Grant Fisher announced on Instagram that he is leaving the Bowerman Track Club, the training group he has been with since finishing his college career at Stanford.
Fisher, the American Record Holder in the 3000m, 5000m, and 10000m, stated, “Bowerman Track Club has been a huge and defining part of my life for the past four years. My time there has been transformative for me as an athlete and as a person, but I no longer see my best future being with the club moving forward.”
Since joining the BTC, Fisher has amassed an incredible resume, clearly notching him as a favorite for the podium in any race he toes the line. At the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, he ran both the 5000m and 10000m for Team USA, finishing ninth and fifth, respectively, and as first American to finish in the 10k at those Games. At the beginning of the 2022 season, however, is where Fisher tallied marks that would place him in the history books.
At the BU Valentine Invitational, he opened his season by setting a new North American indoor record in the 5000m with a time of 12:53.73, besting the previous mark, which had been set up Galen Rupp, by nearly 8 seconds (a mark he would eventually better again later in the season with a 12:46.96). He followed it less than a month later at The Ten by scorching the American record in the 10k by over 10 seconds with a time of 26:33.84 (also previously held by Rupp).
Though his 2023 season was broken up by injury, he finished the season strong with a third place finish and an American record in the 3000m (7:25.47) at the Diamond League Final.
The Bowerman Track Club, coached by Jerry Schumacher and Shalane Flanagan, boasts an impressive roster, both past and present, including Cooper Teare, Elise Cranny, and Courtney Frerichs. Following Grant’s announcement, the group posted, “Over the last four years, Grant Fisher has reminded us time and time again that the people we surround ourself with make us into the athletes we are – on and off the track…We wish [Grant] the best in his personal and athletic pursuits as he steps into the next chapter of his historical career.”
Fisher is the most recent high-profile move from the club. Earlier this year, Woody Kincaid left BTC for Flagstaff to be coached by Mike Smith at Northern Arizona University. Just before him Britain’s Marc Scott parted with the group to train with the NN Running Team in Kenya, and Amos Bartlemeyer of Germany made the move to Nike’s Union Athletics Club.
It is as yet publicly unclear as to where Fisher will land, but we wish him the best as he seeks a new training environment that will allow him to thrive.
