John Starrett (Coach Stazza) coaches runners one-to-one online, anywhere in the world, from a first 5K to the Olympic marathon. You get a human coach, not an app: one plan, built from scratch around your life, with every session you log read and answered.
About 40 years coaching · more than 950 sub-three-hour marathons coached · 95% of the runners Coach Stazza coaches improve · no minimum pace · Enquire
One coach. One plan. Built around you.
Every plan is built from scratch for one athlete. Life comes first. There is no qualifying time. The plan starts where you are today. Distances include 1500 m, 5K, 10K, half marathon, marathon, and ultra.
How coaching works
It starts with a profile, an assessment and a consultation of about 30 minutes. Stazza then writes your personalised roadmap and your sessions arrive in Final Surge, with weekly and monthly check-ins and a video call roughly every six weeks, plus before and after key races. See the six steps in full on How Stable coaching works.
Who it’s for
Beginners through club runners, ultra athletes and Olympians. No minimum pace. Training for a marathon? See online marathon coaching, sub-3 marathon coaching or Boston qualifier coaching.
Proof, not promises
About 40 years coaching. 950+ sub-3 marathons. 250+ sub-2:30s. Since 2020, Coach Stazza has had four people qualify for the US Olympic Marathon Trials: Bryant Jensen, Savannah Berry, Riley Cook, and Joy Miller.
Questions runners ask
It is personal coaching from John Starrett (Coach Stazza), delivered online to runners anywhere in the world. Your plan is built from scratch for you, from a first 5K to the Olympic marathon, and delivered through Final Surge. Stazza reads what you log and adjusts the plan. It is a human coach, not an app, and there is no minimum pace.
Your sessions appear in Final Surge, the training app the Stable uses. You log each session and leave notes, and Stazza reads them and answers. A short weekly check-in lets him fold in your feedback and make small, targeted tweaks, and a monthly check-in reviews training, fatigue and recovery. Video calls happen roughly every six weeks, plus before and after key races.
An app adjusts numbers. A coach adjusts to you. Apps and downloadable plans follow rules written for everyone, while Stazza reads your notes, sees how you are responding week by week and changes the plan when life, fatigue or a niggle gets in the way. If you only want structure, an app may be enough. If you want someone making the decisions with you, that is what one-to-one coaching is for.
It is for runners at every level: beginners, club runners, first-time marathoners, sub-3 chasers, ultra runners and Olympians, from the 1500 m to 24-hour ultras. There is no qualifying time and no minimum pace. It is not the right fit if you want a fixed plan to download and follow on your own.
Foundation first, not VO2 first. Stazza reads your questionnaire, your assessment and your first call, then places you in the phase that gives the best return right now. Foundation builds rhythm and durability, Pre-Superbase adds relaxed speed, Superbase grows aerobic strength, Bridge turns it towards race relevance, and Marathon Training sharpens the specifics before a deliberate taper.
The plan moves with your life. Because you log every session and complete weekly check-ins, Stazza can see missed days, illness or travel and adjust the next block, rather than having you chase lost sessions. The rule is simple: never too much, too soon. If you pick up an injury, get it assessed by a physio or doctor first, and your training is then adapted around their advice.
About 40 years of coaching, more than 950 sub-three-hour marathons coached and 250+ sub-2:30 finishes. Aoife Cooke went from 2:46 to 2:32:34 in about 10 months, won an Irish national title and ran at the Tokyo Olympics. Since 2020, Coach Stazza has had four people qualify for the US Olympic Marathon Trials: Bryant Jensen, Savannah Berry, Riley Cook, and Joy Miller. He is currently coaching a man from Ireland and a woman from the Philippines who are aiming for the next Olympic Games.
Book a consultation call with John to talk through your running, your goal and whether one-to-one coaching is the right fit. From there, you complete the profile and assessment, and your plan is built around you.