First-time marathoner
“I never thought I'd be smiling at mile 13. The plan met me where I actually was, not where some generic program assumed I'd be.”
ChallengeHadn't run since high school
The winFinished strong, smiling the whole way
— Peter
The first-time marathon company
Run your
first
marathon.
Private coaching from a crew with 250+ finish lines behind it. We coach you to the start line, or we handle the whole marathon. You just run.
250+
Finish lines crossed by the RWM crew
24/7
Direct line to your coach
1:1
Built for you, not a template
26.2
Start Line Guarantee
Watch — What race day actually feels like
Your training arc
Built around you · adjusted weekly
Base
Build
Peak
Taper
Est. 2016 · Only [10] private runners per season
Included in both programs
Your own athlete dashboard.
Most coaches hand you a PDF and wish you luck. You get a private dashboard built around your name, your race and your numbers, updated every week. It lives on your phone like an app.
Sample · your name, your race, your numbers
Mile Marker scorecard
Every week you get a score on mileage, Zone 2 discipline, consistency and recovery, plus a note on exactly what to change next week.
This week's plan, day by day
Every run has its distance, your pace range and a coaching note. Intervals are broken down rep by rep.
Paces that grow with you
Your pacing guide moves from base to build to peak, all the way to your goal marathon pace.
The First Marathon Toolkit
Gear worth buying, what to skip, injury red flags, a mile-by-mile race guide and a race-week countdown.
Nutrition calculator
Daily fueling targets built from your body and your training phase.
What's happening in your body
Each week explains what you're feeling and why, so a sore Tuesday never turns into panic.
The real reason people don't finish
Why first marathons go wrong.
It's almost never about grit. It's doing it alone, on a plan that wasn't built for you.
01
A generic plan
Downloaded plans don't know your job, your kids or your knees. Life happens in week 7 and the plan falls apart.
02
Too much, too soon
Most first-timers get hurt from running too much, too fast. Nobody is watching the numbers or telling them to pull back.
03
Guessing on race day
What pace? When's the first gel? What do I wear at the start? One bad guess at mile 3 shows up at mile 20.
04
No one in their corner
"My calf feels weird. Do I run today?" An app can't answer that. A coach can, the same morning.
When training alone hits a wall
You have two options.
Without Run With Mike
The uncertainty path
"I'm figuring this out alone"
Generic
Risky
Alone
Free plans, random pace charts and trial and error. Nobody to text, nobody watching your data, and you plan race weekend yourself. Every run gets slower, riskier and more likely to end in an injury or a missed start.
With Run With Mike
The confidence path
"I've got a coach in my corner"
Built for you
24/7 support
Guaranteed
A plan built for your body, a coach who adjusts it every week, data reviews from a performance expert, and a course-specific race plan. With The Experience, race weekend is handled too. You train smarter, stay healthy and reach the start line ready.
How it works
Five checkpoints to the finish line.
Checkpoint 01 · Start Line Call
A free 20-minute call about your goal, history and calendar. If we're not the right fit, we'll say so.
Checkpoint 02 · Pick the race
We match the race to you: timing, course, climate and destination.
Checkpoint 03 · Build
Your plan, weekly calls, the 24/7 line and data reviews, all the way to taper.
Checkpoint 04 · Race weekend
Your game plan in hand. With The Experience, everything's booked and Mike is there.
Checkpoint 05 · Recover and reflect
Your race report, a recovery plan, and what's next, if you want a next.
Five checkpoints. One finish line.
The room
Real people. Real finish lines.
Pick your program
We coach you. Or we handle everything.
Both backed by the Start Line Guarantee
We coach you
Private Coaching
"I want Mike in my corner, every day, all the way to the finish line."
16-week program
$1,100
paid once
Save $80 when you pay in full.
Total value $6,850 · 16 weeks through race day
Your plan, built around your life
Running and strength around your schedule, history and race. Rebuilt every week when work, travel or kids get in the way.
