09/16/2025
'To stay involved and give back to the sport I love and grew up with'
Andy Carr Interview by George Banker
I am starting this interview with the phrase, “everyone has a story.” There is no one answer, and I took a short cut and decided to use AI for a definition to provide a mental picture of Andy Carr. Most of the readers will be asking, “Who is Andy Carr?” At the conclusion of this article, you will understand the service that Carr provides to the sport and athletes.
AI provides the following, “Every individual's life is a complex, unique narrative shaped by their experiences, challenges, and perspectives. It encourages compassion and empathy by reminding us that everyone has a hidden history that influences who they are.”
Carr has been the USATF Long Distance Running Record Keeper since 2006 and a USATF-certified official since 1987.
He graduated from Northwood HS (Rockville, MD) in 1981 and ran for Coach Dan Reeks who is currently at Sherwood HS and just celebrated his 50th year of HS coaching. Carr lived in West Berlin Germany from 1965-1970 with his father and later moved back to Maryland. Carr attended and ran for Roanoke College, Salem, VA (Division 3 school) 1981-85. He ran in two NCAA D3 XC Champs meets, graduated in 1985 with a BA in History/minor in Secondary Education, and he taught and coached at Salem HS.
From 1986-87 Carr coached at Einstein HS (XC and distance track) and worked at Fairfax Running Center and Racquet & Jog). He attended graduate school at the University of Oregon 1987-89 and studied Educational Administration & Sports Management but did not finish. Carr moved back to Gaithersburg, MD in 1989-92 then moved to Atlanta to work for the Olympics.
Coach Carr was the Runner of the Year, Montgomery County Road Runners Club (MD)-1986 and Long Distance Running Man of the Year, 2011-12 by USA Track & Field & USATFGA
The Judo Brown Dedication Award, presented by the Atlanta Track Club, recognizes outstanding dedication to the sport of track and field by a boys' coach in the state of Georgia. The award honors individuals who have a long history of involvement with track and field, contributing to their community and athletes. The award is named after Judo Brown, a dedicated Georgia track and field coach, and is given to coaches who have demonstrated outstanding dedication to the sport, their community, and their athletes. Carr received the award in 2015.
In 2024 Carr was awarded the Ted Corbitt Award by the Road Running Technical Committee of USA Track & Field for his support of U.S. road racing.
Can you imagine a young Andy Carr in grade school staring out the window and dreaming about being the USATF Long Distance Running Record Keeper? Well, his dream did come true. This is a unique position within the sport, and it serves a vital purpose for the athletes.
To provide some background into record keeping, the name Ken Young (November 9, 1941 – February 3, 2018) is the starting point. Young was the founder and director of the National Running Data Center (NRDC). The NRDC was devoted to the collection, analysis, and publication of long-distance running information. The NRDC developed road racing records in the U.S. In 1979 The Athletic Congress (TAC) recognized the record keeping by the NRDC as official records. In 1986, the official record-keeping for TAC was assumed by TACStats, later known as the Road Information Center.
Today Carr works behind the scenes dealing with the administration in collection of documents to ensure that the certification guidelines are followed to ratify road racing performance. An athlete can run a fast time, but it must meet the criteria for ratification. The two key items are a certified racecourse and a USATF sanction.
A USATF certified course is a road racecourse whose distance has been measured and verified to USATF standards using a precise, calibrated method, ensuring accuracy for official records and national rankings.
A USATF sanctioned event is a track & field, long distance running, or race-walking competition officially approved by USA Track & Field (USATF), the national governing body for these sports. Performances in sanctioned events are eligible for National and World Records. Sanctioning ensures events are safe, fair, and follow established rules and standards.
For athletes, a USATF-sanctioned event provides a reliable and fair competitive environment where their achievements can be officially recognized and ranked. For organizers, it offers official approval and essential liability coverage.
The above covers a piece of the “Carr Story.” What you read below adds another dimension.
What was your WHY for getting involved with USA Track & Field? - To stay involved and give back to the sport I love and grew up with.
How long have you been involved with the sport? I started running when I was 11 yrs old, so 51 years. I got motivated as I watched Frank Shorter win the 1972 Olympic Marathon and I was into maps and geography so got inspired to put on my own “mini-Olympics” in my back yard with my friends where I grew up in Four Corners/Silver Spring, MD. But the only event I was any good at was the “marathon” which was a lap around my neighborhood block off Dennis Ave & University Blvd.
What was the motivation to lace up your shoes to get involved in the sport? After my mini-Olympics I decided to try out for my elementary school relay team in which I had to run a match-race against a fellow classmate. I beat him and made the team. I knew to be better I had to run more often and longer, so that is how it started for me. Wanting to compete for my school was an inspiration to train.
How long have you been with the Atlanta Track Club? I started volunteering for the Club when I moved to Atlanta in 1992 and then became a staff member in 1999 and eventually a contractor for the club in 2018, 33 years in total.
How important is record keeping for the performance of the athletes? For some and for the age-groupers, it is a part of their motivation (or even in their contract for the professionals). Distance running has always been a numbers-thing to the athletes, fans and coaches, records, in any form, are a root part of the sport.
