Her running shoes are now boots, but former Olympian Gail Devers still isn't slowing down
The volunteer sprints, hurdles and jumps coach at Mountain View High School in Lawrenceville, Georgia, never hesitates to demonstrate the proper technique to her athletes.
“They’re like, ‘Coach Gail, you’re going to do it in your boots?’” said Gail Devers, who wears Uggs, rain boots or winter boots depending on the weather. “They’re always laughing at me. I’m like, ‘It’s not the shoes, it’s what’s in the shoes.’”
And what’s in her shoes — or boots — is a five-time Olympian from 1988 through 2004 who was a dual threat in the sprints and hurdles.
Devers came into the 1992 and 1996 Olympics with a more established reputation as a 100-meter hurdler. However, she turned the tables by becoming the surprise gold medalist in the 100-meter dash at both Games while missing the podium in the hurdles.
“I tell people, ‘Don’t be limited to what other people say you can or cannot do,’” said Devers, who also won a third gold medal in the 4 x 100-meter relay in 1996. “It’s what you believe you can do and what you’re willing to work for — that’s what makes the difference. In my pursuit of the hurdles, I did something that they thought I couldn’t do – I won the 100 twice.”
After giving birth to daughter Karsen, Devers returned to competition at age 40, winning the 60-meter hurdles at the Millrose Games in 7.86 seconds. That was a record for her age group and only 0.12 off her American record.
Now 55, Devers said, “People always comment that I look like I can still go.”
Can she? “Um, actually yes,” she said.
But rather than go for glory on the masters circuit, Devers is happy to work with her high school team, which includes Karsen, 16, a nationally-ranked sprinter who initially recruited her mom to come out to help the hurdlers. Devers’ younger daughter, Legacy, 14, is a natural at long jumping, but hasn’t yet decided if she wants to compete in track and field.
“Once I was done, I was done,” Devers said. “The only name I needed to hear was ‘Mommy,’ which I probably hear too much now. I love what I do. I love to be able to help that next generation.”
'Everything I do is a contest'
Her husband, Mike Phillips, who also volunteers as a jumps coach, has another perspective. “Gail is crazy,” Phillips said with a laugh. “If you give Gail six weeks, she probably can run 11.50 still in the 100 and she probably would run around 13-flat in the hurdles. She is definitely a freak of nature.
“I think Gail wants to be remembered for competing at the highest level. If she would get in shape, she would probably want to run against elite athletes at 55. I don’t think she would want to run masters.”
And Devers would have to go back to wearing running shoes, which she does keep in her bag at practice just in case. But she prefers those boots, which don’t slow her down even though she jokes with the kids that she should get “the old lady discount.”
“That’s how I stay in shape, helping the team, getting out there,” Devers said. “If they’re running the 200 and they’re not running it the way I want them to, I’ll cut across the field and run it with them.”
The 5-foot-3 dynamo also jogs, takes walks and cycles to stay fit. “Everything I do is a contest,” said Devers, who — not surprisingly — talks a mile a minute.
A desire to age gracefully
Even before she was coaching, Devers would go to meets and was always happy to help anyone who asked for advice. Even with a mask on, she’s recognizable by her signature long nails — about an inch and a half now — and, of course, the boots.
“It gives me joy to know that I’ve helped people,” Devers said. “I think life is about service, and if I have knowledge, what good does it do me if I keep it to myself?”
Devers’ daughters initially weren’t interested in sports until Karsen joined the school flag football team. “One day at practice, the coach said, ‘OK, everybody run down and turn around and I’m going to throw a ball,’” Devers said. “Karsen said, ‘I turned around and the ball wasn’t there.’”
With that kind of speed, it was just a matter of time before she went out for track, too. Earlier this year, Devers took Karsen to an indoor meet in South Carolina to run her first 60-meter dash. Karsen clocked an eyebrow-raising 7.55 seconds.
“Nobody knew who she was,” said Devers. “People said, ‘Oh, Gail’s coaching somebody,’ but nobody put it together that she was my daughter.”
Devers is also an ambassador for the Atlanta Track Club and accepted a challenge from its CEO, Rich Kenah, to run a half marathon in March 2020. “I said, ‘You do know I’m a sprinter? How far is a half marathon?’” Devers said.
Told it was 13.1 miles and that a good time for her age group was two and a half hours, Devers figured she could handle an 11-minute-per-mile pace.
On her first day of training, she got kicked out of her group for running too fast.
Devers finished the half marathon in 1:53, sprinting across the finish line to average about 8:40 per mile. She was mad at herself because she had a lot left in the tank. “They’re like, ‘Oh, that means you need to do another one,’” Devers said. “No, I’m good. Maybe a 5K.”
Diagnosed with Graves’ disease in 1990, Devers thought she was having residual effects when she had issues with her thyroid and her eyes. Instead, she found out she had thyroid eye disease. Devers changed to a plant-based diet and takes supplements such as vitamin C.
“I’ve eaten so much spinach I feel like Popeye,” she said. “I don’t want to just age, I want to age gracefully. I want to do everything that I can to give myself the best advantage.”
And Devers wants others to do the same. “My dad is 82,” she said. “I told him, ‘You’ve got bad knees, but you’ve got to move. You can’t sit — take a lap around the house. We’ve got longevity in our family. I want to be the Betty White. You’ve got to anticipate that you’re going to be here. A body moving is a body moving in the right direction.”
Devers’ motto for this year is “Do You 2022.”
“I know people think that I do too much,” she said, “and Mike thinks I’m crazy, but it keeps me sane and I’m happy. And that’s what life is about. It’s finding that happy. I find my peace and joy every single day.”