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The coaching team
Meet Vert.run Trail Running Coaches
Looking for a trail running coach or ultra running coach? Vert.run combines coach-backed training plans with 1:1 coaching for runners preparing for everything from their first trail race to a 50K, 100K, 100-mile or 200-mile ultra.
130,000 athletes
100+ countries
Trail & ultra specialists only
What makes a Vert.run trail running coach different?
Every trail running coach at Vert.run is an active ultra runner who has raced the distances they coach. They don't prescribe generic plans. Every program is built around your race, your terrain, and your schedule.
No road-running clients on the side, no general fitness. The terrain, the climbing, the race formats and the mental demands of the sport are the only things these coaches think about.
Taking athletes now
Your coach could be one of these
We match you rather than asking you to pick from a list — on your distance, your terrain, your timezone and who has the room to do the job properly. You meet them on your kick-off call before anything is written.
Belgrade, Serbia
Zeljko Radovic
"No heroic workouts. One workout doesn't change much for better or worse. Time to be a hero is in the race."
NASM-certified. Half his heart belongs to cities, the other half to mountains.
"25 minutes faster than expected, and 2nd in my category." — Pamela Huxley
United States
Steve Krenn
"Know your why. Everyone has a reason to run. Know it, own it, and remind yourself of it while training."
UESCA-certified ultrarunning coach. Started running twenty years ago as an out-of-shape teenager.
"Steve helped me find out I had it in me." — Florian Bernodat
French, based in Chile
Nico Jego
"A good relationship built on trust is the foundation of effective coaching."
Builds plans around work, family and everything else rather than pretending those things aren't there.
"After a tough 110 km in 2024, I finally enjoyed myself on the trail." — Stevens Poncet
Queenstown, New Zealand
Adam Brown
"Consistency, conditioning, fun and focus. Not all run fast and run long — lots of easy stuff, and patience is key."
UESCA-certified. Grew up on the trails he now coaches on. Covers Australia, New Zealand and the wider APAC timezones.
Medellin, Colombia
Manu Ramirez
"I live 1,500m above sea level, surrounded by mountains up to 3,300m."
Venezuela, Panama, Suriname and now the Andes. Coaches across Latin America in Spanish and English.
"Super strong on the climbs, 4th overall." — Eduardo Samano
And the founders
Both of us still coach
We keep a small number of athletes each — usually at VertCoaching or Premium level. It is how we stay honest about what the product actually feels like to train on.
Santiago, Chile
Max Keith
"Consistency is king. There is no single workout that will lead to massive change — it's the cumulation of hours that brings results."
Co-founder. Takes a limited number of athletes, usually VertCoaching or Premium.
Boulder, Colorado
Moises Jimenez
"Less is more. Resting and recovering is just as important as running — better one day off than low energy for a full week."
Co-founder. Venezuela, then Patagonia, then the Alps, now Boulder. Takes a limited number of athletes, usually VertCoaching or Premium.
See Premium — $99
Limited spots at this level.
Behind the plans
The people who built the training
Not taking new athletes — but the library you train on is theirs.
Como, Italy
Francesco "Fran" Puppi
"You don't need to live in the mountains to be a trail runner. Any surface available."
Professional trail runner and one of the original Vert coaches. Shaped much of the training library you run on. Not currently taking new athletes.
How it works
Two ways to work with a Vert coach
VertCoaching — $45/mo
- Your own trail and ultra coach
- A kick-off call to set the season up
- A plan for your race, adjusted as you go
- Direct chat with your coach
Best if you have a race and want someone accountable for getting you to the line.
Premium — $99/mo
- Everything in VertCoaching
- A coach in your training all week
- Unlimited chat and email with your coach
- A video call with them every month
- Your whole race season planned
Best if you race more than once a year. See Premium
Choosing a trail running coach
Do I get to choose my coach?
We match you, and tell you who and why before training starts. Matching on distance, terrain, timezone and actual availability beats picking from bios — and it stops you landing with a coach who has no room for you. You meet them on the kick-off call. If the fit is wrong, we match you again.
Am I fast enough to have a coach?
No such thing here. Our coaches work with people getting ready for a first trail race and people chasing 100- and 200-mile finishes. The training changes. The coaching doesn't.
What if I don't live near mountains?
Extremely common. Where you train and the race you are training for are treated separately — your plan is built from your race profile, then written for the terrain you can actually reach.
Do I need a coach, or is a plan enough?
If your training is going roughly to plan and you mainly need structure, a plan is usually enough — that's VertPro, and it has a 7-day free trial. A trail running coach earns their place when your life keeps breaking the plan.
Is there a free trial for coaching?
No. You are matched with a real person who sets time aside for you, so coaching starts when you start. VertPro does have a 7-day free trial.
Find the trail running coach who fits you
Two minutes of questions. Then a real person who knows your distance.