Episode 1 of 7: NJNY Beginnings Frank “Gags” Gagliano, head coach of the New Jersey New York Track Club, recounts the events that would ultimately lead to the development of the east coast’s most successful elite track and road racing team. In 2008, Gagliano was working as head coach with the Oregon Track Club in Eugene, OR, preparing for the Olympic Trials that summer. That April, he received a heartbreaking call from his son, informing him that his daughter-in-law had stage four breast cancer, and that they needed help raising their four year old and six year old. After the ’08 trials, Gagliano left his job with the Oregon Track Club and retired from coaching. He moved back home with his wife to Rye, New York to be closer to family. His daughter in law passed away shortly after. In the fall of 2009, a small, dedicated group of runners reached out to Gagliano looking for a coach in the New Jersey area. Gags agreed to coach them informally, but more and more athletes wanted to join. By fall of 2010, the New Jersey New York track club had begun. The NJNY Track Club filed a void for elite-level training on the east coast, as many of the other elite groups had been on the west coast. With a large number of the clubs' athletes and coaches hailing from the east coast, it’s location in the NJ/NY area has become a part of their DNA. Gagliano describes the challenges the club has faced developing over the years without a major sponsor, but they recently signed a contract with HOKA, which he says has been a big help in allowing his athletes to become successful in the sport.
