Rhys Desmond

Training Theory & Coaching

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  • Whistler Half Marathon – Race Recap

    The Whistler Half Marathon had the makings of something special. I’d been on course enough in the month leading into the race, and had the experience of running fast along several key sections. But I just couldn’t execute on race day. In the end it was back in my usual spot, with another fourth place…

  • The training behind Laurence Laplante’s 3-hour marathon

    Laurence’s consistency in training has been down to her own dedication to recovery and looking after herself; and three training tweaks within the last year. Here are the training approaches that helped Laurence to execute a 2:58 marathon PB, and a 3:02 day in Ottawa.

  • Inside Rachel Bolognone’s silver medal at Sulphur Springs 50K 🥈

    Rachel just ran 4:58 for the Sulphur Springs 50K, landing on the podium! Here are the training approaches and self-belief strategies we adopted close to race day; and the lessons other runners can take away!

  • Trail des Collines 16K Recap

    Normally when I finish a race, I’m jumping for joy (or limping through the airport with joy), excited to write a post-race recap of my experience. But truth be told, I’ve never wanted to pretend a race didn’t exist more.

  • Vancouver Sun Run 10K – Race Recap – Mario Kart Vancouver

    Around 8K, I told myself “this is the moment to get that 10K best. It’s now or never.” I got a little more mushroom power-up in my legs but unfortunately no coins or star power. This managed to bridge the gap between the other dudes fighting in that Yellow bib wave as we continued to…

  • Controversy over start-line access continues at Gorge Waterfalls 50K

    Race organizers of the Gorge Waterfalls 30K granted special start-line access to Nike ACG athletes, raising questions about fairness and consistency in rule enforcement at one of North America’s premier trail events.

  • How different trail races handle shuttle buses to avoid rule-breaking

    Gorge Waterfalls has kicked off with controversy to start their 2026 event, after ACG sent their athletes to the start-line early, ahead of the mandatory race shuttle buses. What initially seemed like a cheating scandal outside of the race organization’s control has quickly turned into one more about transparency and fairness, as Freetrail admitted on…

  • Nike ACG athletes granted alternate start-line access at Gorge Waterfalls 30K

    Race organizers of the Gorge Waterfalls 30K granted special start-line access to Nike ACG athletes, raising questions about fairness and consistency in rule enforcement at one of North America’s premier trail events.

  • How to pass in a trail race

    One of the best parts about racing is the chance to see where you stack up against other people. While the focus always needs to be on you and your race, the dynamics of racing against other people is often what can make racing memorable and fun. But it can sometimes be difficult to pass…

  • Newsletter – Do down weeks negatively affect fitness?

    While we’d all love to have a consistent string of weeks where everything comes together perfectly and everything clicks into place; it’s never that easy to hold onto that success for months on end. It’s natural for a dip to occur. It’s good for a dip to occur. Those super good weeks are only possible…