ELIE (Switzerland): Ultra-Runner
As a masters athlete who has read much of the endurance training literature, I never really felt the need for a coach until my performances started declining in a way aging alone could not explain. I eventually challenged my assumptions, did some research until I got in touch with Jonathan. His expertise and know-how were immediately apparent, so was his individualized approach to coaching as he took the time to analyse my running history in detail before he built a training plan. The additional challenge is that I have a very demanding and sometimes unpredictable work schedule, which means he has had to constantly adapt my training based on an ongoing two-way dialogue which also incorporated my response to various training stimuli. Thanks to Jonathan I am gradually getting into the best shape I have been in years and looking forward to the future, with the confidence that I am still able to run long distances at a decent pace. This is the best value you will find in the coaching industry!
AMY (South Africa): Trail Runner
In 2018 I decided to enter the Sanlam Cape Town Peace Trail Run. This 22km race was my longest yet, and I wanted (needed) professional help to reach this goal. So I signed up with running coach, Jonathan Black. He was friendly, professional and well informed from the start – also quite affordable.
He developed a weekly training plan, with my input, which allowed for flexibility. It felt very much like a team effort, as he would always check in after every run to see how it went. I enjoyed that he incorporated the social groups I had already been running with into our training. And that I hardly seemed to notice my progression, as he manageably increased the distance, speed and my running goals every week. His training also gave me a more focused approach to my running – especially because we varied the types of runs I did. Using apps like Strava and online schedules also made our communication and tracking easy, even though I joked that he was like the “Eye of Sauron” always watching my runs from afar!
On race day I was nervous but also confident as I had run part of the route during training. I was very pleased with my time and still felt fairly strong at the end – a testament to my training and solid preparation. I would definitely recommend using Jono’s coaching services, as I was thrilled with the result and achieved my goal. And I look forward to training with him for future races.
SIMON (Namibia): Mid-Long Track & Road
I’m so grateful for having Dylan who’s guided me for almost 30 weeks now. My training has evolved so that I race off smart training, rather than simply more training. This season’s highlights include my 800m – 1:56, & 3000m – 8:37 performances (personal bests). As a young athlete, Dylan gives me confidence moving forward.
LOUIS (England): Junior, Track & XC
Jonathan has coached me for just under 9 months and in this time I have come to absolutely trust his training program and coaching. It has provided consistent progression and personal bests throughout both cross country and the track season as a junior runner. Having training that is is carefully considered and tailored to your personal traits makes it so much easier to put in the hard work each day – you never have to worry whether you’re doing the most effective training as it is always so carefully planned and thought through. My running feels like a team effort with Jonathan due to the support and reliable quick feedback that he provides. I value my running very highly, so knowing that i’m building a great foundation with Jono’s long term approach gives me a great deal of confidence for the next few years and my senior career. The only thing that I would change is finding him earlier 🙂
LUCAS (South Africa): Trail & Road Runner
“I’m quite fanatical (and a little OCD) about doing things myself, but that doesn’t make one immune to falling into a training rut and even plateauing. Passionate, driven and intellectually motivated, Jono brings a level headed approach in producing results by seeing the athlete as someone to be sculpted: consistent quality workouts, a strong emphasis on recovery, and most of all, understanding that head space is everything”
JARED (South Africa): Long Distance Road & Trail
A good coach will give you a training plan and help you stick to it. A great coach will give you a training plan and adapt it as you grow, accounting for a range of factors including response to training, training goals, the need to balance results with enjoyment and life’s many surprises. That is exactly what I got when I worked with Jonathan. His attention to detail was easy to overlook as week by week I got a pretty straight forward training plan with some great challenges which pushed me closer towards my goal. Only when I asked about it did I begin to realise the depth of insight which had resulted in my training program. The two way feedback was crucial to staying on track and besides the many PBs, we managed to secure a Guinness World Record which I could not have done without Jonathan’s expert help. Thank you, thank you, thank you!