Passing on a passion

On a sunny Monday evening at the beginning of April, 10 young athletes gathered in a patch of grass next to Mountain Brook Elementary. 

They weren’t there to practice lacrosse or shoot hoops like many of their peers. Rather, they were there to become better runners than they were the day before. 

That’s why they started their hour-long session by progressing through a series of lunges, skips and other dynamic motions as part of a 20-minute warm-up routine. 

Then, they embarked on a 20-minute run. 

“We’re trying to instill solid fundamentals so that they can enjoy it for a lifetime,” said Lars Porter, who led his athletes during the drills and run. “Hopefully, we start to lay the foundation for passion.”

Porter is the founder of Over The Mountain Coaching, a running and triathlon coaching service that he launched in 2018. 

One of OTM Coaching’s offerings is the “On Your Mark” Pre-Training Youth Program, which is what drew the athletes to Mountain Brook Elementary. The six-week program is open to fourth- to sixth-graders and serves as an introduction to distance running.   

Porter offered his first installment last fall and again this spring. 

“I want this to be a healthy launch long-term,” Porter said. “It’s starting to move, not starting to train.” 

The spring installment ran from early March to mid-April and consisted of two weekly meetings, on Monday and Wednesday evenings.

Each session featured a warm-up period, run and lesson. Physical therapists from Eskridge and White Motion Therapy were on hand to teach injury prevention techniques like foam rolling, yoga and strength training. 

EW Motion Therapy founding partner Ethan White said that connecting with Porter was an easy decision.

“With his reputation, his experience in coaching, his knowledge of the business, we felt like it was a great partnership ... to grow the running community,” White said. 

Porter, a 37-year-old father of three, has held a prominent role in the Birmingham running scene for a couple of decades. He competed at Vestavia Hills High School and Birmingham-Southern College, where he was named head distance coach upon graduation. 

Porter eventually opted to switch lanes and pursue a career at the high school level. In 2012, he took over the Homewood High School cross-country program, which he helped build into a state powerhouse. 

Porter guided the Patriots boys to six consecutive state titles from 2012-17. He also led the Homewood girls to a state championship in 2017 and contributed to the school’s track and field dominance.

During his six-year tenure, which ended last May, Homewood won 13 total state indoor and outdoor championships.

Porter accepted a position to teach math at Mountain Brook Junior High at the conclusion of the 2017-18 academic year. He now also serves as an associate head coach for cross-country and track and field at Mountain Brook High School. He works alongside head coach Michael McGovern. 

“It’s good for me to have somebody to bounce ideas off of,” McGovern said after Porter’s hire last summer. “We kind of swapped training schedules right away just to see what we’ve been doing in the past. I think it’s been good for the kids.” 

Porter said he began mulling the idea of adding private coaching into the mix when a friend, Chad Vacarella, asked him for triathlon training advice. 

Porter began competing in triathlons about four years ago and has since completed a half Ironman. 

The knowledge he has accumulated, coupled with his years of running experience, convinced him to start OTM Coaching. 

“I take satisfaction in playing a small role in someone’s story of, ‘This is where I was, and this is where I wanted to be, and I got there,’” Porter said. “I think that’s pretty cool.” 

Through OTM Coaching, Porter creates customized training plans for athletes of all ages and abilities. That is in addition to the “On Your Mark” program and the high school cross-country camp that he is starting this summer. It will be June 17-21 at Camp Dawson in Montevallo. 

“I want it to be a great experience for athletes,” Porter said, “but I also want it to be a coaches forum where we come and share ideas and learn what's working.”

At camp, Porter will preach a set of core values that have long distinguished his coaching. They include “control what you can control,” “trust your training” and “have athletic character.” He introduces the phrases to everyone he coaches, including those in the “On Your Mark” program. That's one of Ashley Matteo's favorite parts about it. 

“I like the core values that you can carry on with any aspect of life,” she said. 

Matteo enrolled her two sons, 10-year-old Nathan and 8-year-old Luke, in “On Your Mark” last fall and re-enrolled them in the spring. Both boys gave glowing reviews. 

They said they enjoy running with other kids and building their endurance. 

“Amazing,” Luke said, “I love it.” 

Porter hopes that those he coaches, especially through “On Your Mark,” will draw a similar conclusion. Watching young athletes develop an affinity for the sport fuels him forward. 

“It’s one of those things that it’s more energy-giving than energy-taking,” he said. “It’s all energy, it’s all passion.” 

For more information about OTM Coaching or to register for any its programs, visit overthemountaincoaching.com.