A coach who cares about the whole you!
Choosing a coach is a commitment, and it matters that it feels right. I take that seriously. My aim is not only to help you achieve your goals, but to make sure the process itself is supportive, thoughtful, and well aligned — for both of us.
I work with people across the full spectrum: from first 5km to Marathon des Sables, from podium contenders to walkers. Speed and distance matter far less to me than your willingness to engage honestly with the process. You will never be treated as a number, or given a generic plan. I care about you as an individual, and I want you to feel seen, supported, and respected.
Results don’t come from simply paying for coaching — they come from showing up. When you do, I show up fully too. I support you, challenge you when needed, and invest in you as a whole person, not just as an athlete.
Sometimes running is simply about running. But often it’s about much more than that:
about discovering what you’re capable of, building resilience and confidence, exploring new territory — both physically and mentally — and creating habits that support a fuller life.
I’m interested in your why. In who you are, not just what you want to achieve. Because you are not a robot, and performance does not exist in a vacuum.
This is not high-volume coaching. I work with a limited number of clients so I can show up fully.
If it resonates, I would love to hear from you.
How running coaching with me works
I offer coaching online. Your training plan is delivered through TrainingPeaks, an online platform used by athletes and coaches worldwide. Your training syncs seamlessly via your device, allowing me to monitor progress and adapt the plan as needed.
No system can replace human connection, so we stay in regular contact to discuss how you’re feeling, what’s working well, and what needs adjusting. We communicate via email, messaging, and Zoom, and you decide how much support you want within the framework of your plan.
All training plans are fully bespoke and built from scratch around you. My aim is to give you the best possible chance to train safely, stay injury-free, maximise your potential, and reach your goals. I design training to fit into your life — while recognising that meaningful change sometimes requires honest adjustments to habits, priorities, or routines.
In my coaching, I take into account your sporting background, current fitness, injury history, race ambitions, and life and work commitments. The goal is consistent, effective, progressive training that supports both performance and long-term health. While injury can never be eliminated entirely, its incidence among my clients is low.
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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
Working Together
Ongoing Coaching with a Training Plan
I don’t offer one-size-fits-all coaching. 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.
Coaching and Consultations Without a Plan
A one-to-one coaching call or consultation is ideal if you don’t need a training plan, but would benefit from focused guidance. Sessions can cover anything from reviewing a self-devised training plan, preparing for a specific race, returning from injury, or working through a confidence or motivation block. These sessions are practical, individualised, and designed to give you clarity and direction.
Race Specific Coaching:
Marathon des Sables the Legendary
Marathon Des Sables The Legendary (MDS) is for many a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Many can only do it once and so you really want to succeed. The completion rate for my coaching clients is typically high, with 100% in several editions of the race.
Marathon des Sables is a very specific race. It is only if you have been there that you can fully understand the complexity brought about by the extreme environment, race format and race rules. Specific preparations are required in regard to acclimatisation, equipment, shoes, nutrition, mental aspects, race administration, camp life, etc.
Marathon des Sables coaching with me means that you get access to my all my knowledge and experience from competing in five editions of MDS (latest in 2025) and winning two of the most competitive years (2015 and 2017). I have participated both as elite and as a "mid-packer" and deeply understand the different approaches based on ability and goals.
I know what you can expect out on the course and I incorporate specific training in your plan. I have coached top runners (top 10 man, top Brit, top 3 woman), walkers aiming to complete within cut-offs, and every level in between.
I would love to help you cross that finish line, collect the medal, and achieve what most people will never dare to take on.
All of my clients have an individually crafted plan based on their specific circumstances and needs, ongoing access to me on WhatsApp, regular zoom calls, and my full support. This is 1-1 bespoke coaching.
You decide how long you need, but I recommend a minimum of five months.
In my Marathon des Sables coaching, you are fully supported with everything below:
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:
Multi-Stage Ultra-Marathons
If you are doing another multi-stage ultra, different from the Marathon des Sables, I offer the same supportive coaching to help you prepare. I have personal experience from many stage races such as Grand to Grand, Racing the Planet / 4 Deserts, The Coastal Challenge and Everest Trail Race, and I have coached clients for a multitude of events like this. This also includes the shorter three- or four-day events. Get in touch, and let's explore how we can work together.
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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.