Following a bad knee injury during lockdown I’d signed up for a few races, but I wasn’t doing the training and felt that I needed the added accountability of a coach. After a long search I decided to start working with Sophie and it has been the best investment that I have ever made in my running. The sessions are a lot of fun, flexible in terms of where and how you do them, are pitched at the perfect level and they work. Sophie goes above and beyond when life gets in the way and plans need to be reorganised - something that I have had to do many times. She also has a great ability to know when to encourage, when to put the brakes on, when to laugh at you and is never phased when you come up with some truly bad ideas for a racing season. In terms of results I’ve had PBs at ½ marathon, marathon and 50km, sometimes in the same race, since I started working with Ultra Potential. I simply couldn’t ask for a better coach.
— George Lupton
“Prior to working with Sophie, I dabbled in running using generic training plans to run up to half marathon distance. However, as a busy, working mum I found it hard to find the motivation to run and wasn’t really progressing.
Working with Sophie has allowed me to carve out time for running, as she has assigned training to fit around my lifestyle. I have massively increased in confidence in my running abilities and in the last few months we have worked on training for my first marathon. I have set new PBs this year for the first time since having children. Sophie also guided me back to running following a knee sprain (skiing!).
Sophie is professional and has so much knowledge and experience. Her enthusiasm for running is infectious and I don’t hesitate in recommending her as a coach.”
— Jenny Evans
“Despite having a reasonable level of ultra experience and completing a few events of 100 mile distance, I felt massively daunted having been lucky enough to secure a space in UTMB.
I had minimal mountain running experience and was seeking the support to give me the confidence and training specificity to give me every chance of successfully completing the event. Subsequently I selected the ‘100 mile race plan’. After an initial Zoom chat to share with Sophie my experience and aspirations, I was then away with a plan that was well structured with several different build phases. It comprised a number of workouts that were structured differently to what I had been doing previously which then provided real variety and fresh enjoyment. Following the plan through the Training Peaks app was simple and an easy way to update progress. Throughout Sophie was on hand to advise and feedback through WhatsApp too. This was especially useful when identifying events in the build up, whilst ensuring I factored in good recovery, whilst also helping juggle my work/life balance.
With Sophie’s guidance I arrived at the start line of UTMB in Chamonix well prepared, strong and injury free. The event itself was an incredible adventure and certainly the hardest thing I have ever undertaken. Crossing the finish line was the culmination of huge amounts of time and effort in the preceding months, though throughout I had the trust and confidence from Sophie that I was doing everything right. .”
— Ben Cuttle
“Working with Sophie has brought consistency to my running and provided a platform for me to achieve greater distances and tackle alpine terrain. I enjoy the collaborative nature of the programme and the flexible, stress-free structure that Sophie has put together - it's been great fun and bring on 2023!”
— Alex Shires
“After seeing that Sophie had started coaching a year ago we had a chat about my running goals for this year I’d entered a backyard ultra and thought about employing a coach.
In April I came second at the cowshed backyard ultra which was a four nations event. I then earned a place on the England team for the next in Wales which I won.
On winning this I then qualified for an automatic place on the UK team for the world backyard ultra team championships this October.
Where I ran 35 yards (145.2 miles) finishing 6th place on the UK team.
As my Coach, Sophie has played a large part In my success this year.
I have found her to be extremely knowledgeable, helpful and encouraging and would thoroughly recommend her as a coach. ”
— Paul Wilson
“I first heard Sophie on the Young Hearts Run Free podcast. First hearing about her amazing achievements and being inspired by her she then talked about her move to coaching. What she said about generic training plans, that they are written with a male of a certain age, build & fitness, resonated. It’s no wonder I’d never managed to complete one fully (or without wearing myself out) Further that women have different needs based on the monthly cycle so more important to be tailored to YOU it was a light bulb moment. I got in touch that day.
I signed up for a 12 week plan to get me to my first multi day event in the Lake District. We started with a zoom call to talk about my goals and aims and my lifestyle & I started my plan in January and absolutely loved it, I had different sessions to do each run and never had to think about it. I did a vast mix of sessions that put a spring in my step. It was such a well thought out balance of training and recovery. I extended for 12 more weeks to get me through recovery post lakes and build back up to my main goal for the year The Wall a 70m ultra. I wanted to survive and be within the 24hr window and smashed out 20:46 a time I’d never had dared aim for. All thanks to Sophie’s guidance and brilliance at assessing my progress and building safely. No niggles or injuries in sight!
I would highly highly recommend her and I will be back after my foot op in December to build up safely next year. Thanks again Sophie and YHRF for making me aware that you were there. ”
— Karen Wilson
“I’d started running in my 40s after entering my local half marathon. Having not really done any sport since school, I enjoyed the training and then having new distances, races and PBs to aim for.
Five years later I’d done half marathons, marathons and some ultras. A middle (back) of the pack runner but with four 50 mile races in 2022, I wanted to have a solid foundation so signed up for Sophie’s Winter Base programme.
An online coach appealed, as I wanted a structure to my training but didn’t want to go overboard in case it didn’t work out.
Sophie’s coaching approach was perfect! Her plan provided the structure I needed but with a variety of sessions to support my progression and the flexibility to respond to changing family/ personal commitments.
After only few weeks I was feeling the benefits of Sophie’s coaching - both in terms of my performance but also my enjoyment of running and I signed up for her economy package.
I got a #PB in my first 50 mile run and throughout the year have had the confidence and belief that I will complete my Grand Slam.
She’s been great at helping me manage niggles with pre-hab and getting me to think more about nutrition and hydration.
Would highly recommend Sophie and her coaching approach.”
— Paul Summerhill
I returned to running during lockdown. Ultras were the only game in town in the UK in 2021 and I had a great time running my first 50 milers. However, after a disappointing New York Marathon in 2022, I felt it was time for a coach (that and the fact that I had an entry for South Downs Way 100 miler in 2023 and 100 miles is a long way!).
I never had a coach before but working with Sophie was easy from the outset. We varied how I was approaching training – focusing more on workout duration and perceived effort rather than mileage and splits. I set out my 2023 goals (and ultra dreams!) on a Zoom call and Sophie responded with a training plan for the next couple of months for me to digest. The workouts were sensible and easy to grasp (Sophie knows all the workouts) but when I had any questions Sophie was there via Whatsapp and TrainingPeaks. Sophie listens to feedback on the sessions themselves but also on health and life pressures that could affect your training. She comprehensively varied my plan 2 or 3 times in the past 6 months (Covid, work, travel) without any fuss at all and with the clear goal of getting me back into training as soon as it made sense to do so. This personalisation and variation has been key for me.
I arrived at the starting line of SDW100 ready. I had completed a sensible race specific training block (including some heat adaption training which came in handy with the 30C weather during SDW100). I had a good race plan which Sophie helped simplify (simple is better for these 100 milers it turns out). Thanks to the past 6 months of training, I believed I was ready (and didn’t someone say that completing Ultra marathons is 90% mental?). Turns out I was and finished SDW100 on my first attempt, the hardest endurance race I’ve ever tackled. If you’re looking for a coach that listens, that varies sensible plans based on your feedback and life, that expertly advises based on personal experience and comprehensive knowledge, a coach that is building a community of athletes working to achieve their ultra potential (!), I’d recommend that you have a chat with Sophie.
— Cian Kennedy