From a childhood of humble beginnings in Columbus, Ohio, to a state championship in high school, and a D1 NCAA heptathlon championship while at the University of Akron, Christi Smith-Ryan is now the inspirational boys and girls head coach at Central Catholic High School in Portland, Oregon.

In this WRCC interview, Smith-Ryan talks about growing up in Columbus, her extraordinary athletic career at Akron, and how she leads her team through love and inspiration at Central Catholic. She talks about being a woman, a coach of color, how to cultivate athleticism in cross country and track and field, and the importance of diversity and openness in our world.

Coach Smith Ryan is the whole package - from extraordinary athlete to extraordinary coach.

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The Women's Running Coaches Collective is a talented group of women coaches who have come together with the mission to change the landscape of coaching as Title IX changed the landscape for girls and women in sports. This grass roots organization was created to encourage and support women who want to become coaches, or women who are currently coaching. Our WRCC website includes interviews, articles, videos, "Ask A Coach", regional 'Chapter' communities and much more. The WRCC is a collective to support, unite, inform, inspire, encourage and empower women coaches at all levels of our sport. Come join us today and help change the landscape of women in coaching. Click www.womensrunningcoaches.org to join. It's free!