We’re gearing up for May 18th, when four members of the ELLE Running Club will be lacing up to take on the Copenhagen Marathon. Our biggest challenge yet, we’ve put together a crack-team of specialists to show us— and you— how to reach our running goals. Say hello to team #CPHmarathon…

Tim Weeks, Lead Coach
Tim is a trainer and elite athlete with a background in Olympic Sport, who specializes in women’s fitness. We love his infectious positivity, real-life approach and seemingly limitless knowledge of all things running. He’s worked with some of the world’s top athletes— and newbies like us, too. We’re following his bespoke training plan created exclusively for ELLE, which you can download and use to reach your own running goals. He has completed the London Marathon in 2 hours, 35 minutes; in addition to being fast on his feet, he is also the class inventor and Programme Director for Psycle London, quickly becoming an ELLE favourite. I think he might be the Siddhartha of running.
Twitter: @tim_weeks

Jean Claude Vacassin & W10 Performance, Strength & Conditioning
W10 Performance is a semi-private gym and conditioning hub in West London, filled with gentle giants who just get fitness. This is a vanity-free zone— no mirrors, no meatheads— just a positive community, both members and trainers, who love what they do and have a genuine desire to share their experiences. And these guys really know their stuff; apart from their collective qualifications, JC has competed in ironman events, ultra-running challenges and has an understanding of macro-nutrition that borderlines obsession. And he doesn’t judge us for drinking champagne; he will, however, break it down into grams-of-carbs per coupé. Ta.

FRAME, Flexibility & Recovery
A few visits to the #ELLEfashioncupboard by FRAME’s Gede Foster, AKA the bendiest woman in London (no joke: she runs a Bend-It-Like-Barbie and splits workshop at FRAMEshoreditch) and we were hooked. Operating on a pre-book or rock-up basis at both it’s London locations (Shoreditch, Queens Park), FRAME has a variety of high energy classes ranging from dynamic stretch to dance to full-on aerobic workouts. We’re taking advantage of the flexibility-focused classes to keep us limber and release our tight muscles after long runs, but love that we can mix it up so training never gets boring. The sessions are fun, the music is good, and the vibes are totally uplifting.

Felix Economakis, Psychologist
Because running is as much about state of mind as state of body, we’ve enlisted the help of Felix Economakis, one of the UK’s leading practitioners in the treatment of fear and anxiety. As a chartered psychologist, hypnotist and NLP (neuro-linguistic programming) Master Practitioner who has worked with a broad range of clients (including athletes), we think he’s in a unique position to help us conquer our running fears.

Download Lead Coach Tim Weeks’ bespoke training plan (coming soon)