David Allison is in his second year as the Geckos head coach, and he plans on continuing GateWay’s cross country tradition of excellence for years to come.
“What I am trying to bring to GateWay is a group of young men and women who wish to use their running talent to get them to the next level both athletically and scholastically. I have a firm commitment to bettering my team members into fine young people both off and on the course. I believe that hard, smart, and consistent work pay off greatly in this sport.”
Allison has over 13 years of coaching experience. In addition to coaching at GateWay, he is also a marathon coach for Team in Training in Phoenix. Prior to his current positions, he was a high school track coach in Los Angeles, CA from 2001-02; a middle- and high school cross country and track coach in Chicago, IL from 1997-99; and a club team track coach in Prague, Czech Republic from 1993-95. While in Chicago, he coached individuals and teams who went on to the Illinois state meets in both cross country and track.
Still a competitive runner himself, Allison showcases elite performances in marathons. His personal record in the marathon is 2:27:17. Allison was the top Arizona finisher in the 2007 P.F. Chang’s Marathon at 2:30:35, and placed 50th overall in the 2006 Boston Marathon. He is currently training to qualify for the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials in the marathon.
Allison received a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Pennsylvania in 1993. He currently works for an environmental consulting company where he is in charge of editing, writing, proofreading and organizing all documents.
The New York native currently resides in Ahwatukee with his wife of nine years, Zoraida, and their son Charlie. He enjoys running, writing, going to the movies, dining out and traveling.