Toronto Olympic Club History

Toronto Olympic Club is proud of its long history of distance running excellence. We are recognized as one of Canada's premier distance running clubs. Since 1954, our inaugural year, TOC has produced many outstanding runners, Canadian record holders, National, World and Olympic team members. We are an organization of athletes, coaches, volunteers, and administrators who are passionate about achieving personal excellence in distance running.

The club provides a supportive environment to produce peak performance through creative and innovative professional coaching, group training, and leadership. Our mandate is to provide the coaching and training environment that will assist our members in developing to their fullest potential. We offer a structured program for competitive distance runners to athletes of all ages and abilities.

In 2008, we added a Junior Olympian Program (JOP). It is designed to introduce 10-18-year-old athletes to the sport of middle distance and cross country running in a fun, team-based atmosphere. The JOP provides guidance to young runners with an emphasis on sound running mechanics and age-appropriate workloads. Our goal is to teach key fundamental running skills, creating a foundation that allows each individual to reach his or her potential.

COACHING PHILOSOPHY

"Success is the satisfaction which comes when you know you've done your best to become the best you are capable of becoming." John Wooden

TOC focuses on individual personal achievement. We believe that success comes from hard work, dedication, commitment and enthusiasm. Staff will coach their groups in addition to establishing a relationship with each athlete that will foster mutual trust, respect and communication. The design and structure of group programs are based on a TOC program outline for each level in the club. This outline establishes the framework for an annual plan of training objectives, meet selection and group goals. Motivational tools are used to simply get the very best out of our runners in an environment that is both rewarding and challenging. Our goal is to develop healthy and happy people who gain both mentally and physically from their running experience.