What Our Coaches Taught Us

Our coaches work with all sorts of runners—from high schoolers preparing for state championships, to beginners building consistency, to experienced marathoners chasing a BQ. Across the board, their focus is the same: helping athletes train with purpose and race with confidence.

While their approach is grounded in their own experience as elite runners, it has also been shaped by the coaches and mentors who influenced them along the way. Today, we’re highlighting those individuals by hearing from our coaches about a mentor who impacted their journey and the key lesson they carry forward today in their own coaching.

Ben Fleming
Eric Johannigmeier | College coach (Virginia Tech)

“He taught me a very valuable lesson that many athletes overlook: be mindful of your race results. He had a rule—he wouldn’t talk to us about a race until 24 hours after we finished. He wanted us to sit with the result and consider how the race played out before talking about it with him. And he would do the same.

This allowed us to detach from the emotions we had attached to the race and break it down logically. It didn’t matter if it was a good day or a bad day, he wanted us to sit with it. In an extremely individualized sport, it’s tough to hold all those emotions inside. You want to rant to your coach or celebrate with him. But the fact that he had us sit with our feelings first really helped me reflect on those races before hearing someone else’s opinion.

This ultimately helped me mature tremendously as an athlete. Taking accountability for my own training and racing allowed me to build confidence and find areas for growth. It wasn’t always easy in the moment, but Coach Eric was very methodical. I owe so much of my success to his treatment of me. He trusted me and provided guidance and support—not hand-holding. He increased my love and passion for running and is still a great mentor to this day.”

Drew Hunter
Joan Hunter | Mom, high school & professional coach

“She taught me to slow the heck down in training!! And to focus on consistent weeks, months, and years of training over any one workout.”

Anthony Camerieri
Tom Chorny | College coach (University of Miami Ohio)

“Belief in your training is one of (if not the most) important factor in whether you’re going to perform well. He referenced a survey of Olympic Trials marathoners where the factor most correlated with success was whether or not they believed in the training they had done.

This really taught me the importance of believing in what I’m doing. And to know that if I don’t, it might be time to make a change.”

Wes Porter

Cory Leslie | Professional coach (UA Mission Run Dark Sky Distance)

In my first few months with Under Armour, I’ve learned from Coach Cory Leslie the importance of focusing on the small things. Improving in the less flashy areas and focusing in on some days and being more relaxed in other times.

Austen Dalquist
(He couldn’t choose just one!)

Brian Zaring | High school coach
“Zaring was always calm, cool, and collected. He had unwavering faith in me. He helped me feel peaceful and confident before racing. Reminded me not to overthink, just to do my thing and that he was proud of me no matter what.”

Chris Bucknam | College coach (University of Arkansas)
“Bucknam was a spitfire. He could fire up anyone at any time. He made me want to run through a wall and reminded me that even though I was racing alone, he and my teammates were with me—and we all needed to run for each other. Running was bigger than me, and I had to embrace the pressure and privilege of wearing Razorback red.”

Reed Fischer
Jeff Boele | Friend and coach of Elevated Performance

“I’ve been fortunate enough to work with a number of incredible coaches throughout my career. But funnily enough, the lesson I share most with my athletes comes from my wife Christine’s former coach, Jeff Boele.

Everyone has a bucket to hold stress. Not everyone’s bucket is the same size—we can’t all hold the same amount—but we’ve all got one. In this bucket goes anything and everything that causes stress: that hard workout you ran this morning, the presentation you’re giving this afternoon, that existential dread that comes with being alive in 2026, what you’re going to make for dinner, wondering if you’re fit enough to hit your goals, getting cut off in traffic. Everything—big or small—goes into this bucket.

And once that bucket overflows, something’s got to give. You get hurt, get sick, bomb a workout, race poorly, snap at a loved one, overlook something at work.

Learning to recognize when your bucket is getting full—and how to counteract that—is the key. That comes with experience, trial and error, and getting to know yourself well. Maybe it’s reading before bed instead of doomscrolling. Maybe it’s meeting a friend for coffee and talking through what feels hard. Maybe it’s taking a day to go for a walk or a bike ride instead of forcing a workout.

The more you can recognize your patterns and manage that stress, the healthier, happier, and more balanced you’ll be.”

Find the coach to guide you toward your goals

With lessons shaped by their own failures, breakthroughs, and influential mentors along the way, our coaches are prepared to help you train with intention and race with confidence.

Not sure who’s the right fit? Fill out our quick 60-second interest form, and we’ll personally match you with the coach best suited to your goals and experience level.

Here’s what athlete, Ben Hendricks, said about his experience working with Coach Connor Winter through HAX:

New Episode of The HAX Show

Tune in to our latest conversation with Sam Parsons! Sam reflects on the past decade in Boulder and shares where he’s headed next—in his running, career, and life. Lots of interesting stuff in this one, don’t miss it!

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Can’t find the plan you’re looking for? Send us an email at [email protected]. We’ll recommend the best option, or if we don’t have one, we’ll get to work in creating a new plan to add to the library.