Endurance Running Coach & Mountain Leader
Run Ready Athlete Spotlight
I love working with people to help them train for, plan and achieve the goals that are important to them. It's a real privilege to be part of their journey. In this section, you can find out a bit about some of the athletes I work with when they've achieved something they're really proud of and want to share their news.
Lara - Zugspitz Ultratrail
Lara is one of the growing number of intentional athletes here at Run READy. She has a busy full time job and a background in training and racing in road marathons and half marathons. With a love of hiking and wealth of experience in the mountains from both back home in the States and her new home in Europe she started a coaching program in preparation for her first mountain race, Zugspitz. She worked extremely hard in preparation and with immense dedication. Despite extremely hot weather on the day, she had an amazing race which she is using as a springboard towards her first ultra (also a mountain race) later on this year.
What made you choose this challenge and did it live up to expectations?
After ending a long term relationship, I needed a project. I had never done a race longer than a marathon, but I knew I loved being on trail from my last several years focused on backpacking and hiking. Zugspitz Ultra is near where I live and several friends said they would do it with me. Having the extra support definitely pushed me to say yes. We also chose this one because it looked gorgeous! Honestly, the race exceeded my expectations. I loved the course, it was extremely well organized, and we had a lovely weekend in the mountains. Garmisch is such a quaint little German town, big enough to find interesting food options and cafes, but small enough where you can get around easily by foot.
In three words, describe the course
Breathtaking, hot, varied
In three words, describe your personal experience
Joyful, grateful, strong
What was your favourite bit of kit during the run and why?
Having a bandana to soak in cold water definitely helped me in the heat. It was something I didn’t use much during training but grabbed at the last minute after listening to a podcast about heat training. Other than that, my favorite part was snacks! I had so much fun trying different recipes and experimenting with salty vs sweet that I knew exactly what would be good for me on race day and I really looked forward to eating throughout the race.
Was there anything you wished you’d taken with you but didn’t have?
A functioning cord for my battery pack (lol). I didn’t realize until my phone was almost dead that my battery pack cord stopped working and I was having a really hard time charging my phone the second half of the race. But other than that, I had everything I needed. I am glad I practiced with the fully packed kit because it does take some getting used to.
What was your food highlight during the race?
I experimented with so many different bars, recipes, salty foods, sweet foods, chocolate, candy, electrolytes, which turned out to be invaluable because I definitely found that some of the things I practiced with do not work for my stomach. I do not enjoy gels, so taking the time to try a variety of other options really paid off in the end and I enjoyed my final selections. My favorite recipe is a homemade snickers bar, made with rice flour as the shortbread, dates, peanut butter, and chocolate. 41g of carbs, which always gives me a huge boost!
What gave you the biggest smile on course?
The views! I was so happy to be on this trail. I had practiced on parts of the trail ahead of time, so it made me smile to see the areas I had experienced before, but it made me smile even bigger when I got to the highest points and saw the new views. I felt so lucky the entire day. It really is a privilege to run and experience this type of course, I could not help but be in awe of the landscape and all the variety of views. The magnificent landscape kept changing from lush forest, to fields of flowers, sheer canyons with rivers and waterfalls, dramatic granite rock faces, gravel pathways, and more. Because of the variety of scenery, I never once got bored.
Did you have any trail nightmares? if so, what happened?
Using the race tracking completely destroyed my phone battery and if I were to do it again, I would not use it again. It wouldn’t have been an issue if my battery pack cord was working properly, but when I could not charge my dying phone, I immediately got frustrated. I wanted to listen to music on the way down the mountain and my phone kept dying without a functioning cord. I am a little embarrassed that I let something so silly make me annoyed, but I guess learning to work through that experience is also good for future races.
What would you say to someone considering this event themselves?
Do it! This was an extremely positive first ultra experience. The race does sell out quickly, so you need to register right when tickets go live, but if you get in, it is an experience of a lifetime. The mountains are lovely and the elevation isn’t as insane as some ultras, so a great entry point for newbies. Plus, the organization of the event is top notch, probably the best planned race I have participated in.
To see more of Lara's picture from Zugspitz or be inspired by her other running adventures, you can follow her on Instagram:
Michael - Welsh 3000s
As well as having a full-time job in timber frame construction, Michael is a busy dad taking his son to numerous sports clubs and scouts each week. Alongside this, he is an active member of Gloucestershire mountaineering club.
I started working with Michael a few years ago now when he was fairly new to running. He had discovered it as a way to further explore the mountainous landscapes he loves. Michael trains for challenges through which he fundraises for the men’s bereavement charity Strongmen. They provided him with invaluable support after the tragic death of his eldest son back in 2021. Michael’s most recent challenge was the Welsh 3000s. I had the privilege to be one of his support runners on the day so witnessed firsthand exactly what it took him to complete this challenge as well as the full year of training and preparation that went in beforehand.
Two weeks on and recovered enough to be ‘running 5k every day in May’ I caught up with Michael for the following interview.
What made you choose this challenge and did it live up to expectations?
