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Cornell and LetsRun.com’s Robert “Rojo” Johnson

Posted June 25th, 2008 at 12:00 PM by Stephanie Lowe

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Cross Country, Track & Field, Olympics, Interviews, College

The 2008 American Milers Club High Performance Series wrapped up last Saturday, June 14, mostly without a hitch. The weather in Indianapolis was perfect, the crowd was enthusiastic and the races were stacked with talented athletes.

Among the outstanding performances was Anna Willard’s personal record of 4:06.26 in the 1500-meter run. In the men’s 1500-meter run, Steve Sherer also set a personal best with a 3:36.81 that barely beat Andy McClary’s 3:36.91.

The main attraction of the night, however, was Alan Webb in the 800-meter run. When word got out earlier in the week that he would race, fans expected to see him redeem himself for his sub par 1500-meter performance at the June 8 Prefontaine Classic. Instead, Webb placed fifth with a time of 1:47.41, far from his 1:43.84 personal best. With the U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials just days away, what do these races mean for Webb’s chance to make the team? Will the number-one 1500 and 800-meter runner in the nation not go to the Beijing Olympics? While many of Webb’s fans remain optimistic, others are concerned.

“Before this race I thought 1:46 or better he’s fine, 1:47 we won’t know, 1:48 he’s in trouble,” Robert “Rojo” Johnson said after the race. “So we’ll have to wait until the Olympic Trials.”

What makes Robert an expert on Webb’s abilities? Well, some might disagree with calling him an expert, but he is used to debate. He is the co-founder of the popular running Web site, LetsRun.com, which he and his twin brother, Weldon “Wejo” Johnson, started in 2000.

“We always argue over whose idea [LetsRun.com] was,” Robert said.

While the “Brojos” share the responsibility of updating the news links, articles and photos, Robert said Weldon currently does the bulk of it these days. This is because Robert has been the men’s cross country and middle/long distance track coach at Cornell University, in Ithaca, NY, since 2002. Aside from covering Webb’s race for LetsRun.com, he attended the AMC meet with his athlete, Jimmy Wyner, who hoped to obtain an Olympic Trials “A” standard time in the 1500-meter run.

LetsRun.com is best known for its “World Famous” message board full of training information, running industry gossip and of course, relationship advice, just to name a few recurring themes. While the mostly anonymous posts are offensive at times, the blend of sarcastic humor mixed with serious running-related topics entertains readers. Over the years, many famous athletes and coaches have frequented the forum. Admit it - even you have lurked on LetsRun.com.

The site’s controversial nature feeds its popularity. Robert and Weldon are rarely afraid to state their opinions. They are especially outspoken when it comes to track and field athletes who are drug cheats. Even before the BALCO scandal in 2003, and more recently, Marion Jones’s admittance to doping, Robert helped expose Regina Jacobs in 2002. Although she had not yet been caught, people were suspicious when Jacobs opted not to compete in the 2000 Sydney Olympics, soon after it was announced that athletes would be tested for EPO. At a press conference with Jacobs, Robert was the only reporter to elicit the subject, but Jacobs refused to give a thorough answer.

Robert’s brashness is not always well-received. In the past, he has spoken out against “Gallowalkers,” John “The Penguin” Bingham, Oprah and others who he believes take away the professionalism of the sport.

Robert is not entirely jaded, however. He ran at an elite level briefly (2:23 marathon), but after missing the 2000 Olympic Trials and getting injured, he turned his attention towards his brother’s running career. Robert helped Weldon train under the guidance of their former high school coach, John Kellogg. He now applies many of Kellogg’s principles to the Cornell team.

Kellogg coached the Johnson brothers at St. Mark’s High School, in Dallas, Texas. After high school, Weldon ran for Yale University, while Robert opted not to run at Princeton University. However, Robert’s roommate and friend, Chris Lear, was a member of Princeton’s team. When Robert saw that Weldon and Chris were not happy with their college athletic experience, he became interested in coaching.

“A lot of people don’t appreciate a good coach until they get a bad one,” Robert said. “Chris was disillusioned with Princeton. His whole college experience was what I didn’t want to do with my athletes.”

He explained that a lot of coaches get caught up with points, no matter what it takes to win – injury, burnout, etc. – instead of letting them gradually improve and enjoy running. Robert considers each of his athletes and designs individualized plans based on their level in order to peak at the right time. To demonstrate his range, just within the past year, Robert coached Jimmy Wyner to a 3:42.66 1500-meter time and Sage Canaday to a 2:21:43 marathon, which qualified him for the Olympic Trials.

“It’s [the athlete’s] dream,” he stated. “My personality is well-suited for coaching. I want everyone to progress. When one of my kids does [well], we did it together.”

Robert, a relatively young coach at 34, is very close with his team. He said he has fun coaching them. He would not even be at Cornell had it not been for his friend, Bruce Hyde. Hyde met Robert the summer after his freshman year, while training in Flagstaff, Ariz. After the previous Cornell coach was fired, Hyde was about to transfer. He suggested that Robert apply for the coaching position. When he got the job, they both moved to Ithaca. Robert said he wants to stay at Cornell as long as he can.

“I really enjoy it here. It’s a great place to train,” Robert described. “I’m loyal to Cornell more than Princeton. Now my job is to prevent people from going to Princeton.”

Robert was not accustomed to the recruiting process when he started at Cornell, but head track coach Nathan Taylor, who he considers a great team builder, helped him with the process.

“I was pretty naïve and had no team experience,” Robert explained. “Recruiting is such a big part of success.”

Recruiting has gotten easier as the team’s success has grown, but there are still some misconceptions. Despite Cornell being a Division I school, Ivy League colleges do not offer athletic scholarships. However, Robert said academic scholarships and need-based financial aid can easily cover about half of tuition.

Robert prefers to keep his squad fairly small, to ensure enough attention.

“Kids are always looking for a time cutoff,” Robert mentioned. “I’d say anything under 4:20 (1600m) and 9:20 (3200m) as a junior.”

He likes to only have one or two freshmen on the team since the adjustment from high school to college training is often a challenge.

“I really try to baby the freshmen,” he said. “Most freshmen run too hard.”

Athletes interested in running for Cornell should expect a long-term approach to accomplishing their goals. Robert is concerned with the team’s future, as well as the future of U.S. distance running in general. He wants to make dreams become reality.