From a 25-Minute 5K to a Sub-2:20 Marathon

MY JOURNEY

I Quit My Banking Career to follow my dreams and pursue my passion in running and coaching. Here's What I Learned.

For 10 years, I worked as a banker. Sacrificing my lunch breaks to run.

My first 5K took over 25 minutes. My debut marathon was 3:17. At that stage, I thought I could never get faster.

But I kept going. I got fitter. I got smarter about my training. And I realised one thing: if I trained properly, I could improve. Every time.

That mindset never left me. I improved every single year — from 3:17 down to 2:19 at Berlin. Along the way, my colleagues at work started noticing. They asked questions. I built them training plans in Excel. One became ten. Ten became twenty-five.

Within months I was working with multiple athletes. I formalised that into Best Athletics — now 600+ members, 7 coaches, registered with England Athletics and supported by Adidas.

By 2020, the demand had grown so much I faced a decision: stay safe in banking, or back myself. I left my job — in the middle of a pandemic — to coach runners full-time.

Best Athletics launched in March 2020. Registered with England Athletics from day one. What started with a handful of runners has grown to 600+ members and 7 coaches. We run in-person training camps across the UK and in Iten, Kenya — the home of distance running. Training alongside Kenyan athletes in Iten taught me things no textbook covers. The way they approach daily effort, recovery, and mindset feeds directly into how I coach today.

I also help out with adidas Runners London as a coach, it’s a hands-on role rather than a title. And I’m still racing myself. Over the years, I’ve been lucky enough to finish 100+ marathons across 8 countries, including Berlin, London, Valencia, and Tokyo. That’s given me the chance to train through a wide range of climates, time zones, and race-week situations my athletes find themselves in – so when they ask how to handle something, I can usually speak from experience rather then theory.

MY PHILOSOPHY

Work Hard. Play Hard. Fuel Hard.

Most runners train too hard on easy days and not hard enough on hard days. They chase mileage without purpose, collect training plans without understanding them, and wonder why they plateau year after year.

I believe in polarised training, structured recovery, and building aerobic foundations that last. I believe every runner — regardless of pace — deserves a plan built around their life, not a generic template built for someone else.

The newsletter exists to close the gap between my coaching knowledge and everyday runners.
Every issue is a coaching session in your inbox — practical, honest, and grounded in real-world experience.

"This is the system that took me from 3:17 to 2:19. It's what I coach, and I want is to help as many people on their journey as possible.”

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