Online Running Coach for Runners in Europe

How does online coaching work from abroad?

Exactly as it does in the UK: an app for your plan, and video calls for the conversation. Nothing needs to happen in person.

1. Free consultation. A short call or message exchange about your race, goal, training history and week.
2. Your plan. Sessions, target paces and coach notes appear in your RunnersRoute training app.
3. Train and log. After each run, log it in the app, add your Strava link and say how it felt.
4. Video reviews. Monthly on Coaching, fortnightly on Premium. Martin goes through your training, answers questions and plans the next block.
5. Race ready. Taper, pacing and fuelling plan for your race, including travel if you are racing abroad.

How much does it cost?

€60 one-off for a marathon plan, or €60 or €99 a month for coaching. No minimum term — cancel any time.

Which plan is right for me?

Three ways to work with Martin, priced in euros. Not sure which fits? Book a free consultation first and you'll get an honest recommendation.

No minimum term: both monthly plans are cancel-any-time. Prices are in euros and paid securely by card through Stripe. Coaching is in English.

Who is it for?

English-speaking runners living in Europe, including UK expats, who want a coach rather than a template.

Martin coaches runners in the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, France, Scandinavia, Austria and Ireland, and anywhere else with a good internet connection. Typical runners:

• UK expats who want a coach who understands British club running and races back home.
• International professionals working in English who want coaching in English.
• First-time marathoners heading for Berlin, Amsterdam, Valencia or Rotterdam.
• Experienced runners chasing sub-3:30 or sub-3 who have stalled on their own.
• Runners over 40 who want to keep improving. See masters running.

Which races do you coach for?

Any race, from 5K to the marathon. The big European marathons have their own guide with a free 16-week outline:

• Berlin Marathon training plan
• Amsterdam Marathon training plan
• Valencia Marathon training plan
• Rotterdam Marathon training plan
• London Marathon training plan

Martin also coaches for Paris, Barcelona, Seville, Vienna, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Dublin, Frankfurt, Hamburg and smaller local races. Full details on the online marathon coach page.

How do time zones work?

Easily. The UK is usually one hour behind most of mainland Europe. Ireland and Portugal are on the same time as the UK. Video calls are booked at a time that suits you, often in the evening after work, and messages in the app can be read whenever suits you.

How does payment work?

You pay in euros by card through Stripe, a secure payment provider. The Marathon Plan is a single payment. The monthly plans renew each month until you cancel, and there's no minimum term. If you'd rather talk first, book a free consultation and pay only once you've agreed the right option.

Based in the UK? Coaching is priced in pounds, from £50 a month. See online running coaching in the UK.

Who is your coach?

Martin Williams is a UK-based online marathon coach and former Great Britain international with a 2:17:36 marathon best. He won the Edinburgh Marathon, is a Scottish Marathon Champion, and represented Great Britain at the 2010 European Championships in Barcelona and Scotland at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi. He is an England Athletics licensed coach and an ITEC qualified sports therapist, based in Sedgley, West Midlands.

He started running at 25 while working shifts as a police officer, so he coaches real weeks with jobs and families, not ideal ones.

“Martin has got me to many start lines!! Whenever I am in the middle of a big training block for a marathon and things start to niggle, tighten and get sore, his sports massage and training advice gets me through and to that line.”— Mark Fantom, Google review

“In just one 12-week plan, I ran massive PBs, smashing sub-17 minutes for 5km and breaking 36 minutes for 10km at Telford.”— Roy C, Google review

Can I get a running form assessment from abroad?

Yes, by video. You film yourself running, and Martin reviews the footage frame by frame and writes a report of 15+ pages with drills and a home routine. It's free on Premium Coaching. More on running form analysis.