Outside of running, I am a professional fiction writer and poet, a PhD candidate in Health Sciences, and an advocate for the protection of old-growth forests. These experiences have taught me to value diverse perspectives, respect different identities, fight for nature, think broadly about health, remain humble, and continue learning. I believe these values help me show up as an authentic, respectful, thoughtful coach.
About Me & Background
I have run through harsh prairie winters, sweaty and humid Southern Ontario summers, the constant hills of Vancouver Island, and many other environments. I run both road and trail. I did not participate in track and field or cross-country during high school, but I have thrived in the sport as an adult. I have extensive experience with run clubs and running communities, and I understand what makes a community feel welcoming, inviting, and inclusive. I am currently a regular runner with the Fernwood Social Run Club in Victoria, BC, and the Small Gods Run Club in Sidney, BC. Experiencing different communities and landscapes has helped me appreciate that there is no single correct way to be a runner.
I'm Coach Evan!
Racing, Accomplishments & Coaching ExperienceMy coaching perspective is grounded in more than ten years of sustained experience as a road and trail runner, athlete, mentor, and student of run coaching. I have raced across a broad range of distances and settings, including 5Ks, half marathons, marathons, Vancouver Island Trail Series events, ultramarathons, and multi-day endurance projects across Canada. This experience gives me a practical understanding of the demands athletes face at every stage of training and competition.I have worked toward goals ranging from first-time race finishes to long-distance endurance projects. I do not believe one distance or outcome is inherently more important than another. Some athletes are motivated by race results; others are motivated by consistency, adventure, community, or the process of becoming a stronger and more capable runner. I can support athletes across all of these goals, including goals that develop and change over time.One of the accomplishments I am most proud of is running across Manitoba. Over seven days, I covered 484 kilometres. That project required careful planning and taught me valuable lessons about endurance, logistics, pacing, nutrition, recovery, resilience, and community support. These are not only lessons from a single event—they continue to shape how I think about preparation, adaptation, and athlete support.I have also been coached by a variety of individuals and organizations, most recently Woodland Creatures Endurance, a trail-running-focused coaching group based in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Learning within different coaching systems has helped me understand the structures, communication, and relationships that allow athletes to feel supported and succeed.
Coaching Philosophy
The coaching will be based on ten years of experience, mixed with the experiential knowledge I have acquired through being coached and through studying run coaching. It will primarily use SWAP training theory, adapted to each athlete's individual needs. I embrace people of all bodies, all paces, all genders, and all life experiences, with a particular desire to support queer, trans, and non-binary runners.
Drawing from years of dedicated practice, industry experience, and helping athletes thrive, my expertise is rooted in a continuous cycle of running, learning from challenges, adapting strategies, and evolving as both an athlete and a coach. Plus I want coaching to be reciprocal, communicative, and joyful. If running is not joyful, then what is the point? Running requires a tremendous investment of time and energy, and I believe that time should contribute positively to a person's life. My goal is to help athletes thrive.
Communication, Safety & Adaptation
I can be as hands-on or hands-off as an athlete prefers: regular texts and phone calls every day or two, or occasional monthly check-ins. Every coaching relationship is unique. I genuinely enjoy building community and relationships through running, and I am especially interested in working with athletes who want connection beyond simply receiving a training plan. Depending on location, that may include runs together, track workouts, trail adventures, race support, or community events—or none of those things.
I also take athlete safety seriously. I have personally dealt with calf, IT band, back, foot, asthma, and shin splint issues. These experiences taught me that coaching systems must be individualized and that athletes need room to communicate what is happening in their bodies before injuries become major problems. All bodies are different. Training may need lower running volume, adjusted intensity, more recovery, strength training, or cross-training. Health and joy come first; performance is built on top of those foundations. Cross-training can reduce flat-ground impact while maintaining training load, helping many athletes build durability. It also adds variety, excitement, and joy to the week.
Why Choose Me?
There are many excellent coaches available, and I do not take it personally if another coach is a better fit. What I believe I offer is somewhat different: a joy-first approach, highly adaptable training, flexible and accessible pricing, ongoing mentorship rather than simply performance coaching, experience across road, trail, marathon, and ultramarathon distances, strong communication, respect for all identities and body types, community-oriented coaching, and a willingness to adapt and continue learning.I am not perfect, and I never will be. My coaching knowledge, theories, and methodologies have changed over time and will continue to change. What I can promise is that I will keep learning, remain open-minded, responsive to your feedback, and will work hard to help your achieve yur goals!
Gear & Nutrition Expertise
For years, I worked selling running ger. As I took on larger and more complex endurance projects, my interest in logistics, research, and gear grew. I enjoy testing shoes, packs, hydration systems, apparel, watches, poles, lighting systems, recovery tools, and much more. I currently own shoes from eight different running brands. Gear is one of my favourite areas of coaching because I enjoy helping athletes find equipment that genuinely works for them. I also have extensive knowledge of nutrition and hydration, from basic questions about fueling daily training and recovery to advanced strategies such as sweat-rate testing, sweat sodium levels, hydration and fluid-intake strategies, sodium supplementation, Precision Hydration products, electrolyte systems, sodium tablets, carbohydrate fueling, bicarbonate supplementation, NØMIO, and heat adaptation. I have experimented with an enormous variety of products and approaches over the years.