'I owe all of my success to him.' Legendary coach Ron Russo beloved by former runners

As a member of Colerain 's cross country and track teams from 1990 to 1994, Jason Hussel remembers training in the rain, sleet and snow. Under Ron Russo, the Cardinals trained and competed seven days a week, no matter the circumstances.

“If you want to be the best, you have to out-train everyone else,” Hussel said. “Ron really taught that to us and he would never settle for less.”

Russo has been facing some stormy weather of his own after being diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's disease) in May 2023. As he copes with that challenge, his former athletes and teammates have plenty of stories to remind him of how he impacted their lives.

Alison Zeinner, now Alison Rush, was a preeminent figure on Colerain's 1997 cross-country team ranked third in the country. She remembers how, when the team traveled for meets, Russo would jog with them to ensure their safety.

"We got to run with him quite often and it was always no issue for him to keep up," Rush said.

In Russo's 30 years of coaching at Colerain and McAuley, he's been there for his athletes, doing whatever he can to help them succeed.

“He has so many people around him that love and care for him, and he never has to go through anything alone,” said Danielle Pfeifer, a 2012 McAuley graduate.

The seeds of greatness planted at White Oak and Colerain

Ron and his twin brother, Frank's, love for running began at White Oak Junior High School, where they led the eighth-grade team to an undefeated season in 1974. That passion carried over to Colerain as the Russos teamed up with David Denny, Blair Hopkins, Mike Peters, Vince Wallace and Greg Wilcher to deliver the Cardinals their first and only boys cross-country state championship in 1978.

Ron was the team captain as they set a then-record for the lowest point total at the state meet with 48 points. All seven members were recently named to Colerain's all-century team for cross country.

"We were just a dominant force from early on," Denny said.

Head coach Ken Meibers, who spent 11 years at Colerain, also coached the girls team to their first state meet in 1978.

"Colerain at the time had outstanding athletics across the board," Frank Russo said.

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The Russos and Dennys bonded as teenagers and remain dear friends. Denny's father, Robert, nicknamed "The Running Rev," died in 2014 after his own battle with ALS. Frank Russo presented Robert with the Greater Cincinnati Running Hall of Fame's Lifetime Achievement Award shortly before he died.

David's son Brian ran for Ron at Colerain and was a groomsman at Ron's son Brennan's wedding. The Russos were known as Uncle Frank and Uncle Ron, while David and his wife were known as Uncle David and Aunt Jean.

"We’ve run thousands of miles together … In the summers, we’d run two-a-days every day. I’d go over there, drag their butts out of bed, we’d hit the road and we’d get back. We all had summer jobs, and then we’d get together at night and then run again,” David Denny said.

“They’re family. For a long time, (the kids) didn’t even know we weren’t related. They’d go, ‘How come we don’t go over to their house for holidays?’”

After graduating from Colerain, Ron spent one year at the University of Texas and one year at Malone University in Canton, Ohio, before finishing his collegiate career at Indiana University, where he ran for legendary distance coach Sam Bell.

He then coached at Forest Park Middle School before teaming up with Frank at La Salle in 1986. Russo's knowledge base grew as he obtained his master's degree from Miami University, where he interned with Redhawks Hall of Famer Chuck Zody. In the three years before he took over at Colerain, he worked in group sales for the Cincinnati Reds while also coaching at Colerain Middle School.

"What he was able to accomplish throughout his career was the standard of excellence that, from that standpoint, that's hard to duplicate. But again, it all comes back to the experience we had in high school," Frank Russo said.

Ron Russo had an equally dominant coaching career

When Ron took over at Colerain in 1990, he inherited a handful of runners from previous head coach Mike Simpson. He was young and used that to his advantage to relate to his athletes. He also brought the same philosophies as Meibers, which helped him build Colerain into a powerhouse in just a few short years.

Michelle Wagner, now Michelle Newman, ran at Colerain from 1992 to 1995 and coached with Russo at Colerain and McAuley. She captained the cross-country teams and could tell she and her teammates were laying the foundation for something special.

"I think it first started with Elizabeth Bauer. She was a year before me, and then we had a couple girls, too, that came in as sophomores that really started to build the program. We made it to state all three years but just never made it on the podium. But you just knew something was brewing with him in charge of the program," Newman said.

The pinnacle of his high school coaching career was the Cardinals' four-peat in girls cross country from 1997 to 2000. Colerain became the first Division I girls team in state history to win four consecutive titles, which has only been replicated once.

The first of those titles was perhaps the most dominant. Led by Rush, Gerri Buck, Kelly Crum, Catie Grebe and Angie Kist, Colerain won the team title with a 71-point margin of victory. It was a euphoric experience for the girls and Russo, who had previously experienced runner-up finishes to Beavercreek at both the regional and state levels.

