Episode 577: Evan Schwartz – Head Coach and Founder of The Track Club & Marathon Specialist

In this episode of our coaching series, sponsored by V.O2, we sit down with Evan Schwartz, head coach of the Track Club in Boulder, Colorado. Evan is an accomplished coach with a wealth of experience in the running industry. He worked in content planning, production, and distribution at Stride before transitioning into coaching, eventually founding his own group called The Track Club, which has been growing steadily in Boulder. Evan’s coaching roster includes athletes like Emma Kertesz, who you may remember from her recent Bayshore Marathon victory and Laura Thweatt, so you get a sense of how much he’s involved with the running community. He’s had athletes achieve incredible feats, including appearances at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials, the 2024 BAA 5K Pro Field, the 2023 BAA Half Marathon Pro Field, and the 2023 Chicago Marathon Pro Field. In addition to his coaching career, Evan is an accomplished runner himself. His marathon PR is 2:18:19 and he has a half marathon PR of 67:28. Evan is a USATF-certified marathon specialist coach, and you can learn more about his coaching approach and services at evanschwartzcoaching.com . What we talked about: 5:00- How The Track Club got started 11:10- His career before coaching full time 16:00- The business side of The Track Club 20:15- His own coach and how he has influenced Evan’s coaching career 24:10- High mileage training plans 28:30- His favorite cross training and heat training methods 38:50- Words of encouragement that he gives athletes on race day 47:00- End of podcast questions Show notes: Evan’s website Book recommendations: A Tale for the Time Being Other Coaching Series Episodes: Diljeet Taylor – Episode 455 Jenna Wrieden – Episode 453 Kevin Hanson – Episode 451 Sheila Burrell – Episode 449 Ryan Hall – Episode 447 Jon Green – Episode 445 High school coaching series: Chris Turner – Episode 477 Chuck Schwartz – Episode 483 Lisa Taylor – Episode 481 Robyn McGillis and Marie Markham – Episode 479 Brian Rosetti – Episode 475 Connect with Lindsey: Lindsey on Instagram Lindsey on Twitter Support our sponsors: V.O2 Go to vdoto2.com and use the code “CoachLindsey” for 20% off your subscription Listen to my episode with the founder of V.O2 here