As trail runners, we often look for ways to improve our training, racing performance or general enjoyment on the trails. Whether you are a beginner training for your first trail race, trying to get your daily nutrition dialed in for long runs, or even an elite athlete attempting to qualify for a U.S. National Team, hiring a coach or attending a camp is a great way to take your trail running to the next level.
To help you achieve your trail running goals, we have compiled a list below of coaches and a searchable database of trail running camps. Read on and check it out!
Trail Running Coaches
Having a coach is a good way to receive guidance from someone who knows about psychology, has built training plans, studied physiology or has been an professional trail runner themselves. A coach can tell you when you need to reduce your training so you don’t get injured, or give you some extra motivation if they believe you are capable of running more miles. A coach is also someone who is there to give you training plans to reach your goals and the motivation to follow those plans. Often coaches are there to give you moral support even if you don’t think you need it. They will hold you accountable for reaching a goal that you have set for yourself, even when you don’t feel like lacing up your shoes.
So, if you are ready to start the new year off right and hit the dirt with a new trail running coach, we have compiled a list of talented coaches to choose from below:
Sage Canaday & Sandi Nypaver – Sage Running – email – (training schedules, nutrition)
Megan & David Roche (pictured below at the 2017 Trail World Championships) – Some Work, All Play (SWAP) – email – (training schedules, daily support). The SWAP coaching style focuses on improving speed, long-term development, loving the process, and life-long contentedness.
Ian Torrence, Emily Harrison-Torrence & Eric Senseman – Sun Dog Running – email – (training schedules). Each athlete in their community is unique, which is why they only provide coaching and training plans, specifically tailored to the individual runner. They work with athletes of all experience levels, backgrounds and schedules. Whether you’re a beginner, elite or find yourself somewhere in between, Sun Dog Running wants to work with you and has experience with all surfaces and terrain — 5k, marathon, 100 miles or stage race, they coach runners for any distance.
Maria Dalzot – Inspired Eating – (nutrition)
Megan Lund-Lizotte – Hit the Ground Running – email – (training schedules, group runs, nutrition)
Michelle Yates (pictured below: Michelle racing at the 2011 World Mountain Running Championships) – Rugged Running – email – (training schedules, nutrition)
Ryan Ghelfi, David Laney, Brett Hornig, Jenn Shelton, Camelia Mayfield, Alex Nichols & Cole Watson – Trails and Tarmac – email – (personal coaching). Trails and Tarmac coaches runners of all abilities. They have well rounded expertise and work with runners training for all distances on both roads and trails. All of their services are centered on fully customized training and personal coaching relationships.
Aaron Saft – Mr Running Pains – email – (training schedules)
Terry Chiplin – Active at Altitude – email – (training schedules). Terry is a Positive Running Coach and Lydiard Certified Coach providing sustainable training, positive focus, emphasizing the importance of play, and helping athletes become the best possible version of themselves. Terry is the director for training camps held each summer in Estes Park, Colorado; women’s running camps and co-ed trail running camps.
Jason Koop – Carmichael Training Systems – email – (training schedules, nutrition). Professional ultramarathon and trail running coaching for runners of all abilities. With over 60 professional endurance coaches, we have a coach to suit your needs.
Lisa Rainsberger – Kokopelli Racing Team/Rainsberger Athletics – email – (high school/youth). Kokopelli Racing Team – Head Coach Lisa Rainsberger, High School and Youth coaching, racing and personal training.
Calum Neff – Hardloop Endurance – email – (training schedules, group runs, beginner/elite). Private Coaching: All distances, All Terrains, All Ambitions.
