About Us
Janet Collar, Team President, Coach
Janet Collar founded the Spokane Swifts running team in 2008 when she became aware that Cross Country Club Nationals were going to be hosted in Spokane, Washington. The response to forming a team was enthusiastic and ultimately she was able to form two teams of eight with the help, guidance and coaching of Mike Bresson, Bill Codd, and now Johanna Olson, in addition to sponsorships from Runner's Soul, B and B physical therapy, and Brooks.
Janet ran at the University of California, Davis on both the Track and Cross Country team, and earned four All American titles during her time there. But, in fact, her fastest running happened in the last ten years. She has placed several times as the number one Washington finisher for Bloomsday (PR= 44:08). She has also run a 2:53 marathon at Cal International in Sacramento. She completed a 10K in 35:22 at the Nike Run Hit Wonder race in Portland, OR. Her PR for the 1500 is 4:22.
She moved to Spokane with her husband, Nate, in 1997 to attend nursing school and assist coaching the Spokane Community College Track and Field team. She subsequently earned her Nurse Practitioner degree and worked in family practice and cardiology for 6 years. She currently works as a Nurse Practitioner for Rockwood Heart Center.
Her goal is to maintain her foot speed and good biomechanics so Bill Codd doesn't stand a chance of beating her in the 800 meters.
Sarah Ranson, Coach
Sarah spent her high school years in a suburb of Pittsburgh, PA. She was a stand out high school runner and swimmer at Hampton High school where she was a 11 time letter winner (she was a cheerleader one season!) Sarah was a member of record setting relay teams in the pool and on the track. She set the 2 mile school record in 11:07 and placed 3rd in the state meet two years in a row in both cross country and the 2 mile on the track.
Sarah was a member of the University of Missouri track and cross country teams from 1991-1996. She holds numerous ALL Big 8 titles from the 3,000M to 10,000M, was an NCAA qualifier in the 10,000M and Cross Country, and an Athletic Academic All- American. While pursuing a Master's degree in Sport Management at The Florida State University, Sarah was a graduate assistant coach for the track and cross country programs.
Sarah has PR's of 2:51 marathon, 1:21 half marathon, 35:20 10K, and 16:52 5K. Her running career was put on hold for a few years as she and her husband grew their family with the addition of two little boys. Sarah is back to training and is looking forward to improving upon her marathon and half marathon PR's and hopes to qualify for the 2012 Olympic marathon trials.
Bill Codd, Coach
Bill is a native of Spokane. He graduated from Gonzaga Prep in 1969, the University of Montana in 1973, and the Mayo Clinic School of Physical Therapy in 1976. He developed a great appreciation for the ability to run, being chased by anyone of his 10 brothers or sisters. He had a successful running career through his school days, being selected as “Outstanding Performer” in the 1969 Mooberry Relays, and was a member of the 1972 Big Sky Championship Team.
Following Physical Therapy school, he returned to his running roots by competing in the masters track competition. He placed 5th in the 800 meters in the 1992 National Masters Championships, and then won 1st place in the 1996 Championships. He returned to the track in 2008 for the first time in 12 years by competing in the Master’s National Championship in Spokane. Inline speed skating, cross country skiing, and cycling have filled the void as has had to cut back on running intensity.
In 1988, he founded B & B Physical Therapy and continues to work in the clinic two days per week. His physical therapy passion and interest continues to be in gait biomechanics and the prevention of running injuries. While training with Janet Collar (Swifts' President) for track Nationals, Janet invited Bill to help coach the new women’s running team, the Spokane Swifts. He also assists in training some of the local Mom’s in Motion teams and works closely with many of the local high school Cross Country and Track coaches. He believes that even the best can be better by improving technique, flexibility and run-specific strength.
Bill’s dream is to live long enough to whip Janet in the 800 meters, and win the 100 meter Master’s Track Championships in the 100 year-old age group. His philosophy is, always believe there is one more good one left in you.
Johanna Olson, Honorary Coach
Johanna is a Minnesota native. She graduated from Wadena-Deer Creek High School in 1997 where she led her Cross Country team to a state championship and placed in the top three at state all four years of high school. She graduated from Luther College, Decorah, IA in 2001 with a B.A. in health education. Johanna was a 7-time DIII all-American, XC national champion and DIII Track and Field athlete of the year. In 2008, Johanna graduated from Oregon State University with a master of science degree in exercise physiology. At OSU, she taught several health and wellness classes and studied running economy.
Running has always been an important part of her life. Since graduation from Luther, she competed in two Olympic Marathon Trials, 2004 and 2008 and was 5th at the Marathon National Championships in 2005. With a personal best of 2:43.27, Johanna is far from satisfied and continues to fuel her enthusiasm for running through training and coaching other athletes. Johanna has coached several high school teams across the country and is excited to work with the Spokane Swifts.