A quartet of Pacific Northwest trail and ultra runners have launched a new coaching scholarship for young athletes looking to break through to the elite levels of competition. Well known athletes and coaches Scott Traer, Yassine Duboin, Rosa Moriello, and Joe McConaughy, are offering a scholarship for one year of free coaching for 7-10 athletes. About the program McConaughy wrote,
“It took me years before I started to realize my potential. Now, I want to be a resource and mentor for the next generation of trail runners. I want to increase the diversity of the people who participate in my sport; to guide runners to reach limits they never could’ve dreamed of.”
The goals of these scholarships are to develop the next generation of trail and ultrarunners and to increase the diversity of participants in our sport. Here’s what they’ve written about their program and how you can apply:
Mission statement
As coaches, mentors, and competitive runners, we want to create a program to empower the next generation of trail and ultra runners.
The ultramarathon distance has historically been where aging road and track runners go to retire and where a few elite athletes are able to dominate at a few select races. However, COVID and the ensuing current running boom have contributed to more runners looking to run trails and ultras or set Fastest Known Times. At the same time, the distance is grueling and complex. The strategy of a multi-hour or multi-day effort intimidated all of us as younger runners. It took time to finally start asking the right questions to reach our potential.
Rather than the burnout marathoner discovering trails at the age of 35, let’s have a 24-year-old ex-collegiate runner try to tackle the 100-mile distances. Let’s have a 26-year-old thru-hiker try to run the entirety of the 212-mile John Muir Trail. Let’s have runners from diverse backgrounds and with unique perspectives refresh and enhance a historically white and male-dominated sport. We’ve seen too many talented runners and athletes give up on ultras after crashing in a fiery ball of defeat at their first race. We’ve seen the trail running world ignored by those intimidated by either the distance or wilderness.
Trail running is empowering. It directs our passions and energies into positive, community-building experiences. The process to develop into a stronger runner requires patience, ambition, and curiosity. We want to cultivate passionate, younger, and talented athletes, and to introduce them to a world which we love so much.
We, Scott Traer, Yassine Duboin, Rosa Moriello, and Joe McConaughy, are offering a scholarship for one year of free coaching for 7-10 athletes. The goals of this program are:
- To develop talent in the future generation of the trail and ultra runners, and mentor those individuals to succeed in running and life.
- To broader the diversity of the sport to include those that have historically been underrepresented and/or discouraged from participation.
In the US, the ultramarathon distance is dominated by white athletes and individuals who identify as heterosexual males. While that isn’t a knock on previous generations of runners, we strongly believe our sport will flourish and be much more impactful if we have more Joseph Gray’s, Courtney Dauwalter’s, and Ryan Montgomery’s. We hope to attract and select individuals who bring different perspectives and/or background to the sport, and that, by working with one of us, these individuals will find their footing and voice in the trail running community.
Each of us has had our own journey to discover trails. We hope our mentorship will encourage a few select young people to pursue trail and ultra distances and to accelerate their learning and enjoyment of the sport.
Rosa Moriello
Should I apply?
This scholarship is meant to support younger adult runners who are looking to develop themselves as a competitive ultramarathon- or Fastest Known Time-focused athlete. See criteria below:
- Between the ages of 20-28*.
- A resident of the United States, Canada or Mexico. (coaching is remote/no geographic location required)
- Athletic individuals with thru-hiking backgrounds; or, Individuals with competitive running backgrounds. Time suggestions listed below:
- Men: 4:20 mile, 15:00 5k, 31:00 10k, 1:12 HM, 2:30 marathon & competitive ultramarathon performances
- Women: 4:50 mile, 16:30 5k, 34:30 10k, 1:20 HM, 2:45 marathon & competitive ultramarathon performances
We encourage individuals with various racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, and cultural backgrounds and/or sexual orientations or identities to apply.
* With these scholarships, we’re hoping to encourage and mentor younger athletes who might not otherwise have an opportunity to obtain or confidence to seek out high-quality coaching. That generally means folks around, 20-28; however, if you feel that you should be included within this group but are older than 28, please consider applying and telling us more about why this scholarship would be a good fit for you.
Joe McConaughy
Benefits
Each coach is offering a few scholarships spots to different athletes for the entire calendar year of 2022, totaling 7-10 spots total.
- 12 months of one-on-one coaching services* (a $2,400 value). Including:
- Customized training plan via Google Docs or Final Surge
- Private training Slack & Strava groups
- Tempo, track, hill and long run workouts
- Weight program consulting
- Race nutrition consulting^
- Gear and fast packing consultation
- Injury consultation^
- Sponsor discounts (COROS, TrailButter, and more)
- Gear from sponsors potentially including Janji, Brooks, Columbia and others.
Additional mentorship: If possible, I will pair you with a regionally located athlete who is able to offer additional mentorship and potential transportation assistance for events. If events require travel, I will work to help you find local support from the community with transportation, lodging, and support if possible.
*Individual coaches have different coaching styles and processes and have unique sponsorship arrangements to benefit you.
^While we make every effort to provide athletes with correct information that is tailored to you, we are experienced running coaches but not licensed medical professionals. We study modern running practices to attempt to keep any athlete injury-free and healthy, but running may cause damage to your body. For medical issues, you should see a licensed professional. Under no circumstance shall any coach be held responsible for injury or damages.
Scott Traer
Application info & process
Please apply using this link. If you have questions about your application, please leave a comment below, or message Joe via Instagram.
In the application, you will be asked to answer questions about your personal history, training history, and goals. You will also be asked to submit a 500 word written essay on ‘Why do you wish to apply for this scholarship? Will this experience contribute to your personal or professional goals, or impact your community?’.
See timeline. When the application period ends, we will review applications and narrow down a list of finalists. Finalists will be notified and scheduled for a follow-up call. The purpose of this call is to make sure that you and your coach are the right fit for your needs as an athlete. Non-selected applicants will be notified, by 12/20/21 at the latest. Additionally, we have a plan to create a community and offering some coaching services for individuals not selected.
- Application period: 11/17 – 12/17/21
- Beginning of December: Interview of finalists and selection of 3 recipients
- Coaching start date: 1/1/21
Yassine Duboin (second from right), member of the U.S. men’s silver medal winning team at the 2015 Trail World Championship.
If selected, what will be required of me?
Your coach will work with you to set goals and a training calendar for 2022. We expect any athlete…
- To dedicate significant time and effort to training (8-12 hours per week)
- To have a long-term interest in developing into a competitive trail runner, ultra runner or fastpacker
- To attend bi-weekly or monthly one-on-one check-ins with your coach
- To set a race calendar for 2022 with at least 3 efforts/events
- To be an engaged member of their local trail running community and steward of the sport, including at least 8 hours as a volunteer or pacer at a trail running event or race at two separate events
- To engage with your coaches client roster for both their benefit and for that of the broader group
Optional: To write a monthly blog article on a running-related topic. This could be on the running experience, a race report, a gear review, or whatever topic is interesting to them. Link to blog.
Maximizing your potential as a trail and ultra runner is a multi-step process. In this program, we’re interested in helping younger athletes establish a program and process to develop their craft rather than focusing purely on results. Most ultrarunners post their best performances in their 30’s; becoming a strong trail runner takes years to develop, immediate results will not be the best measure of long-term success.
[Editor’s Note: Are you not eligible for this scholarship? You can find an extensive national directory of trail running coaches on our website.]
