Testimonials

I originally came to Sarah to seek out coaching for my first 100-mile race. I had been running for just under a year so had very limited experience, but a ton of enthusiasm and passion for trail running. I had never raced any of the traditional distances (5k through to Marathon) before managing to stumble wide- eyed through my first ever ultra – totally ignorant of proper pacing or nutrition. Within a few months of working together, Sarah had completely transformed my approach to running. Under her guidance I was able to achieve PBs from 5k through to 50k, and we were able to ride that momentum through to the successful completion of my first 100-mile race.

I can’t recommend working with Sarah highly enough, her approach to coaching is completely tailored to meet you at your current level, needs and experience, then build you up beyond where you might think is possible. Sarah has been endlessly supportive, easy to communicate with, and very flexible in the face of unexpected life events. If you’re looking to work with an expert coach with vast amounts of running experience and wisdom to share, who will work with you week after week to achieve your goals, then you won’t go wrong choosing Sarah!

I’ve been coached by Sarah for 4 years – can’t believe it’s been that long since I first decided I wanted to “run an ultra” and contacted Sarah to help me, as I had no idea where to start – and was living in pancake flat Copenhagen at the time, aiming for a hilly race!

I had no aspirations of being competitive, just wanted to complete it. But over the years, Sarah has really helped me believe in myself, given me easy-to-follow and fun/challenging-enough training plans for everything from half marathon to 100k mountain races, been there to reassure me and immediately re-plan whenever anything goes wrong (and there’s been quite a lot of things – from spinal surgery to a broken elbow and several ankle sprains, not to mention a global pandemic, and travel that included basement treadmill runs in Sudan!) and I’ve learnt a tonne from her knowledge and experience.

And now, I’m completely obsessed with this sport we call ultra trail running, and doing alright at it! I would never have got this far without Sarah – I often try to convince friends that having a coach is the best, but maybe just being coached by Sarah is the best!

I am lucky enough to have been coached by Sarah for 7 years. Prior to this I ran all mileage at the same pace, no easy runs, no structured sessions. Since working with Sarah we have achieved some great things in my running: PBs at 5km, 10km, half and marathon distance. Sarah prepared me for a mountain race whilst living in flat London and also a 100 mile trail race.

Coaching with Sarah brings me infinite joy, her frankly infectious enthusiasm for all things running and desire for me as a runner to find joy in the process really makes the coach/athlete relationship very special. Notwithstanding the race results, Sarah as a compassionate and knowledgeable coach has also guided me through the more challenging parts of running: supporting me through injuries, implementing return to run programmes and iron deficiency. Sarah will often spot when things are slightly “off” with my body via our feedback on Training Peaks, before I’m consciously aware of it myself.

Coaching with Sarah brings me so much joy and keeps me evolving both as a runner and a person.

Sarah began coaching me initially with the aim of preparing for my first 100 mile race and has now been coaching me for over four years covering a number of ultras.

Prior to working with Sarah, my training was somewhat haphazard and so right from the start she worked with me to introduce some much-needed structure into my training.

She creates a personal training plan balancing running volume with race-specific sessions and speedwork while also working around my slightly unpredictable work schedule.

The training plan is then refined when things don’t quite to plan (which seems to be fairly frequently for me!) and this flexible approach to training is exactly what is needed. In addition to the training plan, we have regular catch-ups where race preparation, strategy, nutrition and all things running related are discussed.

Getting to the start line of my first 100 was fairly eventful, with race postponements and cancellations, however Sarah adapted the training plan to work around everything so that when I finally got to run my first 100 miler, I had a super race and achieved a result that I was over the moon with. With the training and guidance I get from Sarah, I have achieved race results that I simply wouldn’t have achieved on my own.

Sarah has a wealth of running experience and is always happy to share her own experiences and knowledge. I’ve learnt a lot from her over the time we’ve been working together and I would highly recommend Sarah to anyone who wants to improve their running.

Sarah has been coaching me for nearly 2 years now and in that time I have raced everything from parkrun to ultra marathons and have been consistently getting faster and stronger thanks to Sarah’s plan and guidance.

Sarah has such a personal coaching approach and has become a lovely friend too! We often run past each other on Brighton seafront which always makes my day! She is very caring, responsive and attentive to our needs, whilst also being a very dedicated runner herself which makes her a great role model too.

I’m always speaking highly of Sarah and would recommend her to anyone! I also love her Pilates classes!

Sarah has been coaching me for over 2 years now. Her breadth of knowledge has taught me so much – more than I ever thought I could learn. Not just from a running perspective but also a personal one.

No task is too big, no question is a silly one (unless you think suggesting walking a 50 mile race with a broken arm as SDW100 training is going to get the go ahead!). Sarah is always there to support, help and guide you to be the best that you can be.

In the 2 years of us working together I’ve achieved more than I ever thought possible and I can’t wait to see what we can achieve together in these next 2 years.

I first started working with Sarah in 2021. I was rapidly approaching 50 and had been hit hard by menopause. Back then I spent a lot of time feeling exhausted, stiff and old! I asked Sarah to coach me for the Serpent Trail 50k, telling her I wanted to beat cut offs and try to take what I could from my running now that my best running days were behind me.

