THE FIRST thing Alex McNab impresses is that he is no miracle worker.
The legendary 66-year-old athletics coach from Wanganui Collegiate is of the view that he simply provides a template for runners, including national distance champion Geordie Beamish, of Hawke's Bay, to recognise and enhance their worth.
"They produce themselves but I, perhaps, make it possible by having a programme in a school that makes paddocks and cross-country matter," says McNab who was in Hastings last month to talk shop with Beamish who is off to Northern Arizona University in August on an American scholarship.
With a roll of under 500, he says the co-ed high school in Wanganui consistently excels.
"In cross-country, for example, we have the third best-equal record in the country for over 40 years," says the Scot who has been mentoring at the school since 1973.
When Beamish's elder brother, Hugo, attended the school, McNab says it was a "golden era" when they had a pedigree distance squad, including Wanganui-born Lucy van Dalen who made it to the 1500m semi-finals at the 2012 London Olympics.
Geordie Beamish always had talent so McNab says he didn't produce something out of nothing.
"We had a programme that considered the sport important, before he was running in pretty good team events."
Beamish, he says, has gone on to achieve, winning the national secondary schools' cross-country in the footsteps of Hugo, 26, who has graduated from a US varsity.
"He won the 3000m, which his brother has won twice, and he won the 1500m which Hugo didn't do at his age," says McNab, adding Beamish also clinched the NZ junior title in March on a fast time after leaving school.
"He's got the goods but I'm still in Wanganui, on a different side of the country, so if they are going to go on they need another coaching situation."
Correspondence coaching youngsters, he believes, isn't the answer so he wishes him well with new varsity coach Eric Heins.
While Beamish understands his body, McNab says from the age of 18 to the early 20s it is imperative someone watches his growth spurts.
"It is very important to me that they [youngsters] get a good transition wherever it is," he says, emphasising the reason he made the trip here was to ensure both he and Beamish were happy with the athlete's switch.
His choice of university excites McNab who is mindful Beamish didn't just stumble on it but actually thoroughly researched it.
"When he was in America in April to run, he went with his brother to Arizona," he says, revealing Hugo didn't leave any stones unturned either when he picked his university.
"You see, if you're good all the universities want you to go there but, frankly, a lot of them are rubbish.
"I don't know much about Arizona but it sounds good. The comforting thing is New Zealand use it for their altitude training at Flagstaff," McNab says, adding Nikki Hamblin and Van Halen have enhanced the Kiwi connection with the region.
"For a while young athletes went to America and we didn't hear from them again but now they are coming back into the system," he says, adamant value must be added to the New Zealand athletics programme. McNab stresses New Zealand offers creditable varsities and coaches so Beamish has done his homework.
"It's always a debate whether you should go to America or stay here so I think the jury's out on it.
"But one thing you can say about America is that it has a very good competitive structure," he says although having reservations about some universities' coaching structure.
For instance, while Christchurch didn't have a running track it does have "sound coaching" in national mentor Maria Hesson.
Victoria University offers good degrees with the lure of Steve Willis, brother of Olympian Nick, coaching there.
"There are good options around so it's important you weigh them up.
"I guess the good thing is he hasn't jumped into a scholarship
... "
McNab has coached some good distance runners but he reckons "few are any better" than Beamish.
He's loathe to make predictions but, touch wood, injuries and other hurdles aside, he feels Beamish will go far.
"He was a very good competitor on the big occasions, as was his brother."
Nick Willis, he says, declares the NZ secondary schools' cross-country the hardest to win.
"That's because on the smaller scale, you have to be so right on the day because there'll be 200 starters and 60 schools who will have their champions so you have to be at your best."
The Beamish boys, McNab says, have been.
"Nick Willis and a lot of boys wanted to win that cross-country title but he didn't and his brother didn't.
"People who have been really good haven't won because on their day they haven't been quite right," he says.