THE DREAM
Wildfires Elite Endurance Club has the long-term goal of training minorities from underprivileged communities who have the potential to be top-tier endurance athletes but lack the exposure to the sport and the opportunity to train at elite levels. According to a recent survey, only 1.6% of endurance runners in the United States identify as African American. Yet, every men's and almost every women's world record in distance running events is held by someone of African descent. Surely the disconnect in our country has more to do with opportunity than it does talent. Wildfires Elite Endurance Club wants to promote endurance racing in the African American community by giving youth heroes of African descent that exemplify what it means to be a true champion in endurance events. The club also desires to provide opportunities for youth of all races to realize their potential, achieve scholarships that will allow them to pursue higher education, and maybe even break some world records down the road.
CLUB ORGANIZER
Jarod Ebenhack is a real estate salesman who is also an avid runner and cyclist. On average, he runs 50-70 miles and cycles over 100 miles per week. Some of his more recent race accomplishments follow:
3rd Overall in the 2019 Santa Clarita Half Marathon (1:20:01)
3rd Age Group in the 2019 Pride of the Valley 5k (17:38)
4th Overall in the 2015 Fort Lauderdale Marathon (2:55:28)
Olympic Triathlon National Qualifier in the 2013 Believe Strong Triathlon, apparently before they started putting results online (2:30:47)
TOP ATHLETES WHO TRAINED UNDER COACH E
MIA BARNETT - 2019 FOOTLOCKER WEST CHAMPION
Mia Barnett has trained with Coach E from January 2018 to the present. A naturally talented track athlete, Coach E worked with her in the fall of 2019 to increase her aerobic endurance and lactic threshold. Just like in past years, she was able to win the CIF-SS Division 5 Championship in cross country. Added to that honor, Mia was able to run a personal best by over a minute from previous years to win the Footlocker West Region at Mount SAC in 17:02.40. While running for Coach E at Village Christian, Mia posted PR's in the 1600m (4:46.12) and 3200m (10:22.51), as well, in collaborative training and race planning between Coach Ebenhack and Eric Sun.
RYAN SZKLANY - 2018 SUNSHINE STATE CONFERENCE
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR; 2018-2019 FIRST TEAM ALL-SCC
Coach E began coaching Ryan in the 7th grade. A standout athlete in Florida, Ryan medaled at the state level
in both track and cross country numerous times throughout his middle school and high school careers. He currently runs for the Embry-Riddle Eagles in Daytona Beach, Florida, while pursuing an Aeronautical Engineering degree.
SERVICES
Wildfires Elite offers a variety of services involving group or individual training, race pacing, and ultra-marathon support. Look at the sections below for more details.
MIDDLE SCHOOL TRAINING
Middle School athletes who show a lot of promise in track and field or cross country are often times not trained correctly, as coaches don't know whether to treat them like elementary athletes or high school athletes. Coach E has had years of experience successfully training Middle School athletes to compete at high levels without breaking them or causing them to burn out before high school. Coach E will train Middle School athletes in groups of two or more, or in settings where parents are able to closely observe what is going on if one-on-one coaching is desired.
HIGH SCHOOL TRAINING
High School coaches often lump kids into groups that may or may not be appropriate to their level. Coach E studies individuals, determined appropriate paces for different kinds of workouts, and comes up with an effective plan to help them realize their individual goals. By training with Coach E 2 to 3 days a week, your student will definitely get a leg up on the competition. As Coach E is a competitive runner himself, he is able to pace High School athletes in many of their workouts. Coach E will train High School athletes in groups of two or more, or in settings where parents are able to closely observe what is going on if one-on-one coaching is desired.
ADULT TRAINING
Coach E has raced every distance from the 100m dash to the marathon, and has proven training plans for each event that he can apply to adult athletes. Working with Coach E means you let him do the planning, thinking and pacing, and you just pull up behind him in the workouts and hang on. He will custom design your workouts for your current level of fitness with your long-term goals in mind, pulling you along every step of the way until you achieve that PR. Coach E will work with adults one-on-one or in groups that are at the same training level.
RACE SUPPORT
Need someone to pull you to a PR in the marathon? How about someone to pace you for a section of an ultra? Coach E is your man. Training constantly on the mountain trails surrounding Santa Clarita as well as on the flat, paved paseos, he is equipped to serve you in pacing duties no matter what the distance.
