Kelly Chin (Running Divas)

Kelly Chin
Kelly Chin

Houston Marathon 2008

“John started coaching me 10 weeks before the Chevron Houston Marathon, where I was trying to achieve the U.S. Olympic Trials B standard of 2:47:00. Prior to this I had a six week layoff due to injury.

He devised an intense program with an eight week mileage build up and two weeks taper. He attended my key workouts and races. He kept me motivated every single day. He also kept me injury-free — another difficult task given the quick increase in mileage and my general pre-disposition to injuries.

In Houston I finished in 9th place in 2:47:48 — just short of the Trials qualifier but an impressive 3 1/2 minute PR.

I would have never gotten as close as I did without John’s help. He wanted me to achieve that Olympic Trials standard as badly as I wanted it. There are plenty of coaches out there who can write a simple training program. But John is extraordinary in his ability to motivate and inspire his athletes to take on the near-impossible.”