Frequently Asked Questions

Coaching works best for athletes who want structure, accountability, and a long-term approach to development.

You’re likely a good fit if you:

Want fully personalised training rather than AI or generic plans

Are prepared to communicate regularly and give feedback

Understand that progress comes from consistency over time, not quick fixes

Are open to adapting training around life, work, travel, and recovery

Care about running well, staying healthy, and developing as an athlete

We work with runners across road, trail and ultra, from first-time ultra athletes through to experienced competitors chasing podiums or championship selection. What matters most isn’t your current level, but your mindset and willingness to engage with the process.

Coaching may not be right for you if you:

Are looking for a one-off training plan with no ongoing support

Just want quick fixes and shortcuts

Aren’t able to commit to regular training

Are expecting medical treatment rather than coaching guidance

If you’re returning from injury, that’s fine. We’ll build gradually and, where appropriate, work alongside your physio or medical team. Our coaches don’t replace healthcare professionals, but we do help manage training load and rebuild performance.

If you’re unsure whether coaching is the right next step, you’re welcome to get in touch with a brief outline of your background, goals, and current training.

Remote coaching works because endurance performance is built through consistent training, smart load management, and regular feedback, not just face-to-face sessions.

By monitoring your training data, recovery, subjective feedback, and even video analysis across every week, a remote coach can make ongoing adjustments based on how your body is actually responding. This creates a continuous feedback loop that supports progression, reduces injury risk, and keeps training aligned with your goals.

In-person coaching brings clear benefits, especially for technique and motivation, and many athletes value both. Remote coaching simply offers a different strength: consistent oversight, flexible communication, and access to specialist expertise wherever you live.

For endurance athletes, where long-term consistency matters more than individual sessions, this approach provides structured, evidence-informed support that fits around real life while keeping performance and health at the centre.

Choosing a coach is an important decision and we feel it comes down to alignment more than accolades.

Look for someone who understands your event, communicates clearly, and shows they use an adaptable and individualised approach. A good coach should be able to explain why you’re doing certain sessions, adapt training based on feedback and life stress, and prioritise long-term development over quick wins.

Just as importantly, you should feel comfortable being honest with them about how training is going. Trust, clarity, and consistency matter far more than flashy results or rigid methodologies.

All of our coaches have recorded podcasts linked to their profile to give an insight into their philosophy and background. This article might help too [link to how to choose a coach].

A coach is for life, not just for Christmas is the well known saying, but if you’re looking to get the best out of your athletic abilities then it really stands true.

If we had to put a time line on the minimum that someone could meaningfully impact your goal race it would probably be six months. That’s potentially two training cycles for you to get to know each other, work on strengths and weaknesses and make some mistakes to learn from.

Our coaches and athletes work together over multiple years, some have been doing so for over a decade and still they achieve PBs after all that time. It’s not just you that improves, but your coach and their knowledge of you as well.

Our coaches don’t all hold the same qualifications because coaching pathways vary widely by country, sport, and specialism, and there’s no single global standard for endurance or ultra running.

Some coaches come through formal accreditation routes, others through academic study, and many through years of practical experience as athletes or practitioners. Qualifications can provide useful foundations, but they don’t automatically reflect coaching style, real-world experience, or suitability for your goals.

For us what matters most is how a coach applies and improves their knowledge over time: their ability to individualise training, communicate clearly, adapt based on feedback, and support your long-term development as an athlete.

Strength training guidance is not a core part of our coaching service, as you’re hiring us primarily as endurance coaches rather than strength specialists. Our focus is on developing your running performance (and we’re aware that may link to strength work too).

Some coaches include strength work within their coaching, while others specialise in areas such as nutrition or psychology. Where appropriate, we’re happy to offer general guidance or help integrate existing strength work into your training, but for detailed strength programming we recommend working alongside a qualified strength and conditioning coach in addition to your endurance coaching.

The £100 start-up fee covers the additional workload in the starting months of any coach-athlete relationship, which might include extra calls, communication and time spent building and adapting a plan that is right as your coach starts to understand you more and more.

If you have no preference or your coach is currently unavailable our Head of Endurance Robbie Britton will assess your application and make a recommendation. This might also involve additional questions for the athlete and a choice of coaches might be suggested with additional information provided on each.

Coaching works best over time and any new coach athlete relationship needs the space to develop at first. For that reason:

There is a 3 month minimum commitment period.

You can pause coaching but there is a holding fee of the normal 50% monthly fee

This structure allows enough time to build consistency, adapt training properly, and see meaningful progress, but also protects our coaches time and expertise.

Yes, it is possible but there is a 50% of normal coaching rate as a holding fee. This is because a coach won’t be replacing the athlete whilst they are on break, but often we find that questions around things like training, rehab, race planning and the best new shoes don’t stop in a period like this. If it is for injury then often a coach is integral to working with you and your physio or doctor in building back up sustainably. And whilst some athletes feel that a winter break from the coach is worthwhile when they have less races, it is often the time when a coach is most important. This can be a great time to work on weaknesses whilst you have a consistent block of race free training and you continue to build your relationship with your coach over time.

Some of our coaches use Training Peaks, some use Final Surge, some use a collaborative spreadsheet that prioritises subjective feedback from the athlete. Some even use a mixture of the above depending on the athlete. If this is integral to your preference of coach then please let us know in your application.

All of our coaches believe in proactive and consistent communication but this may vary depending on an athlete’s needs or boundaries set from a coach. Alongside regular communication via messaging platforms such as WhatsApp and through your training platform. We encourage athletes to share feedback on sessions, fatigue, and anything outside training that may affect performance. Coaching works best as a two-way process: consistent, honest communication allows us to adapt your programme in real time and provide the right support at the right moment.