Becky Purdy joined the Loomis Chaffee community in 1998 and became head coach of the girls cross country team in 2005. Since then, her teams have won numerous Founders League championships and placed among the top three at the Division I New England Championships many times, including the 2022 New England team title. She has coached hundreds of All-League runners and multiple All-New England honorees, including individual champions. 

Her coaching philosophy focuses on camaraderie, competition, and courage. With rosters of 30 or more each year, Becky is proud of the significant individual improvement her training program brings while maintaining the close-knit culture that defines Loomis cross country. “My why is helping kids discover that they can exceed their perceived limitations,” she says. “I love sharing the simple and profound joys of running, no matter a student’s level of talent, speed, experience, or athleticism. And it is fun getting to know teenagers through this sport.” She also incorporates mantras into every race, changing them from meet to meet. 

Becky competed in cross country, indoor track, and outdoor track throughout high school and college. At Williams College, she captained all three teams, including both junior and senior years in cross country, and was one of the top distance runners in program history. She graduated magna cum laude in 1987 and set several school records in indoor and outdoor events. Today, she continues to run, participating in half marathons and road races. 

Her coaching style has been shaped by influential mentors, including her middle school coach, who emphasized both mental and physical toughness, and her college coach, who challenged her, inspired her, and shared the joy of long runs through mountains, farmland, and beaches. Becky passes those lessons on by building leadership within her team. “We emphasize the team’s longstanding culture of camaraderie, hard work, admiration for and devotion to each other, and fierce competitiveness when it matters,” she explained. “We remind them to think about the upperclassmen on the team who nurtured and encouraged them when they were freshmen or newcomers.” 

When setbacks occur, Becky encourages athletes to acknowledge them, learn from them, and keep perspective. “Your performance does not define you as a person,” she reminds them. She also measures success beyond wins and losses: “Have you improved as a team and as individuals since the start of the season? Since last year? Since last week? We celebrate PRs [personal records] and season bests, but also gutsy racing, skilled pack running, and what we call a perseverance PR in a race that maybe is not going as well as you had hoped.” 

Her message to young coaches is consistent with the values she brings to her athletes: “Be yourself. Share your love of the sport. Believe in your athletes’ potential. Never stop learning.”