Coaching is personal.
Experience matters. So does listening, understanding the person behind the training log, and remembering that every athlete brings a different life to the starting line.
Barry
Barry has been coaching runners and walkers for more than twenty years. His philosophy is built around consistency, effort, recovery, and purpose.
He wants athletes to understand why a workout matters so they can make smart choices even when a coach is not there.
Barry is an RRCA Level 2 Certified Running Coach and a McMillan Certified Running Coach.
Michele
Michele is a Certified RRCA Running Coach and a Licensed Neuromuscular Massage Therapist.
Her work is not limited to athletes. She helps people dealing with chronic pain, accidents, difficult surgical outcomes, and other short- and long-term physical challenges restore and maintain movement and improve their lives.
That experience gives our coaching another perspective on movement, recovery, and the person behind the athlete.
That is not a marketing line. It is how we see the people who trust us with their goals.
An attitude we carry forward.
The name First or Fastest reflects an attitude we learned years ago from our friend and mentor, Coach Bernie Sher. Bernie understood that the athlete working toward a first or next finish line deserved every bit as much respect and attention as the athlete chasing their fastest.
It was never about the coach’s ego or comparing one athlete to another. It was about helping each athlete become the best version of themselves.
It’s our honor to carry Bernie’s First or Fastest attitude forward in the way we coach today.