YOUR RUNNING COACH
IRENE

'Believe in yourself, you are limitless'

Coaching Background

I am UESCA certified in Running and Ultrarunning. I hold a PhD in Biomedicine, an MSc in Sport and Exercise Science and Medicine, and I am a registered sports therapist.

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My background in biomedical and sports science allows me to understand how the human body adapts to training, fatigue, and injury. This knowledge underpins how I design personalised training plans that aim to improve performance while reducing injury risk. I also support athletes returning to running following injury, ensuring progression is safe, structured, and realistic.

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Coaching Philosophy

My coaching philosophy is simple: train smart, build long-term capacity, and stay healthy.

I design evidence-based, periodised training plans that challenge athletes appropriately while respecting their physiology, experience, and life outside sport. Performance is never pursued at the expense of durability.

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I am also an endurance runner myself, and I understand the realities of training alongside work, life, and recovery. I maintained my own training while completing a PhD and an MSc, building my coaching business, and collaborating with a busy physiotherapy clinic, remaining injury-free through focused and targeted training. This experience shapes how I coach — valuing consistency over extremes and long-term progress over short-term gains.

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Alongside physical preparation, I place strong emphasis on mindset. Confidence, trust in the process, and psychological readiness are essential for both training and racing, particularly in endurance and ultradistance events. I value open communication and feedback, allowing training to adapt to progress, recovery, and the demands of a busy life, while keeping the process enjoyable.

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Athletic Background

I have competed in races from all sorts of distances (from 5K to 100K); however, I enjoy races the longer, the better. Some recent and relevant events I have competed in include:

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• Tweed Valley Ultra 50K 2021

• Full tilt Blair Castle Ultra 60K 2022 (5th female)

• Scafell Pike Ultramarathon 44K 2022

• Salomon Skyline - Mamores Stalker 27K | World Spartan Championship 2022 (13th female, 3rd category)

• Pentlands Skyline race 27K 2022

• Tweed Valley Ultra 65K 2022

• Glentress Trail Marathon 2023 (7th female, 4th category)

• Kielder 50K ultramarathon 2023 ( 1st female, 10th global)

• UTS100K - Ultra Trail Snowdonia by UTMB (DNF)

• Dalmeny Estate Trail Half Marathon 2023 (3rd out of 115 females, 2nd category)

• Ultra Sanabria by Stages 110K 2023 (4th female, 1st category)

• Tweed Valley Ultra 50K 2023 (3rd female, 9th overall)

• Skipton Skedaddle 50 Mile Ultramarathon 2024 (3rd female, 11th overall)

• Scafell Pike Marathon 2024 (3rd female)

• Wild 70 by UTMB 2024 (31st female out of 132 finishers)

• Dalmeny Estate Trail Half Marathon 2024 (4th out of 134 females, 3rd category)

• Sidlaw Ultra 70 2024 (2nd female, 10th overall)

• CatTrail25 - 46K 2500m+ 2025 (3rd female, 4th overall)

• UTS100K - Ultra Trail Snowdonia by UTMB 100K 2025 (13th female, 3rd in category)

• Northumbrian Ultra Trail 50K 2025 (1st female, 2nd overall)

• Transgavarres 50K 1700m+ 2025 (6th female)

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