In 1913 he signed a five-year $50,000 contract with the German government to train the 1916 German Olympic track team (this was cancelled due to the outbreak of World War I). With World War I coming, Kraenzlein served in the U.S. Army as a physical training specialist. When the war ended, he became an assistant coach for the University of Pennsylvania track team. He also coached at summer camps and at the Havana Golf and Tennis Club in Cuba in the winter.