Fast forward to 2023 and I have run pb’s at 5k, 10k, run two London GFA marathon times and came joint second in my first 100k. To say she has restored my belief in what I can do would probably be an understatement. Menopause can really ruin our capacity to train and is mentally draining. My bespoke plan, Sarah’s understanding of me and what my body responds to have gone a lot further than just race times. My running and being coached by Sarah has become central to how I am navigating this time in my life, I have ambitions and trust in the process and have no intention of allowing thoughts of my best running days being behind me to return just yet. Having a coach as experienced, understanding and flexible as Sarah has allowed that to happen.

I lost my love of running last year.  Then in a moment of madness I decided to tackle an ultra (I’m 57 and my last marathon was 20 years ago), but I knew I needed more motivation than a downloaded plan from the internet.  I googled a number of coaches but something drew me to Sarah, and before I knew it I was signed up for my first ultra and coaching with Sarah.

I have no regrets, Sarah truly works to your pace with a gentle push and a lot of encouragement. Together we worked towards my first ultra, it was methodical and gradual, we covered nutrition and practiced this so it became more natural on the day.  She gave advice on everything I asked about – packs, torches, clothing, mandatory kit, aid stations, pacing, pacing and pacing.  I stood on the start line and yes I was nervous but I felt ready, and I loved it.

If I hadn’t had Sarah, her humour and her kind words and belief in me, I can honestly say I wouldn’t have made it to the start. Downloading a plan off the internet is okay, but for something as big as my first ultra I needed the voice of experience that guided and supported me.  I’m planning my second ultra….and a third….and will continue to be guided by Sarah along the way.

Sarah is an extraordinary coach. She managed to get me from a position of never in my wildest dreams thinking I could run a marathon, to completing several in my 70s. She understands physical and mental capabilities and customises training to each person’s needs.

She herself is a great model and has been a huge encouragement on my journey from 5K in my late 60s to my first marathon at the age of 71. She provides a wonderful combination of inspiration, challenge and know-how. Sarah has helped me achieve things I never felt I would be capable of, and I am so grateful.

Also and importantly, Sarah has empathy and humanity which have helped me to come back from disappointment and setbacks, to feeling renewed and happy. I cannot thank Sarah enough for making me feel proud of myself.

The coaching process with Sarah has been a revelation for me; I genuinely feel like running has become a team sport. When we first met up, I had a few dream running goals, the big one being a sub 3hr marathon. After just 12 months, I achieved a 2:58 marathon and other significant PB targets along the way. Under Sarah’s tuition, I have grown leaps and bounds in a relatively short time, growing mentally and physically. As a result, we are now setting goals I wouldn’t have dreamed of capable a year ago.

I had ‘good for age’ entry in to the London marathon. Determined to get a PB in this iconic race, I upped my weekly mileage for my training plan only to find I ended up alternating between high mileage weeks and no-mileage weeks as I kept getting ill or injured. Needless to say, the race was a disaster! I was so disappointed in myself that I approached Sarah about coaching for another marathon to try and understand where I had gone wrong.

Sarah was great from the start. She came up with a plan specific to me and that worked around my incredibly hectic and complicated lifestyle. She initially reduced my mileage to a lower level and then we worked on building it up to a manageable weekly number of miles in a consistent way that helped avoid the injuries that I had been experiencing. Instead of the high mileage she introduced a more varied training plan that incorporated speed work and intervals. Not only did this make my training more interesting but it also started to improve my speed! The monthly chats were great for motivation and to discuss anything and everything running related. I learnt how to use nutrition to improve my race experience, what shoes I might want to try running in and how to tackle any niggles I was experiencing. I ran Valencia marathon and I was so, so happy with my result. No walking, back to being ‘good for age’ and more importantly I enjoyed every minute of it. I could not recommend her more highly as a coach!

My experience with Sarah has been just brilliant. She guided and encouraged me in all aspects of the training for my 180km mountain trail race in Nepal. Sarah uses her vast experiences of running, health issues and injuries to provide a comprehensive coaching experience, and always showed empathy, understanding and patience. She was always happy to answer any questions I had about the training. Communicating with Sarah was easy, she responded to emails and messages quickly. Our monthly catch up chats were very useful to talk things through and set targets. Sarah responded to my comments of my training sessions in a positive and encouraging way. She was always efficient in changing the training plan if the unexpected happened, and provided a completely bespoke plan, that fitted around my availability, lifestyle and location on a daily basis. If I had access to trails or not for instance she would always find a session that worked to help achieve my race goal, constantly working with me and what we had access to. Given the amount of interaction you get with Sarah as a coach, her training plan represented great value for money.

Prior to working with Sarah I was running lots of junk miles without taking rest days. The weekly plans for each of my sessions had a clear realistic purpose and challenge and that made the training more interesting. Working towards the goals she set meant that every week I achieved beyond what I ever thought I could do. I now understand the importance of rest days too! She has made me into a much wiser runner!

I really enjoyed training with Sarah and I know that when I decide to do another big challenge event, I will be asking Sarah for her wise, knowledgeable, expert advice again! Thank you Sarah, you have been an amazing coach!