Coaches
Meet Team Challenge Mid-America's Half Marathon Coaching Team!
Walter Davis, MA, LPC - Team St. Louis
wcdavis1451@hotmail.com
Coach Walter Davis brings 29 years of competitive experience in running, biking, triathlons and more.
He first began running on his school's junior high track team as a 7th grader and eventually competed in six Missouri state championships for Wentzville High School where he contributed a 7th (Track-3200m), 13th and 5th (cross country), 5th and 3rd (Wrestling) on teams that placed 2nd to 5th on all six trips. He then signed a letter of intent with the University of Missouri to compete as a cross country/track athlete, where his career highs included being a former record holder of the indoor 3000m event and the Arkansas State Invitational champion in the 1500m and 5000m. He was consistently the Tigers top finisher in the Big Eight and regional championships for cross country and the 5000m.
Also, during Walter's collegiate career he was an exchange student with Bradford University (England) where he was a member of the cricket and track teams. He qualified for and competed for Bradford in the England University national championships in the 1500m and 5000m (London, 1991). Post-college highlights included a Missouri State Mountain Bike NORBA Championships Runner-up finish (Sport Class) and a USAT National Long Course Championship qualifier in 2007 (Masters Division); both as a member of the Momentum Cycles Mountain Bike and Triathlon Teams.
Walter is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and has completed a MA in Professional Counseling. During his studies as an undergraduate and graduate student he completed course work in sports psychology, coaching track and field, along with research with athletes, in addition to a thesis on competition anxiety with runners. He has worked as a therapist and clinical supervisor over the past 15 years, helping individuals achieve their personal and professional goals.
Rhonda Sciarra- Team St. Louis
rhondasciarra@hotmail.com
Memories of struggling to finish the mile in middle school haunt Coach Rhonda Sciarra. And as the joke goes, she used to only run when chased.
All of that changed when she learned she could help find cures for diseases and accomplish an amazing physical feat through a program like the Croh
n’s and Colitis Foundation’s Team Challenge. After her first marathon in 2004, the half marathon and marathon bugs have bitten her.
Rhonda has completed four marathons plus a dozen-plus half-marathons both running and walking. And she also has trained dozens of walkers and runners into accomplishing distances they never thought possible.
Most recently, Rhonda completed the 13.1 Boston Half Marathon as a member of the Team Challenge summer 2010 team. Prior to that, Rhonda was a coach for the Leukemia and Lymphoma’s marathon and half marathon training and fundraising program; she has coached athletes for events that include the Go! St. Louis Marathon, the Rock ’n’ Roll Arizona Marathon and Half Marathon, the Nike Women’s San Francisco Marathon and Half Marathon and more…
Rhonda, personally, has competed races including the Chicago Marathon, the New York Marathon, the Las Vegas Marathon and the Rock ’n’ Roll San Diego Marathon. She also has crossed the finish lines of half marathons in Texas, Kentucky, Missouri, Washington, California, Tennessee, Massachusetts and Arizona.
By day, Rhonda works in corporate communications. Her primary two running buddies are her puggle Bailey and her pound puppy, Ringo, although every trek out of the house with them is an adventure in itself. She resides in south St. Louis. Her favorite place to train is along the shore of Lake Michigan in Chicago, ever trying to accomplish 12 miles in 20-degree windy weather. She firmly believes the first mile always is the toughest and that hills are our friend.
Updated 08/05/10