Frequently Asked Questions

Runners across the full range, from those starting structured training for the first time through to athletes competing at a high level, including at races like UTMB. What matters more than current fitness is a willingness to train with structure and stick with the process. If you're chasing a first 10K or a first 100-miler, the coaching approach is the same: build a plan around your actual life, not a generic template.

Consistency is one of the core pillars of how Apex Rises coaches, showing up steadily over months matters more than chasing short bursts of intensity. I'm also human, a husband and father of three, so I understand that life doesn't pause for training. Work, family, and everything else outside running matter, and the plan gets built around that rather than ignoring it. Every athlete gets a highly individualised programme based on their own constraints, strengths, and goal race, because I look at the person before I look at the athlete.

Yes. Structure and clear direction matter just as much, arguably more, at the start of a running journey as they do at an elite level. The training itself looks different (more base-building, more patience with progression), but the coaching relationship works the same way.

Apply for coaching through the application on this site. Availability is limited, so applying doesn't guarantee a spot, but it starts the conversation about your goals, history, and whether the coaching approach is a good fit for you.

You'll get a detailed Google Form to fill out first, covering your background, goals, and constraints. From there we arrange a call to talk it through properly and see whether we're a good fit for each other, coaching only works well when both sides are genuinely confident it's the right match.

A training plan built around your races, your life, and your constraints, that changes as your body and circumstances change. That means ongoing adjustment based on fatigue, sleep, work, and how sessions actually go, not a fixed plan you're expected to force yourself into regardless of what's happening in the rest of your life.

Your feedback on every workout is crucial. It's how I actually understand how you're responding to training, and combined with the data I see in TrainingPeaks, it's what shapes the decisions I make about adjusting your plan week to week.

Regularly. As stress, sleep, work, and recovery shift, the plan shifts too. The goal is steady, consistent progress, not forcing a fixed schedule that no longer fits your week.

TrainingPeaks is the platform used for training plans, tracking, and the bulk of day-to-day communication.

A lot, this is a team sport. Training only works long-term when it fits the person doing it, so your goals, schedule, and how sessions actually feel all shape the plan together. This isn't a one-way prescription with no room for feedback.

Yes, you should. I build a Long Range Plan at the start of our work together, so you have a clear picture of what the coming months actually look like, not just the next single week. I explain each phase and the specific adaptation we're chasing, so every session has a reason behind it that you understand, not just a workout to tick off.

R1,300 per month for athletes in South Africa, or $90 USD per month for international athletes. Applying and having a call first still matters, it's how we confirm the right level of support for your goals before anything is set up.

A minimum of 3 months. That's genuinely the timeframe it takes to see meaningful progress, shorter commitments don't give training enough time to actually work.

Cancellation requires 30 days' notice. If you need to pause instead, whether for injury, travel, or anything else life throws at you, just reach out and we'll figure out what makes sense for your specific situation. That conversation matters more than a rigid policy.

Honesty about fit matters from the start. If coaching isn't the right match for your goals or circumstances, that gets said directly rather than taking on every athlete who applies regardless of fit.

Road, trail, and ultra distance racing, from shorter road races through to major mountain ultras like UTMB and 100km-plus events. Training decisions account for the specific demands of each, fatigue management, durability, fuelling, and pacing for long days on tired legs matter differently for a road 10K than they do for a 100-mile mountain race.

No, road running is very much included. The coaching background spans all three: road, trail, and mountain terrain.

Yes, including athletes who have completed major races, improved their performance meaningfully, and won at the 100km distance. Real race experience, not just theory, shapes how training is built.

Not at all. Every runner arrives with different history, goals, and constraints, and the coaching process is built to start from wherever you actually are, not from an assumed baseline.

I'm not a qualified doctor and can't diagnose injuries, so if something feels off, please see a doctor or physio first. From there, we work together within their recommendations: training gets adjusted based on their report and feedback, including rehab work where needed, and we build back up until you're ready to return to full training.

That's expected, not a failure. Training has to work around real life, work, family, stress, travel, and unexpected changes all matter, and the plan adjusts rather than staying rigid when circumstances shift. Consistency over time matters far more than forcing every single planned session no matter what.

Yes. Rebuilding after time away is a normal part of a long running life, and the plan is built around where your fitness actually is now, not where it used to be.

The plan adjusts around it rather than expecting you to catch up by cramming. A missed week gets absorbed and the plan moves forward from where you actually are, not from where the original schedule assumed you'd be.

Yes, coaching is delivered remotely and works well across different countries and time zones. Distance doesn't make the coaching feel any less hands-on, structure, clear feedback, and knowing why you're doing what you're doing carry across the distance without issue.

It depends on your goal and the specific race. Some mountain trail races require runners to carry a GPS device as a race-organiser rule, so that's worth checking for your event well ahead of time. Outside of that, a GPS watch isn't strictly required, but it does help with tracking training. Happy to talk through what makes sense for your specific race, just email or text me.

Through TrainingPeaks, email, or WhatsApp, whatever's easiest in the moment. That said, I like to keep the substantive feedback and workout notes inside TrainingPeaks specifically, since that's where your full training history lives, and it makes it much easier to look back and spot patterns over time.

Reach out directly, contact details are on the Contact page, or ask during the application process. Most questions are easier to answer once there's a real conversation about your specific goals.