Coach SamPersonal training
Client stories
Two training blocks, two goals achieved. The race results, the work behind them and what the athletes said afterwards.
All stories, including my Berlin Marathon →
Callum
Chester Marathon · 11 October 2026
4:13:55
Callum went into Chester chasing sub 4:30. He ran 4:13:55 on chip time, finishing 16 minutes and 5 seconds inside that goal. His opening 10K took 1:02:44. By the final 5.1km, he was running 5:36/km.
Brighton Marathon 2026 recorded 5:15:13 for Callum, bib 40578. Chester recorded 4:13:55: an improvement of 1 hour, 1 minute and 18 seconds between the two race results. Coaching began on 20 April 2026; Chester on 11 October was 24 weeks and 6 days later.
Quicker through every section
Official section times. Pace converted to minutes per kilometre.| Section | Time | Pace |
|---|
| Start–10K | 1:02:44 | 6:16/km |
|---|
| 10K–halfway | 1:08:54 | 6:13/km |
|---|
| Halfway–29.67K | 50:41 | 5:55/km |
|---|
| 29.67–37.1K | 43:04 | 5:48/km |
|---|
| 37.1K–finish | 28:31 | 5:36/km |
|---|
About 2:11:38 for the first half and 2:02:17 for the second. A negative split of roughly 9 minutes and 21 seconds.
“You just coached someone to an hour off their time in 5/6 months, you should be proud of yourself also mate, genuinely”
View the official result →Tessa
Battersea Park 10K · 26 September 2026
49:58
Tessa came to coaching after a 10K PB attempt that had not gone to plan. In her account of the next ten weeks, she describes a structured plan, support after each run and adjustments when life got in the way. At the end of the block, she ran 49:58 on chip time at Battersea Park, reaching her sub-50 goal.
Tessa supplied a chip-time result screenshot on 13 October 2026 showing 49:58. Her earlier 49:30 watch time and Strava’s 49:31 estimate are separate measurements. Training duration comes from her testimonial.
“Sam was always encouraging and supporting whilst also providing such insightful information following each run that helped me understand the method behind the plan”
View Tessa’s race post →Session feedback through the build
Callum received scored feedback during his Chester training block. Here is the published set from 21 July to 1 September, in order, so you can see how feedback continued through the block.
Callum · every scored session · 21 Jul to 1 Sep
14 cards, all sent
- 21 JulThreshold · 5x5 min cruise
7.00 km · 35:3184Strong - 23 JulEasy / aerobic
8.00 km · 47:1988Strong - 26 JulLong / aerobic
9.53 km · 57:1682Strong - 28 JulThreshold / tempo
6.51 km · 36:4585Strong - 30 JulEasy / aerobic
8.00 km · 46:5694Elite - 6 AugMP intervals · 3x2km
9.02 km · 54:0892Elite - 9 AugLong run
22.01 km · 2:10:13· Distance PR92Elite - 16 AugLong run
25.00 km · 2:34:32· Distance PR93Elite - 18 AugThreshold / HM pace
11.01 km · 1:00:4694Elite - 23 AugLong run + 2x6km at MP
28.00 km · 2:53:30· Distance PR94Elite - 25 AugEasy · race week
7.07 km · 40:0785Strong - 26 AugEasy + strides · race week
6.00 km · 36:5791Elite - 30 AugDulwich Park Half · race
21.10 km · 1:56:43· Target was 1:57 to 2:0093Elite - 1 SepEasy · recovery
8.00 km · 50:5090Elite
Scored off his own Garmin file each week, against the session he was actually given. The two scores in the eighties at the end of August are race week, where the job was to run slower than he wanted to.
In their words
Having Sam as a coach is on a completely different level to any app. My training is tailored using my data, sleep, heart rate, cadence, constantly adjusted based on how I am actually feeling and performing. It is more than a plan. It is detailed, proper coaching.
First coach who actually reads my Garmin data before writing the plan. Most just send a generic template and hope. Sam adjusts every week based on what my body did, not what the spreadsheet said it should. Malaga 2026 feels different.
