Ready to Revive.
Ultra trail coaching that fits your real life.
I am Coach JW, CSEP-CPT certified, and an online ultra trail running coach. I coach ultra trail runners worldwide, from a first 50K to 100 miles, with training built around your job, your family, your recovery and your life.
A free 30-minute call to see if we are a fit.
Ultra trail coaching for athletes with full lives
You do not have to be fast or experienced. Athletes range from everyday adults at their first trail race to podium finishers.
Your First Ultra
A first trail race longer than a marathon. I build your base, strength and fuelling practice so race day feels familiar.
A Race That Did Not Go to Plan
A DNF, a plateau or an injury that keeps returning. We find the limiter in your training volume, intensity distribution, strength or fuelling, then rebuild.
Regular Adults with Full Lives
Parents, professionals and everyday adults who want to enjoy the trails and cross the finish line. Nurses, first responders, trades, plant and field workers train with me too. Recovery does not separate training stress from life stress, so your plan adjusts to both.
Trained for the demands of race day
Every ultra trail plan is a 22-week, race-specific build. A 6 to 8 week block of core and strength preparation comes before it.
Photo placeholder: wide trail photo (8:3 shape). Replace before launch.
Time on Feet
Long sessions build in duration, because race day is measured in hours on your feet. Progression is planned around your week, your terrain and your recovery.
Running Tired
Planned sessions on fatigued legs train your muscles and your pacing to hold form late in the race. Long sessions are placed so you practise running tired without overreaching.
Elevation
Climbing and descending are trained for your course. Uphill power hiking and running build climbing economy, and strength work prepares your quadriceps for the eccentric load of long descents.
Fuelling Practice
Gut training starts in the week one long run. You practise your race-day carbohydrate, fluid and sodium intake in every long session. Eat the damn banana.
What is in every ultra trail plan
80/20 Training
About 80% of your training sits below the first ventilatory threshold (VT1), an effort where you can hold a full conversation. Easy sessions should rate about 2 to 3 on the 0 to 10 RPE scale. The other 20% is moderate to high intensity. This is based on Dr. Stephen Seiler's research.
Strength and Mobility
Two strength sessions and two mobility sessions every week. I work alongside your physiotherapist, and my wife Jess, a registered massage therapist with 25 years of experience, helps isolate issues.
Power First, Pace Second, Heart Rate Third
Heart rate is a warning signal for heat, dehydration, fatigue, stress and illness, and I never dismiss it. I adjust your zones from your real training progress, not only from formal threshold tests.
Feedback and Check-Ins
You rate every session with RPE to build body awareness. Training Tilt keeps your plan, watch data and my feedback in one place, and we meet monthly on a video call for a performance and strategy check-in.
Real athletes. Real start lines. Real finishes.
From Two DNFs to the Boston Finish Line
After two DNFs, one of my athletes finished a 100-mile ultra in second place in the female masters category. Thirty-six days later, she qualified for Boston. She went on to finish it.
Three Ultras in Six Weeks
One athlete completed three ultras in six weeks and set a 45-minute personal best in the final 54k race. Four weeks later, she ran a 28K race with 2,250 m of elevation gain.
Ultra trail coaching from $250/month.
1:1 online coaching.
Youth athletes are priced case by case, based on their goals.
Quick answers
When should I start training before my race?
Ultra trail plans run 22 weeks to race day. If you are new to coaching, I add a 6 to 8 week block of core and strength preparation first, so you start the build ready for the training load.
I am a mid-pack to back-of-the-pack runner. Is coaching for me?
Yes. Every start line and finish is worth celebrating. Athletes range from a first trail race to the podium, and your plan uses effort and time on feet, not comparison with other runners.
Can I train for a mountain ultra if I live somewhere flat?
Yes. Incline treadmill sessions, stair climbing and strength work train climbing and the eccentric load of descending. We build the plan around the terrain you can reach.
Do you plan around shift work?
Yes. Your plan is built around your shifts, your family and your recovery, and it changes when your schedule changes. Sleep and life stress count as part of your total load.
What if I get injured during the build?
Strength, mobility and collaboration with your physiotherapist are built into every plan. Jess and I help isolate the issue and adjust your training so you keep moving forward safely.
Ready to Revive.
Let us build your ultra trail season.
Every plan I write is built around your job, your family, your recovery and your life. Book a free discovery call and we will talk through your race, your schedule and whether we are a good fit.
Free to book. No obligation.