Bio

​I am a running coach, physio, and passionate outdoor athlete - runner, cyclist, climber, hiker - and bring this love of all things outdoors to my coaching. I have been coaching runners of all levels since 2007, and have helped thousands of athletes and non-athletes to overcome injury and move pain free. I am also a practice partner at Physiologic on the beautiful Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia.

Qualifications:

- Level 3 IAAF Distance Running Coach

- Level 2 ASCA Strength and Conditioning Coach

- BSc (Hons) Physiotherapy. University of Birmingham 2006

​- MA (Hons) Psychology. University of Edinburgh 2000

My passion for endurance sports started as a teenager, racing Mountain Bikes in the early days of the UK MTB scene in and around Bristol, and running cross-country at school. Moving to Edinburgh didn’t dampen this passion for the outdoors, taking up rock climbing seriously for a few years before finding my way back to cycling and running in my 20s. My time spent outdoors is still the most important part of my day.

My philosophy of coaching is built on a few key principles:

- Technique. Running is a highly technical and complex movement. Even though most people can run, only a very few truly master an efficient running technique.

- Health. Before you can think of becoming an athlete, you need to make sure you are a healthy person. Health comes first, fitness comes second.

​- Recovery. Even more important than hard training sessions is giving you body and mind the time and space to recover. If you aren’t recovering, you aren’t going to make gains and your training is a waste of time.

- Consistency. It is crucial to build your fitness consistently over time.

- Tracking. Tracking your training numbers is essential - we need to make sure you are making progress and not overtraining.

- Hard work. At some point you need to put in the training.

Although I doesn't consider myself an elite runner, through focussing on the things listed above I managed to complete and be competitive in many events over the years with a few highlights being:

- Winning my first MTB XC race as a junior - circa 1991!!

- Finisher of over 40 marathon and ultra distance running races from 42.2k to 100 mile - road and trail.

- 5 time finisher and 3 time winner of Kokoda Challenge (96km 4 person team trail running event)

- Winner of Spartan Race Ultra Beast (42km obstacle course race)

- 4 time finisher and 2x in the top 20 of Ultra Trail Australia 100k

- Winner of Glasshouse 100 miler

- Road PBs: 10k: 33:18; HM: 1:17; M: 2:45

- ​Trail PBs: 100k: 11:30; 100mi 16:45

I love sharing the knowledge I have gained over the many years I have been involved in endurance sport and still like to push myself and my athletes to achieve the best we possibly can. If you are interested in my services or have any other questions about running, or training then please get in touch!

Happy running!

Dave :)

Accreditations

Coaching