1:1 coaching

Your own trail running coach, every week to race day

A coach who knows you, not just your plan: your goal race, your week and the trails you actually train on. From your first trail race to a 100-mile ultra.

Start coaching

From $45 a month · cancel any month

See the coaches ↓

Training for an ultra? Meet our ultra running coaches →

Athletes

100,000+ athletes

have trained with Vert.run

Reach

100+ countries

coaching across timezones

Focus

Trail & ultra specialists

from your first trail race to 100 miles

Works with the tools you already use

Why it matters

What makes a Vert.run trail running coach different?

Every trail running coach at Vert.run is a trail and ultra runner who has raced the distances they coach. Your coach builds the plan around your race, the terrain you train on and the time you have, then adjusts it with you through weekly check-ins and chat.

Climbs, descents, race formats and the mental side of long days are what they work on with athletes every day.

A training week in the Vert.run app, six weeks out from the Kepler Challenge: 60 km, 2,200 m of climbing, Mountain Index 37

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. Want a specific coach? Let us know at explore@vert.run, and if they have room, we’ll pair you.

Zeljko Radovic, Vert.run trail running coach

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

More about Zeljko →

Steve Krenn, Vert.run trail running coach

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

More about Steve →

Nico Jego, Vert.run trail running coach

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

More about Nico →

Adam Brown, Vert.run trail running coach

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 running the trails around Lake Wakatipu.

More about Adam →

Manu Ramirez, Vert.run trail running coach

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 in Spanish and English.

“Super strong on the climbs, 4th overall.” — Eduardo Samano

More about Manu →

Start coaching

From $45 a month · cancel any month

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.

Max Keith, Vert.run trail running coach

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.

Moises Jimenez, Vert.run trail running coach

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.

Francesco “Fran” Puppi, Vert.run trail running coach

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

$45per month

  • 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.

Start VertCoaching

Premium

$99per month

  • 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

Read athlete stories

FAQ

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. We’re flexible, though: if you’d like a specific coach, let us know at explore@vert.run, and if they have room, we’ll pair 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.