Josh Laker – Ultra running coach

About Coach Josh Laker

coach josh laker running on a trail on the woods, he is wearing a black stocking hat, white Adidas jacket with lime green stripes

Josh Laker – Owner, USATF Certified Level II Endurance Coach & UESCA certified ultrarunning coach

Coach Josh Laker

I am Josh Laker, owner of 4CycleRunner, USATF certified Level II Endurance Coach, UESCA certified ultrarunning coach, and an avid ultra runner.
 
I ran track and cross country when I was a kid but I was never that good. It was something I just enjoyed doing. Flash forward to age 18. I enlisted in the Coast Guard and like many young guys in the military away from home for the first time, I made some bad choices in my personal life.
 
There was WAY too much alcohol on weekends. I ate crappy food every day. I participated in no organized sports, and the people I hung around with weren’t always the best influence on me. My “A-HA” moment came at age 26 when I was sitting in a restaurant ready to scarf down a gourmet burger and the first of many large beers.
 
A friend was talking about completing his first marathon. It sounded miserable, but one thing stood out. My friend said:
 
“Less than 1% of the entire U.S. population has completed a marathon.”
 
I took that as a challenge. It was enough to rekindle the passion for running I’d had in high school.  I picked a random plan and started training.
certified uesca ultrarunning coach official logo
usa track and field level 2 certified coach official logo

According to my training log, I had my struggles and ailments along the way but I got to the start line…. And 4 hours later, the finish line too. I had caught the bug. But after completing several marathons, I needed more, I needed a different challenge. I was tired of running the same distances over and over again. It was the same type of training and the races all felt alike. I was no longer fulfilled with just running a marathon, or trying to run another one faster.

The fear of the unknown was gone. I wanted that fear back. The fear of possibly missing the goals that gave me the drive to keep pushing. Fast-forward to 2017.

  • Six marathons completed – PR of 3:04:37 (BQ!!)
  • Countless half-marathons – PR of 1:29:24
  • 50k PR 4:48:30 – Haulin’ in the Holler
  • 50-miler PR 8:13:34 – Tunnel Hill 2015
  • 100-miler PR 17:15:36 – Yeti 100 2018
  • Longest distance – 220.83 – Ohio’s Backyard Ultra 2023
  • Farthest in 24 hours – 121.8 – The Dirt Circuit 2023
It was time to start helping others join the ranks of the few. I created my coaching business 4CycleRunner for people like you. With that drive, that urge to challenge yourself to accomplish things that very few dare to even try. Every day professionals, parents, people with busy lives. You want to avoid the biggest mistakes and find a plan that works for you.


I have been able to help hundreds of runners get to and feel good completing their first ultra race (50k, 50M, 100M) and/or run a subsequent ultra and feel better doing it.
 
I still run ultra marathons today and am always looking for the next challenge. But I’ve found helping others achieve their ultra marathon running goals is far more rewarding on a completely different level.

Ready to become a stronger Ultra runner?
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