The Way I Work
Choosing to work with me is a commitment — and I take that seriously.
I work with people who have full lives, real responsibilities, and limited tolerance for noise or gimmicks. People who are thoughtful about where they invest their time, energy, and attention — and who want their preparation to reflect that.
Many of my clients are successful by conventional standards. They know how to perform, endure, and deliver. What they’re often seeking is not more pressure or optimisation, but greater clarity, confidence, and self-trust — especially when the terrain becomes uncertain.
Endurance challenges are rarely just about running. They are about how you make decisions when you’re tired. How you respond to discomfort and ambiguity. How you pace yourself when there is no external validation. And how you relate to limits — physical, mental, and personal — without outsourcing responsibility.
That is where my work sits.
I don’t offer generic plans or automated thinking. I pay close attention. I help you prepare in a way that is intentional, sustainable, and aligned with the realities of your life — not an abstract ideal.
This is not high-volume coaching. I work with a limited number of people so the work remains personal, considered, and effective — and so I can show up fully.
If you’re looking for quick fixes or someone to simply tell you what to do, this won’t be the right fit. If you’re willing to engage honestly with the process — and with yourself — then we should talk.
The Working Relationship
I work remotely, which allows us to stay closely connected while you train and live in the real world.
Your preparation is bespoke, adaptive, and responsive — shaped by how you’re actually doing, not by a fixed template or rigid plan. We stay in regular contact to sense-check decisions, adjust direction, and respond intelligently as fatigue, life, and uncertainty show up.
Tools and platforms support the work, but they don’t drive it. What matters is attention, context, and judgement — knowing when to push, when to hold, and when to change course.
My role is not just to prescribe training, but to help you prepare well — physically, mentally, and practically — so that when things get uncomfortable, you trust your decisions and yourself.
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Your coaching and training programme made an enormous difference to me. I feel so much wiser now and understand how I should be going about my running training. I can’t thank you enough.
Craig
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I just wanted to say a very big thank you to you for all your fantastic plans you have written for me and for the support and advice you have given. Turned up well prepared and well advised to race.
Lizzie
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Your coaching was perfect for me. Your plans pushed me but also gave me flexibility when traveling and working long hours. Knowing what I had to do each week gave me great confidence.
Mary-Anne
Ways to Work With Me
Ongoing Coaching with a Training Plan
I don’t offer one-size-fits-all coaching pre-packaged solutions. How we work together depends on your goals, experience, available time, and the level of support you need.
Some people benefit from steady, ongoing guidance. Others want closer involvement for a specific goal or race. We figure that out together — and adjust as we go.
Support can range from monthly check-ins and weekly plan adjustments, to closer involvement with more frequent communication and follow-up. The level of support we choose reflects what will serve you best — not a predefined tier.
Ongoing coaching begins from €750 per month.
The Immersion: Private Endurance Experience
An exclusive, invitation-only coaching and ultra-endurance experience.
Designed for a very small number of individuals each year, by application, who are seeking something far beyond conventional coaching. This is a shared endurance experience — where preparation, presence, and challenge converge, and the work culminates in undertaking the event together.
Race Specific Coaching for
Marathon des Sables The Legendary
Marathon Des Sables The Legendary (MDS) is for many a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Most people only get one attempt — and preparation matters.
MDS is a highly specific race. Its complexity only becomes fully apparent once you’ve experienced the environment, format, and demands firsthand. Heat, self-sufficiency, equipment choices, nutrition, pacing, camp life, and administration all interact — and mistakes are costly.
Coaching with me means drawing on direct, lived experience. I’ve competed in five editions of MDS (most recently in 2025), winning two of the most competitive years (2015 and 2017). I’ve raced both at the front of the field and as a mid-packer, and I understand how preparation needs to change depending on ability, context, and intention.
I know what to expect on the course — and how to prepare for it in a way that is calm, deliberate, and realistic. I work with people aiming to perform well, to finish strong within cut-offs, or simply to meet the challenge well — without unnecessary drama or risk.
As my client, you receive fully individualised coaching, built around your circumstances and constraints, with direct access to me throughout the process. This is one-to-one, bespoke coaching — not a package or template.
You decide the length of engagement, though I recommend a minimum of five months for meaningful preparation.
My Marathon des Sables coaching includes comprehensive support across the full preparation process:
Realistic goal setting and pacing for the event
Bespoke training plan
Race nutrition & hydration
Detailed race food plan examples
Heat acclimation protocol
Understanding the race terrain
Regular 1-1 Zoom calls
Equipment guidance
Detailed equipment list template
Check-point procedures & camp life
Travel logistics guidance
Foot care
Answers to all your questions
Direct contact via WhatsApp and email
Race Specific Coaching for
Multi-Stage Ultra-Marathons
If you are preparing for a multi-stage ultra other than Marathon des Sables, I offer the same depth of coaching and support, tailored to the specific demands of your event.
