While Erik Nedeau is a disciplined, focused and highly successful runner, he is also exuberant and lighthearted. If you catch the coach at the Amherst College track, most likely he’ll be wearing his Boston Red Sox cap whistling “Zippity do da, zippity day.” If you ask him how he’s doing and he’s in running attire, he often answers, “Faaantastic!”

Why does Nedeau love track and field so much? Is it because he is one of the most decorated and versatile runners in Maine history? Is it because of his bronze medal at the world championships or the cross-country national championship team he coached at Amherst College? Beyond his accomplishments and accolades, Nedeau’s love for running comes from two fundamental elements of track and field: the first, you get out what you put in; the second, camaraderie.

Erik explains that he loves running because it is about how hard you’re willing to work. And there is no doubting Erik Nedeau knows how to train. As an athlete at Division I Northeastern University in Boston, Nedeau was a five-time All-American in the 800 and 1500 meters. He competed at the NCAA cross-country championships; was seventh in the 800 at the 1992 U. S. Olympic Trials; a bronze medalist in the 1500 at the 1995 World Indoor Championships; and fourth in the 1500 at the 1996 U.S. Olympic Trials.

Nedeau knows how to work hard to achieve the exceptional. In 1996 he finished fourth at the Olympic Trials despite a groin injury that severely limited his usual speed work; he did only five track workouts that spring. According to Mark Lech, Erik Nedeau “was one of the fiercest competitors I have ever seen, certainly that I have ever had the privilege to coach. His greatest asset was his tenacity. He got every single ounce of performance out of himself. When he lost a race you knew it was just because the person who beat him was more gifted, but that he certainly was not out-finessed. He was able to get more out of himself than almost all of his contemporaries. This is not to say he was not talented; certainly he is one of the most talented athletes to come out of the State of Maine – his records speak for themselves. As a person, there is none better. He is a stand-up guy and I will forever be grateful that I had the chance to work with him and call him my friend.”

A native of Kennebunk, Erik demonstrated what a remarkable and versatile athlete he was in high school: he totaled six Maine state titles in the 300-, 400-, and 600-meters as well as the triple jump. At the Junior Olympics he medaled in both the 400-meter hurdles and the heptathlon. At his first high school track practice, on a five-mile run in his Reebok tennis shoes, Ned remembers he felt a natural bond with the track guys unlike anything he ever felt on other sports teams. Being part of a team has always been important to him and has influenced his racing schedule.

For example, during the New England Indoor Championships his junior year at Northeastern, Nedeau ran five races, only two of which were individual races. Friday night he ran the 1000 trials and the mile. The next day, he set a New England record of 2:20 in the 1000-meter finals. Then he ran a leg of the 4x400 in 47 seconds. Fifteen minutes later he ran a 1:50 anchor leg in the 4x800. He ran five races at the championships for one reason only – to give his team a chance to win. Ned loved relays because, for him, it was about putting it all out on the track for his team. No matter how tired he was or how heavy his legs felt coming down the home stretch, he always loved the feeling of giving it everything he had. Erik was elected to the Northeastern University Athletic Hall of Fame in 2001. At Northeastern, he became the first runner from Maine to break the 4-minute barrier in the mile, clocking a 3:59.6.

Not only did Erik “Ned” Nedeau give it his all on the track, there is evidence of his impact on running on Glaceau’s Vitaminwater peach-mango endurance drink. The label reads: Usage may result in increased stamina. Further note: professional athletes have not endorsed this product, therefore, excessive use will not lead you to have a desire to be like mike, magic, or even athletes named ned.

Nedeau has been an inspiration to many runners, particularly his athletes at Amherst College. He began coaching there in 1995 and became the head cross country and track and field coach upon the completion of his master’s degree in sports management in 1997. To date, Erik has coached four NCAA champions to 15 titles between them, nearly 100 All-American performances and two Junior National medalists. In 2007, Ned coached the first-ever national champion cross-country team at Amherst.

The success of the Amherst team has not just been about a few standout athletes, but about Erik’s ability to motivate and inspire. His eager delight and enthusiasm is palpable and contagious. The insights Nedeau shares with his runners spans the gamut from the line in the John Parker novel “Once a Runner,” that "the key is not how fast you can run, but how fast you can run while tired," to the playful “run fast, turn left,” reflecting both his seriousness about running and his lightheartedness about life.

Erik lives in Belchertown, Massachusetts, with his wife Amy, a former standout runner, and their son, Lucas.