chick-fil-A & Starbucks
- 48:03 – Strength & conditioning, weight room setup & support staff
- 49:01 – How they pair strength sessions with long runs & workouts
- 51:11 – Training outdoors year-round & minimal need for indoor track
- 52:21 – Notes app to-do lists, staying grounded & not fixing everything in a day
- 54:02 – Music rotation: female pop stars, EDM, Two Friends & early 2000s rap
- 56:33 – Guilty pleasures: McDonald’s cookie tote, pies, bakery runs & pecan pie
- 59:35 – Final thoughts on building Lander XC/TF & what’s ahead for the Bearcats
- 1:00:00 – ABR outro & tease for the next episode
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