Brent McFarlane was born in Winnipeg and grew up in Sarnia (Ontario, Canada). After graduating from the University of Waterloo, Brent worked as a physical education teacher, and went on to coach at both the University of Waterloo and K-W Track Club, the latter for over 30 years.

In 1996 at the University of Waterloo, McFarlane coached the women’s cross-country team to victory at the Ontario Women’s Interuniversity Athletic Association (OWIAA) Championship and the Canadian Interuniversity Athletic Union (CIAU) Championship, which was Waterloo’s first national title in twenty years. Brent has visited close to 50 countries in his time in the sport, with health issues limiting his activity in his later years.

After his retirement in 2005, the Brent McFarlane Track & Field Endowment was established by the University of Waterloo, to help support athletes. His coaching legacy is long, having coached over 30 national teams, four of which were Canadian Olympic teams, as well as being selected head coach for the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia. Athletes under McFarlane’s coaching were able to achieve 22 Canadian records, 37 provincial records, and 40 national championship titles.

In his event area of sprints and hurdles, he is among the most published authors in the sport, having written four books and over 500 articles. His book The Science of Hurdling and Speed sold more than 12,000 copies, while The Art and Science of Hurdling was adopted by the NCCP as a Level 2 Manual.

Brent’s honours include Ontario Women’s Interuniversity Athletic Association Coach of the Year (1996); Canadian Interuniversity Athletic Union Coach of the Year (1996); University of Waterloo Coach of the Year (1991, 1997); OWIAA Women’s Track & Field Coach of the Year (1997, 1998, 2000); University of Waterloo Athletics Hall of Fame (2002); and Waterloo Award (2004)