The master - Alberto Salazar (Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-US PRESSWIRE)

The Nike Oregon Project stationed in Portland, Oregon has been consistent in providing American track and field with some of its finest athletes. Under the tutelage of former Boston and New York City Marathon champion Alberto Salazar, individuals like Kara and Adam Goucher, Galen Rupp and Dathan Ritzenhein have been able to step up and be competitive with the entire world rather than being merely nationally recognized.

A recent ingredient to this chemistry that has pushed this program to even greater frontiers is the addition of foreign athletes into its ranks. Unlike many similar training groups in the U.S., the Salazar group has brought in world class competitors from foreign countries, giving its U.S. members a glance at what they have to live with on the international scene.

The improvements of Rupp and Ritzenhein – though bound to happen by their own drive and talent – have gained indispensable aid by training with World 5000 meter champion Mo Farah. The British phenomenon, whose meteoric improvements coincided with his move to train with Salazar’s contingent, became linked with his new training partner Galen Rupp’s progress.

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(PhotoRun.net)

Days of message board speculation ended Wednesday when Ken Goe of The Oregonian reported Kara Goucher would be leaving the Nike Oregon Project training group coached by Alberto Salazar.

Goucher achieved her greatest feats while training under Salazar, notably a bronze medal in the 10,000 meters at the 2007 World Championships and third place finishes at the New York City and Boston Marathons.

The announcement did not come as a shock as a post on the Letsrun.com message boards on Monday speculated Kara and her husband Adam would be leaving Salazar’s group.

Interestingly, Goucher had written a blog post just two days ago titled “A New Generation of Believers,” in which she praises the recent successes of American women on the international running stage. The post had no mention of leaving the Oregon Project.

It’s hard to second-guess Goucher’s decision if she is doing what she thinks is best for her career. However, the manner which she told the world about it can be questioned. Goucher was not the one who announced the move; instead, it was the work of reporter Ken Goe who contacted Salazar to confirm the story.

Goucher must know that the news would eventually come out as she is among the sport’s highest profile athletes, so why not break the news herself? The constant cloud of secrecy that looms over track and field’s biggest stars is a reason why the sport struggles to draw supporters since fans never really know what’s going on with their favorite athletes.

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Salazar gets a ton of flack for spending large amounts of money to use these costly devices but you’ve got to give him credit for using the resources presented to him and giving his athletes all they can possibility need to achieve success.

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