Martin Cox – VO2max Coaching – (training schedules)
Rob Krar – Rob Krar Coaching – (training schedules)
Ian Sharman, Ellie Greenwood, Magdalena Boulet, Zach Bitter, Liza Howard, Sean Meissner, Joe Uhan & Stephanie Howe Violett – Sharman Ultra Endurance Coaching – email – (training schedules, nutrition). Offering coaching with training plans, nutritional advice and stride coaching/analysis from a highly experienced team. They help runners of all levels of skill and fitness with plenty taking on new distances or challenges and have coached winners of major events like Western States 100, the IAU 100 km World Championships, Leadville Trail 100 and the Marathon des Sables.
Kristian Morgan – Kristian Ultra Run Coaching – email – (training schedules)
Karl Meltzer – KarlMeltzer.com – email – (training schedules)
Lisa Smith-Batchen – Dreamchasers Outdoor Adventures – email – (training schedules)
Sarah Lavendar Smith – Sarah Lavendar Smith Coaching – email – (training schedules). Highly individualized coaching for mountain/ultra/trail and long-distance road running. Sarah is the author of The Trail Runner’s Companion: A Step-by-Step Guide to Trail Running and Racing, from 5Ks to Ultras. She has been coaching professionally for five years and specializes in helping road runners transition to trail, sub-marathon runners graduate to ultra distances, and ultrarunners train for stage races.
Trail running legend & coach Ann Trason helped with our Western States Trekker project in 2016.
Ann Trason – Trason Running – email – (training schedules)
Jacob Puzey & Amy Golumbia Puzey – Peak Run Performance – (training schedules, nutrition)
Jessica & Ryan Knapp – Miles To Go Endurance – email – (training schedules)
Stephanie Howe – Endurance by Stephanie – email – (training schedules)
Ron Bowman – Bluepoint Race Management – email – (training schedules)
Paul DeWitt – DeWitt Coaching – email – (training schedules)
Derrick Spafford, Sara Montgomery & Lisa Leskien – Spafford Health and Adventure Coaching – email – (training schedules). Expert coaching for trail and ultra runners of all ability levels.
Michael Wardian – Michael Wardian Coaching – email – (training schedules)
Liza Howard – Sharman Ultra Endurance Coaching – email – (training schedules). Training schedules with a focus on moms and beginners.
Nate Houle & Hayden Hawks – Forca Running – email – (training schedules)
Chris J. Dunn – Ascend Endurance Coaching, LLC – email – (training schedules, performance nutrition, race planning). Chris is a Master’s prepared Exercise Physiologist with over 25 years of personal and professional experience in endurance sports.
Ewen North – Revolution Running – email – (programs & personal schedules)
Steph Christensen – SCV Coaching – (sports nutrition, training plans, fitness testing)
Matt Daniels – Matt Daniels Running Club – email – (training schedules)
Brian Wieck – BQuick Running – email – (training schedules)
If you have additional trail running coaches to share, please email: and we’ll include it on this list.
2019 Trail Running Camps
Are you looking for a trail running camp to attend in the new year? Camps can be just what you need to motivate, educate and connect with trail runners just like yourself. Camps can teach you proper running techniques, skills to help improve your running, connect you with nature and allow you to meet people who also love trail running.
Camps come in a wide variety of locations and often cater to different kinds of trail runners. There are camps in rugged locations like the Run Alaska Trails camps held in “The Last Frontier.” Colorado based Active at Altitude hosts camps for beginners and camps for women only. Camps for youth runners are a great way to foster the love of the great outdoors and gain an appreciation for the trails, especially in the digital age.
Think of a camp as a vacation for adults or a fun “life experience” for kids. A majority of the camps are run by or have elite-level athletes in attendance and have certified coaches so you can get advice from the professionals who have honed their craft in the trails and mountains. For example, past Ultra Runner of the Year, Michele Yates hosts her Rugged Running Camps in the Colorado Rockies.
Check out our list of over 45 camps located in 10 U.S. states as well as some epic international destinations. You’ll find camps specifically designed for youth, adults, women, beginners and expert trail runners.
If you know about a trail running camp that is not in our calendar, please email: and we’ll add it to our database.
