John Fitzgerald

“My coaching relies on meaningful communication and engagement with my athletes. I adapt my coaching to work with each person’s different learning style, real or perceived limiters, and schedule demands. Getting an athlete to their peak fitness requires that I never neglect the mental side of training, racing, and building confidence.”

Originally from Massachusetts, I moved to Missoula, MT, in 2008 to study at The University of Montana. I was inspired to pursue a career in coaching while earning my B.S. in Exercise Science. My professors engaged their students in their passion for exercise physiology wherever possible: in their lecture halls, laboratories (I loved being a lab rat), and out on the trails.  While racing on the triathlon and cycling teams, my coaches showed me that an endurance coaching career was possible (and that I too could learn how to swim).

Being outside and pushing myself mentally and physically makes me tick, and I believe an active lifestyle is the best medicine. I ran my first ultra at the Tahoe Rim Trail 50 miler. I’ve competed in over 16 100 milers since then, including Western States and Bear 100 as well as over 35 “shorter” distance trail ultras, multiple 100 mile mountain bike events and cross country ski racing.

I was the first ultrarunning-specific coach hire at CTS in 2016 and began coaching professionally in 2013. I founded the Tahoe Ultra Camp in 2015 and since then have hosted an average of one ultrarunning camp per year. My athletes live all over the world and their abilities range from beginner to professional athletes. My athletes compete in stage races, Xterra, long-distance mountain bike racing, FKTs, mountaineering, and road marathons, though I specialize in coaching for ultrarunning.