What is the value of events which have a USA Track & Field-certified course and sanction? Well, you cannot have an American record without either, either an Open or US Age-Group record, so probably the most important. It is good to know the course distance is accurate and that the event will follow the rules of the sport, so course certification and sanction are important.
Do you feel that event organizers are concerned when it comes to their events? They should! Not having those items really “lessens” their event status and will always come into question the results or if the rules were followed and the correct people won and nobody cheated. Yes, road racing is a sport and it has rules!
Where can event, organizers go to get information about the process for certification and sanctions? Both the USA Track & Field web site and my USA long distance running records website have that information available for anyone.http://usatfldrrecords.org/forms/roadraceapp.pdf https://www.usatf.org/resources/event-directors
Have you seen a trend in the performances for both males and females improving? Yes, especially lately with the advent of super-shoes, better coaches and coaching, and better training facilities and places to train.
Are there any changes you would like to see to take place within the sport? As much as I understand why there are restrictions on entries for Olympics and World Championships, I’d like to see most countries use a trials system to pick athletes for those events or a descending order list for off-years or events and if there is a time standard, then enforce it and go with having the standard and being top-3 in your event at the trials selection event.
The governing body should cover ALL-EXPENSES (which the World Athletics/IOC must not be able to do) for our athletes to compete at Worlds/Olympics and scrap this points/ranking system that World Athletics has. I'd like to see Cross Country be a winter Olympic sport with a world championship in the non-Winter Olympic years in-between.
I'm excited that Atlanta Track Club is going to build an indoor track in Georgia as no indoor tracks exist in the state! I would like to see NCAA D1 cross country be limited to one non-US citizen per team and limit foreign athletes on track teams to some arbitrary number. If foreign athletes win prize money in the two years after graduating, they must pay money back to their school as a thank you for getting them to that level.
You have been coaching at Milton High School in Milton, GA since 2004. What is your philosophy when it comes to coaching? Do your best, Have Fun! That is inscribed in our first state cross-country championship ring and that is my feeling towards why. My goal is to make my athletes runners for life, embrace the sport, and continue to run as they grow up and enter society.
How do you motivate young athletes? Engagement at all levels. Everyone is treated the same no matter the level of the athlete. Being supportive of the runner that breaks 35 for a 5k race or goes sub-15 should not matter. They are all working to do their best over the course on the same day and deserve equal coaching and mentorship.
What are the qualities of what you consider a well-rounded athlete? Good time management, respect for their teammates and competitors, and dedication to their education, their training, and personal well-being.
What do you look for in an athlete that wants to join the team? Recruitment for the Milton team has not been an issue, as we have had as many as 200 on the team some given years. Our numbers are smaller now as our school has gone down in enrollment, but our program welcomes anyone, and we are a no-cut sport as you may never know who might be your next state champion!
How do you have an athlete to process the results when they fall short of expectations? First, it is a one-on-one at the meet to get initial reactions and thoughts about their race. Those initial reactions are so important and can be highly emotional, but that is what you need to see as a coach regarding the level of commitment and how they manage their own stress and pressure. Then the following day or when we finish a workout 2-3 days later a short but to-the-point inquiry and a check-in on how they are doing or how they feel, and just getting that feedback is good for both coach and athlete on where they are and if they have moved on.
To date, what has been that high school team performance that stands out? Winning the Georgia Boys 7A state title in 2017. It was the first ever for Milton (school is over 100-yrs-old) and being ranked fifth in the US going into regionals. Having two boys run at the 2017 Nike National Cross Country meet that same season ranks right up there. For track my first state championship athlete I got to coach in 2016 winning both the 800m and 1600m and then getting to see her race for Furman Univ in two NCAA Cross Country Championships is a standout memory for me.
Is the effort in a race or winning that has greater value? By far, the effort as every race has a reason and is working towards that larger goal, even in a state championship race. I like it in cross country where you can have no one finish near the front and still win a meet or state title. I often say in championship-style racing, just finish as you never know what your effort or place may help/change/offset or improve the results for the team.
What do you want the reader to know about Coach Carr? Very happy and lucky to be able to have a career in my hobby, so work does not feel like a job. I am excited about these next few years with the US hosting World Cross Country in January (Tallahassee) and the Olympics in 2028 (where I hope to be selected to officiate).
There is nothing like going to watch a big meet/race. Go to a college meet, track or cross country, large high school invitational or national/world-class road race and be a fan of the sport! I try and do this multiple times a year and even though I work/coach/officiate a lot of meets and competitions, it is nice to go and cheer for people competing, taking in the atmosphere, and seeing all the emotions at play. I enjoy following up on my Milton alums who continue to compete and see them race as best I can. Besides running I enjoy sports car racing, 80’s music and concerts, sci-fi movies, burgers/wings, unique beers, cherry coke, Cheerwine and the Oregon Ducks.
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"The record-keeping work that Andy does is invaluable, especially how everything is available to the public on USATF LDR Record Lookup at usatfldrrecords.org. This is an incredible resource for journalists, fans, athletes and statisticians alike. I don't know what we would do without it,” stated David Monti, Race Results Weekly.
Organizing an event is no small task, but you are never on your own. Whether you are putting on your first meet or submitting a bid for a national championship, we have numerous resources to help you along the way. During the planning stages of your event, check out our information on sanctions (to....