I have personal racing experience across a range of multi-stage formats and environments — including Grand to Grand, Racing the Planet / 4 Deserts, The Coastal Challenge, and the Everest Trail Race — and I’ve coached clients for a wide variety of similar events worldwide, from shorter three- or four-day races to longer, more complex undertakings.
While each race has its own character, the underlying work remains the same: thoughtful preparation, sound decision-making under fatigue, and a clear understanding of what the event will demand of you — physically, mentally, and logistically.
If you’re considering a multi-stage race and want coaching that is calm, experienced, and genuinely individual, get in touch and we can explore whether working together is the right fit.
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I would whole-heartedly recommend your coaching service to anyone. You saved me and gave me the confidence and the skills to go into the MDS and run it whilst enjoying it. I would never have finished where I did had I been on another plan. The attention to detail, the genuine passion for running and the desire to help others achieve their goals is what sets you apart from others.
My plan was individually tailored, thoroughly considered, and with a no gimmicks approach, which instilled so much confidence in me to tackle both the longer and shorter distances. You were always there to guide, reassure and help, and answer my questions.
You tailored my plan to work alongside my busy lifestyle so it became a joy to train, never a chore. Your in-depth knowledge of kit was also pivotal in making MDS training considerably easier given your clear understanding that one size most definitely does not fit all! Again, I went into the desert knowing that I had the best kit that worked for me in conjunction with a really great, game changing block of training - all attributable to you!
Rebecca
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It was brutal out there. It was about survival. It wasn't really about survival of the fittest, but survival of the most organised and most prepared. I observed so many people who were just not prepared. They had the wrong kit, their food wasn't working for them, and they were not able to manage themselves in the heat. Thanks to your guidance I felt like I got most things spot on.
IAN
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Working with Elisabet was a pleasure. The detailed training plan, pack guidance and her race knowledge gave me everything I needed to head to the desert with confidence. I most certainly would not have been able to complete the MDS Legendary without her!
BEX
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Dear Elisabet
Thank you for being a very significant part of my amazing journey, one that really started 6 years ago in Lanzarote when we first met.
Working with you was absolutely key to my Marathon des Sables The Legendary success. It was a joint success!
In terms of my training and preparation, without your attention to detail, your personalised and flexible training plan and your continued and unwavering support, friendship and belief in me, I would not have achieved my goal, which was to not only complete the race but also to enjoy every step of the journey.
I loved every minute and felt that I got stronger snd more confident as each day passed. I want to (will) go back!
Your bespoke, MDS specific training plan was not only specific to MDS, but also specific to me. You accommodated my complex work and personal schedule, adapted the program to my existing ability, but also unveiled and targeted my potential so that significant improvements in my overall fitness (physical and mental), endurance levels, and capabilities were achieved. I cannot thank you enough.
My training program was efficient and effective, focused, but not overwhelming.
Incorporating training into my daily commute to work was inspirational! The use of TrainingPeaks facilitated a very high level of accountability (for me), which I needed. I liked that you clearly reviewed my weekly progress, gave praise and encouragement, and on occasions adapted my plan to best utilise my time. You build on my strengths, and address my weaknesses. You flexed my plan if I needed to change my work/personal schedule - thank you for this.
Our coach-client relationship worked because there was a high level of transparency and trust between us. You set me a task - I did it! I put my trust in you to guide me through the training program and help me prepare for the event. The invaluable kit check the day before the event was pivotal in the final stages of preparation. I would highly recommend you offer this to other clients, even if it has to be done on a video call.
The resources and knowledge that you shared were priceless, they gave me “the edge” I needed to believe in myself, especially my ability to complete the race.
If I had any queries or questions about any aspect of my training, you answered them quickly and in depth. If ever I felt unwell (e.g. got a cold or developed a niggle) and unable to train, I let you know, and you adapted my training schedule. You taught me the importance of rest and recovery!
My success in MDS was definitely a team effort because without your coaching and support I would not have been as well prepared as I was for the event. I felt like you were 100% invested in me achieving my goal. You helped make my dream come true and have opened another door of possibilities and dreams.
I will forever be in your debt.
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KATIE
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I can’t recommend Elisabet Barnes highly enough as a running coach. Before working with her, I had only completed a half marathon and couldn’t imagine tackling something as challenging as the Marathon Des Sables race. Elisabet’s attentive approach and ability to develop a customized training plan specifically tailored to my goals made all the difference. Her expert guidance and support were instrumental in helping me successfully complete this demanding but incredibly rewarding race. Without her coaching, I simply wouldn’t have been able to achieve this milestone. For runners of any level looking to reach new heights in their training, Elisabet is the coach you need.