Gareth Cooke, online running coach, racing across a bridge at the Berlin Marathon in his Barnsley AC vest

Online running coach, Barnsley

I ran 2:24 around a full time job. I’ll show you how to fit fast running into yours.

Online coaching and personalised plans for busy runners chasing a number. Sub 3:30, sub 3, sub 90, sub 20.

See coaching Free training week

2:24:35 marathon PB
3,974 days streak
Coaching since 2010

Gareth Cooke running past Big Ben at the London Marathon — London Marathon

Gareth Cooke racing down the Mall at the London Marathon — The Mall

Gareth Cooke racing the Great North Run in the rain — Great North Run

Gareth Cooke crossing the finish line at the Beverley 10K — Beverley 10K

I’m Gareth Cooke, a running coach and personal trainer from Barnsley and a member of Barnsley Athletic Club. I went from a 4:04 first marathon to 2:24:35 while working full time, and I’ve run every single day since 30 November 2015. That’s 3,974 days and counting. When surgery came along I kept the streak going, came back, and ran 15:40 at parkrun. None of that happened because I had loads of spare time. It happened because the training fitted the life.

Most of the people I coach look a lot like I did: working, busy, already running a fair few miles a week and stuck just short of a number. Sub 3:30, sub 3, sub 90, sub 20. Every plan is written around the days you can actually train, at paces built from your own recent times. If you want the strength side covered too, Premium coaching adds a full strength programme, progressed alongside your running.

The title ‘therunningmaninblue’ came from choosing to wear the same blue top when racing before I joined a running club. I have previously run for Penistone Footpath Runners & Athletic Club; making the transfer to the blue side again in 2021.

Not sure which option fits, or want to talk something through before committing? Email me on gareth@therunningmaninblue.co.uk. I answer every message myself.

Read the latest from my own training and the runners I coach on the blog.

Day 3,974 and still running

Train with someone who hasn’t missed a day since 2015

I took myself from a 4:04 marathon to 2:24:35 while working full time. No altitude camps, no shortcuts. Whatever you’re chasing, I’ll build the training that gets you there.

2:24:35 marathon PB / Coaching & PT since 2010 / Barnsley AC / Streak since 30 Nov 2015

£80 / £120

Standard / Premium, per month

1:1 coaching

Training written week by week in TrainingPeaks, synced to your watch
WhatsApp access, so I’m only ever a message away
Race planning, pacing and taper
Premium adds form analysis and a monthly call

See the tiers

£39

One off payment

Personalised training plan

5K, 10K, half or full marathon
Paces built from your own recent PB
Every session named and explained
Delivered as a branded PDF

Build my plan

Add on

£60

Running form analysis. Send up to five twenty second clips from your phone, filmed from behind and side on. You get back what your stride is actually doing, plus the corrective strength work aimed at the faults it finds.

Analyse my form

Add on

£30

Strength & conditioning plan. A full progressive programme of gym and bodyweight work built for runners, to keep you clear of injury and stronger over the closing miles.

Add S&C

Not sure yet? Start with a free consultation by email, WhatsApp or a phone call. No obligation.

Free tool

What could you run off your current fitness?

Put in a recent race and get predicted times from 5K to marathon, plus your seven training paces from recovery to reps. Free, and it takes about a minute.

Recovery / Easy / Steady / Marathon / Threshold / Interval / Reps

Find my paces

Athletes I coach

18:23 parkrun

Coached since summer 2024

Like clockwork. Whatever I set, he hits it on the nose. Training comes in peaks and troughs as it does for all of us, and he is a big confidence player, so the job is keeping the belief up when a block goes quiet. Down to 18:23 at parkrun and a few sub-40 10ks along the way.

Tom, coached athlete

2:49:17 marathon

Chester marathon, debut

A bricklayer from Barnsley who's only been running a few years. I've coached him since March and Chester was his first ever marathon. He passed all 3 of my sub 3 tests, so I called sub 3 on camera. He ran 2:49:17, with halves of 1:24:34 and 1:24:43, and his last mile was his fastest of the day.

Lee, coached athlete

2:59:18 marathon

Manchester Marathon, April 2026

“Gareth took the time to understand me, adapt my training when needed, and support me through the ups and downs of a demanding marathon block. The sessions were clear, easy to follow, and gave me the structure and confidence I needed to keep progressing. His advice, flexibility and encouragement helped me become a better, stronger and more consistent runner, and ultimately played a huge part in helping me finally achieve my sub-3 marathon goal.”

Scott

Free, no card needed

Try a week of my training before you spend a penny

A full week of real sessions, written the same way I write them for the runners I coach, with the reasoning behind every one. See how the easy days, the sessions and the long run fit together, then decide if you want more.

Send me the free week

The Valencia Project Race day 6 December 2026

Every mile of a 2:24 marathon build, filmed

On 6 December I line up in Valencia. The standard race predictors say I’m a 2:30 marathoner. My own numbers say 2:24 is still in there. The Valencia Project is the whole build on YouTube, week by week. The sessions, the mileage, the bad days and the good ones, with the reasoning behind every week so you can take it into your own training.