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Grigori Viniar enters his sixth year as the cross country coach and assistant track and field coach for distance events at Texas State.
In his first five seasons, Viniar has coached Texas State distance runners to 35 Top Eight conference finishes, including 18 All-Conference finishers and one SLC Champion. He also coached the Southland Conference Freshman of the Year in cross country in 2006. His duties include overseeing every aspect of the cross country and distance programs at Texas State. He uses a very scientific approach to endurance training that allows him to develop programs unique to each individual athlete.
Before coming to Texas State, Viniar worked in the former Soviet Union/Russia as well as in Florida in several different capacities with distance runners at different levels. He was Chief Coach of St. Petersburg, Russia's Olympic Training Center where he coached long distance and marathon runners who were candidates for and members of the Russian National Athletic team. Viniar also served as a member of the Russian National Athletics' Board of Coaches.
Viniar was also President of a professional running club, COFIS RUNNERS (Florida), where he coached and consulted long distance and marathon runners at the international level, as well as some of their personal coaches, in training programs and racing strategy. He also served as a private athletic club coach, coaching middle, long, and marathon distance runners of all age and performance levels.
During his professional coaching career, Viniar coached Olga Markova, a two-time Boston Marathon champion and a two-time New York City Marathon runner-up. Viniar is a graduate of the St. Petersburg Sports Academy in St. Petersburg, Russia, with an M.A. in Physical Education and Athletics Coaching. He also owns a degree from the St. Petersburg Baltic Technical University in St. Petersburg, Russia with M.S. in Aeronautic Engineering, Summa cum laude.
A native of Leningrad (now St. Petersburg), he won the Soviet Championship Marathon (1975) and Soviet Marathon Cup (1973) in addition to many championship titles as a college student for long distance races. As a member of Soviet National Athletics team (1973 - 1976) he was fifth in Olympic trials in 1976. Viniar owns a personal best of 2:15 in the Marathon.
Viniar and his wife Nadia reside in San Marcos and have three daughters Ksenia, Inna and Kristina. Kristina is in her fourth season as a member of the Texas State track team while while Ksenia and Inna live in St. Petersburg.
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