Fred Kerley’s coach Alleyne Francique: How to train to be an Olympic 100m runner
Alleyne Francique, coach of 100m world champion and Olympic silver medallist Fred Kerley, spoke to Olympics.com about the training techniques used by the short-distance runner, including a weekly training plan Kerley uses during a typical peak training week.
Athletics
The coach behind American runner Fred Kerley, 2022 world champion and Olympic silver medallist in Tokyo 2020 at the 100m, comes from Grenada, an island in the Caribbean with an estimated population of 124,000. Kerley’s mentor is Alleyne Francique, a two-time indoor world champion and fourth in the 400m at Athens 2004.
The different nationalities have never been an issue between them. In fact, Francique’s background enabled him to build a stronger bond with most runners.
“I was the youngest [coach] and the only black person on the staff, so a lot of them came to me. There’s a trust factor that they felt like they could tell me anything,” Francique told Olympics.com, after a training camp with Kerley in Grenada.
Before Kerley, Francique coached many college prospects of the US Team, including 2019 800m world champion Donovan Brazier and 2016 U-20 world champion Samantha Watson.
“I got the opportunity to come to the United States to study and compete, and I just wanted to make the best of it. Racing, studying. What I learned during those days, I try to teach it to the athletes,” said the Grenadian.
Find out below how Kerley and Francique apply their middle-distance experience to the 100m and 200m races.
A typical training week of Fred Kerley
Francique and Kerley usually spend two days a week on the track, two days on the grass and one day at the pool. Training sessions usually last one hour and 45 minutes, and the most important sessions are on the track on Tuesday and Thursday.
- Monday: tempo runs on the grass; 40 seconds (26 seconds at 200m) or 30 seconds
- Tuesday: speed training on the track
- Wednesday: lighter training at the pool; drills, swimming, and cardio
- Thursday: track training, mixing between distances (100m and 200m)
- Friday: 60m and 80m runs, diagonal runs, depending on the condition of the athlete
- Saturday: racing
- Sunday: rest
How does Fred Kerley rest?
There isn’t much secret regarding the best method for resting for a sprinter: a good night's sleep.
“You need at least eight hours sleep. I don’t know how you get it, but you need it. The good thing is Fred doesn’t party or drink. He'd rather spend time on social media,” Francique said.
What work does Fred Kerley do in the gym?
According to Francique, Kerley’s work at the gym is more focused on plyo, using bars and rubber bands for stretches, apart from doing long jumps and triple jumps.
“He’s a big guy, around 202 pounds. If he lifts weights, he’s going to 260. You can’t carry that weight around the track,” the coach explained.
Smooth running In Grenada 🇬🇩 pic.twitter.com/qVLnbPB2H4
— Fred Kerley (@fkerley99) April 23, 2023
How did Fred Kerley become a 100m runner?
Kerley was a 400m world bronze medallist before Tokyo 2020, although he had some good marks at the short distances. Before the US trials for the Games, the American felt some ankle pain that changed his plans.
“The 400m has two turns. He didn’t think the ankle could handle those turns,” Francique recalled.
“We went to the trials thinking we would run the 400m. And then he told me he wanted to run the 100m and 200m. I said ‘there are no meets, only the trials!’. He said ‘trust me’. I thought that either we look like geniuses or we look stupid.”
Kerley finished third at the 100m in the trials, with a personal best of 9.86, making the Olympic team. Two months later, he had a silver Olympic medal on his chest.
Every step of planning a 100m race
Being a former middle-distance runner himself, Francique adapted Kerley’s training for short distances.
“The 100 is more technical, you have to focus on the start, the reaction, of hearing the gun, your drive phase and how to transition from your drive phase to your top speed,” the coach said.
The fastest race in the world demands a strategy for each second.
“Let’s say at 5m you pop your head. You’d have to keep your speed for 95m. And you can’t do that. They take speed and then they go. The longer you hold your drive phase, the better you’ll finish. You have energy and reserve. We try to drive for 25 metres, and then you start to rise. When you get to 40m your head is high and you’re going. So when you get to 70m, you’re at top speed,” said Francique.
Running the 400m gave Kerley more stamina and endurance for the 100m, according to the coach.
“When the others are dying, he’s picking up,” he said. “You don’t have to beat them at the start, you have to stay there. When you get to top speed at 70m, that’s when you come in.”
What are Fred Kerley’s goals in 2023 and 2024?
Kerley won the 100m at the last World Championships in Eugene, and started the 2023 Diamond League season with a win at the 200m (19.92).
His goals, according to Francique, are defending the 100m title Budapest in August, and becoming Olympic champion at Paris 2024. But their eyes are also on records.
“Coaching him to win a medal is easy. But the time has come where we have to think of records. Either breaking the American record or trying to attack the world record,” he said.
The first step is qualifying for the Games, a task never simple for Americans.
“The US team is the hardest one to make, so you have to make the team first. Fred is in his peak year, so we want to make the US team, go to Paris and see if we can move from silver to gold.”
What separates the best athletes from the rest according to Alleyne Francique
Training might take you to the elite, but according to Francique, champions need to have a mindset of their own.
“You have to respect everybody that lines up. It’s about who has that mental toughness, who doesn’t let outside influences and social media affect them. He [Kerley] is mentally tough, you can’t break him. He just focuses on himself.”