Ian Sharman - Head Coach

Ian has raced around the world in all formats of event since 2005 and started coaching in 2010. He's completed well over 250 marathons and ultras on five continents (marathon PR 2h21m at age 43, half marathon PR 1h03m at age 44). He's won over 60 marathon or longer races with at least one win every year for 20 (and counting) consecutive years. He also holds the fastest time in a trail 100-mile race by a Brit (12h44m), the record for the Grand Slam of Ultrarunning (69h49m), has won the USATF 100-mile trail championship twice and is a four-time Leadville Trail 100 Champion. Ultra Running Magazine voted him as high as 2nd in its annual Ultra Runner of the Year rankings and 4th in Ultra Runner of the Decade.

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He has trained hundreds of runners for virtually every type of endurance running event using knowledge from NASM and as a certified USATF coach. This includes elites like Magda Boulet and Ellie Greenwood, but mainly runners in the middle and back of the pack.

 

Some example races he's experienced, and can therefore help you to train for with course-specific knowledge, are:

 

- Grand Slam of Ultrarunning (record holder)

- 9x Western States Endurance Run 100 top 10 and only person to finish 10 times under a week of total time 

- 4x Leadville Trail 100 champion (2013, 2015, 2016 and 2017; and only person to break 17hrs four times)

- Golden Ticket races (2014 Montrail Ultracup champion, in its previous incarnation)

- 3x Rocky Raccoon 100 champion (2011, 2015, 2016 and course record holder - 12h44m)

- Revel Downhill Marathons (5x winner and CR holder)

- Mountain events globally, including Mt Blanc and Transvulcania

- Badwater 135 (pacing/crewing four times)

- UTMB (crewing)

- Hardrock 100 (pacing/crewing)

- Marathon des Sables

- UROC 100k

- JFK 50

- Comrades (Wally Hayward medal plus seven silver medals)

- Transalpine Run Stage Race

- Everest Marathon in Nepal

- Jungle Ultra in Peru

- Many of the world's most famous road marathons, including Boston

 

Qualifications/Experience:

 

- Author of the upcoming book, "The Art of Ultrarunning: Tried & Tested Strategies for Long-Distance Runners."

- USATF certified coach

- Coach since 2010 plus over 250 marathon+ races to refine and develop the physical and psychological methodology for Sharman Ultra Coaching

- Founder of the US Skyrunner Series

- Former member of the UROC Elite Advisory Council

- Former board member of the International Skyrunning Federation

- Columnist for Ultra Running Magazine (check out his popular articles on weight vest hiking and high altitude training) and, formerly, iRunFar.com

- Podcast host for the PodiumRunner Endurance Podcast

- Trained as a Certified Personal Trainer in 2012 with the National Academy of Sport Medicine (“NASM”)

- MA in Economics, University of Cambridge