I chose the challenge as a way to pull together various parts of my experience and training so far, mountain leader training, logistics & route planning, run training & climbing as well as a way of fundraising in honour of my son Josh.
In three words, describe the course
Technical, steep, lengthy
In three words, describe your personal experience
Grind, run, walk
What was your favourite bit of kit during the run and why?
Controversially… my poles, they took a lot of load off my knees on the technical descents and helped slog up the numerous climbs.
Was there anything you wished you’d taken with you but didn’t have?
No, I think I got the kit fairly well loaded, a bit of a kit upgrade would be good with more high-spec head torches for the night section.
What was your food highlight during the race?
A subway sympathy sandwich at my first crew point!!
What gave you the biggest smile on course?
Finishing Crib Goch gave me a huge sense of overwhelming achievement.
Did you have any trail nightmares? if so, what happened?
Leg 2 (Nant Peris-Llyn Ogwen) gave me some headaches, I hadn’t considered the lack of runnable terrain on Glyder Fach/Fawr and how boring Elidir Fawr is from the south.
What would you say to someone considering attempting the Welsh 3000s themselves?
Spend time at the climbing wall, work on running and moving fast across technical terrain, think hard about doing it supported/unsupported.
To find out more information on Strongmen and Michael’s fundraising story, following the links below:
Tasj - Ultra Tour of Arran
I first started working with Tasj a year ago. She is an extremely motivated and determined individual. Alongside her career she has set herself the goal of becoming a member of the 100 club before she is 30, which she is well on her way to achieving. She also likes to add ultras into the mix and recently took on an event on completely different terrain to her normal races when taking part in the Ultra Tour of Arran. Although quite different to her normal tow path and lapped marathons, over a month on she has continued to tell me how much she loved the race so I asked her if we could put together an interview on her experience to delve a little deeper.
In three words, describe the race course:
Technical, hilly, stunning
n three words, describe your race experience:
Difficult, rewarding, exhausting
What made you choose this event, and did it live up to expectations?
I signed up for this race as I love going to Scotland and had always wanted to go to the Isle of Arran. I figured the best way to see the island was to run around it. We were blessed with the most incredible weather which made it a lot more enjoyable. Nothing could have prepared me for how stunning the views were throughout the entire race. I was constantly in awe.
What was your favourite bit of kit and why?
My running poles! I could not have completed this race without them.
Was there anything you wished you'd taken with you but didn't have?
This was my first race having a strict kit list which I knew was going to be checked so I packed more than I have ever packed before. I don't think there was anything specific that I felt I didn't have as I was prepared for everything. The only thing I didn't take on the first day was a portable charger as I thought my phone battery would last. It didn't actually last as I was out on the course for a lot longer than expected. Given it was a two day event, I was prepared for day 2 and packed it then.
What was your food highlight during the race?
This was the first race I have been on a race which had boiling water. Despite the fact it was an unbelievably hot weekend, I had a coffee at each checkpoint which I really enjoyed. From a food perspective, there was lots to choose from but I also packed my own sweets to give me energy on the course.
What gave you the biggest smile on the course?
I have two answers for this. Firstly, the bog (bog of doom). This was my first time going through a boggy course and I went into it with a lot of apprehension. That said, I had the most fun I have ever had on a race. I did not expect to enjoy running through bogs so much. There were plenty of smiles and laughter for that part of the course and I thoroughly look forward to running through bogs again! My next favourite part of the course were the views. I knew running around Scotland would be beautiful, but nothing could have prepared me for the views on both days. Especially on day two when we had reached the summit of both mountains. It was an incredibly rewarding experience to see the sights we saw when we'd put in all that effort to reach the top of the mountains.
Did you have any trail nightmares? If so, what happened?
Yes, I did! When I was going up the second mountain, I actually went the wrong way. This was the second of the two mountains on day-2, and it was around 40km in. I was extremely tired and confused, and I missed a small flag to tell me which way to go. At this point, I was almost at the summit, so very high up. The route I took was a very steep, flat ridge. I had to climb about 3 metres to continue on the path. However, the ground was very slippery with loose gravel and there was nothing to hold onto. If you fall on this section, you quite literally fall down the mountain. I sat there for a good 5 minutes crying as I was so scared to climb this section. I did eventually get the courage to climb this little section. Just as I was reaching the top, I looked up and saw another runner going past. At this point, I realised I went the wrong way and missed the safe path for going through this section. I had already committed so I continued to climb. Looking back, there was no way the organisers would have made runners go up this section but it taught me to pay better attention on the rest of the course.
What would you say to someone considering entering this event themselves?
Firstly, bring poles! If you are someone that struggles on hills, you will definitely want that extra support when going up the mountains. Secondly, look at the route and know what you are getting yourself in for. As someone who has never been up a mountain on a race, this was quite daunting. I would highly recommend this race! Having run over 50 marathons/ultra's, this is my new favourite race. This race will challenge you a lot, but it will be incredibly rewarding! You will also struggle to get views like this race has to offer. I was blown away.