“We were just excited to see it through. It was a lot of pressure on us because that was the goal the whole way,” Rush said.

The trademark of those Cardinals teams was their bright pink and blue uniforms. Russo got the idea from Kansas University, which wore similar colors from 1952 to 1999. Wanting his team to stand out, he used the uniforms as motivation, a prize for running well.

“The idea was to spring out so you could see each other, right? Colerain is red and white, hard to see each other in a cross-country field. We started running so well that he let us wear it non-stop and it just became our identity,” Rush said.

A total of 11 runners from Colerain's dynasty went on to run in college.

On the track, the Colerain girls won eight straight Greater Miami Conference championships from 2000 to 2007. The boys won titles in 1998 and 1999. The boys cross-country team hasn't advanced to the state meet since 1978, but Russo did coach Mason Ward to a seventh-place finish in 1998 and a 12th-place finish in 1999.

He made an immediate impact when he moved to McAuley in 2009. The track team won three straight Girls Greater Catholic League titles while the cross-country team advanced to six regional meets in seven years. Pfeifer was the 800-meter runner-up in 2011 and 2012 and led the 4x800-meter relay to identical finishes.

“From the very second that he stepped into McAuley, he made an immediate change. He saw potential and really got the most out of every single girl that came through the program," Pfeifer said.

Ron Russo implored his athletes to 'never settle'

One of Russo's greatest attributes as a coach was his eye for talent and ability to turn a good runner into a great runner. That skill was honed, once again, in his formative years at White Oak and Colerain.

“Ron was a coach before he was a coach. He helped me a great deal, just training-wise and creating a belief in me,” Denny said.

“Ron was always helping other people get better at what they were doing. The (Russos), you can’t even measure their passion for the sport. They pursue excellence.”

Pfeifer was one of Russo's best runners at McAuley. She had played soccer her whole life before Russo convinced her to join the cross-country team. She eventually went to Michigan on a track scholarship, becoming a Big Ten champion and an All-American.

"I almost saw an immediate change on how I viewed my future in running, because before that, I was like, 'Oh, this is something I'm pretty decent at' and then it turned into, with his help, 'This is something that I could really excel at.'" Pfeifer said.

“I owe all of my success to him.”

While recently coaching at Thomas More University, Russo had been recruiting Kaitlin Thomas, a Fairfield High School senior. but he also noticed Hussel's daughter Aubrey, a freshman. He saw she finished 17th at the 2023 district meet and figured she could finish between 50th and 60th place at the regional meet in Troy. Hussel relayed this goal to his daughter, who finished in 59th place.

"His mind is as sharp as can be. It's just remarkable to me that he still has that burn, that competitiveness," Hussel said.

Russo's coaching goals were simple. He wanted to bring out the best in his athletes and let them know what they were capable of. His philosophy is similar to that of Kenyan marathon runner Eluid Kipchoge, who says, "No human is limited."

“The one thing he always instilled in us was to never settle. We were always pushing for the next level. He always challenged us. That kind of mentality transfers to the rest of your life,” Rush said.

Ron Russo's influence knows no limits

Russo's impact is felt across the country, in each city where his former runners have taken residence. It's felt at Rush Running Company in Arkansas, every time Alison and her husband, Mike, interact with their customers. Hussel passes on the work ethic he gleaned from Russo to his Fairfield South Elementary School students. His legacy continues every time a Colerain or McAuley graduate toes the starting line for a race.

Locally, Anderson, Elder and Lakota were Colerain's main challengers in the 1990s. In the 21st century, Lakota West, Mason, Middletown, St. Ursula, St. Xavier and Summit Country Day have all won cross-country state titles. Last year, Colerain added his name to its annual track meet to pay homage to his accomplishments.

"The track athletes and cross-country runners in this region benefitted from how highly competitive his programs were, and the coaches themselves wanted to elevate their programs. As a result of that, many of the programs like Mason High School, Turpin High School, Ursuline Academy, the Lakotas ‒ all of that can come back to the years in which Ron built a highly successful and championship program that was able to sustain excellence for well over a decade. When you have a program like that, what you want to do is impress upon other teams in the area that they're capable of doing that as well," Frank Russo said.

This story contains 1,881 words and takes roughly eight minutes to read. It would take tens of thousands of words and hours, if not days, to fully articulate Russo's character. That's how much he means to those around him. He is a running industry titan who always will be remembered and loved.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: 'I owe all of my success to him.' Legendary coach Ron Russo beloved by former runners