$1,500
24/7 direct line to Mike
Text or voice-note anytime: a sore calf, a missed run, a pre-race panic. A real answer from your coach.
$1,500
Weekly 1:1 check-in call
Fifteen focused minutes: what went well, what to change, what next week looks like.
$1,200
Mile Marker scorecards + performance reviews
A weekly score on mileage, heart rate, consistency and recovery, plus a monthly deep dive with Derrick.
$800
Strength and injury prevention
Short strength and mobility sessions that keep your legs under you through peak weeks.
$400
Race-specific pace and fueling plan
Mile-by-mile pacing for your course and fueling matched to what the race hands out.
$300
Race-week game plan
A forecast-based kit list, a taper you can trust and a race-morning timeline.
$250
Shoe, gear and watch setup
What to buy, what to skip, and your watch set up to feed us the right data.
$200
Post-race debrief and recovery plan
Your personal race report and a plan to recover the right way.
$250
BonusRace Picker session
We match a race to your goal, fitness and calendar.
$250
BonusMike's mile-by-mile course guide
Where the hills hit, where it gets lonely and where the crowds carry you.
$200
Race entry, travel and gear not included.
The full journey
We handle everything
The Marathon Experience
"I want to train. I want someone else to handle the rest."
16-week program
$2,950
paid once
Save $230 when you pay in full.
Total value $11,200 · trip costs billed at cost
Everything in Private Coaching
The full program above, including the 24/7 line, weekly calls, data reviews and both bonuses.
$6,850
Race registration done for you
The right race and wave, registered before it sells out. Charity or tour entry found if needed.
$250
Travel and lodging, booked
A hotel walking distance from the start, or a vetted Airbnb for the family. Late checkout requested.
$500
Every meal reserved
The right pre-race dinner, a post-race celebration and the local spots only a regular knows.
$300
Rides handled
Airport pickup, start-line drop-off and finish-line pickup. No parking, no shuttle lines.
$300
Mike on the ground, race weekend
Expo walkthrough, shakeout run, pre-race dinner, a start-line send-off and Mike at the finish.
$2,000
Your family's cheer plan
Where to stand and when, live tracking on their phones, and their own plans while you rest.
$300
Pro photos and a highlight video
Your finish line, captured properly. Ready to frame and post.
$500
Recovery booked
A post-race massage scheduled before you've even finished.
$200
Entry, flights, lodging and meals booked for you at cost. No markup.
The Start Line Guarantee
Do the work. We get you there.
Follow the plan we build for you and show up to your weekly check-ins. If you're not on the start line ready to run, we keep coaching you to your next race at no extra cost, however long it takes. It's a real commitment from us, in exchange for a real one from you. We're not the right fit for a plan you'll ignore. We are the right fit if you're ready to show up.
Who's in your corner
The hardest part was never the 26.2 miles. It was believing you could start.
I didn't start as a runner. I started as a kid who needed someone to tell him he had more in him than he could see. That one person changed the entire direction of my life.
150+ races later, Run With Mike is my way to hand that same belief to someone else, one first marathon at a time. I lead every client personally, from the first call to the finish line.
— Mike, founder and head coach
[PHOTO]
Performance + data lead
Derrick
Master's degree in human performance. 20 years in the U.S. Army. Senior data leadership experience. Derrick reads your training data so we adjust on evidence, not hunches.
Questions
Answered.
I've never run more than a 5K. Is this for me?
Yes. First-timers are who we built this for. On your Start Line Call we'll set a race date that gives you enough time to build safely.
How long does the program last?
Both programs run for 16 weeks, through race day and your debrief. On your Start Line Call we'll pick a race date that fits your starting fitness.
What does "24/7 access" really mean?
You can message Mike anytime, day or night. Urgent questions about today's run get answered the same morning. [Set your exact response-time promise here.]
What's included in The Experience price, and what isn't?
The 16-week program is $2,950 paid in full, or 4 monthly payments of $795 ($3,180 total). It covers coaching, planning, all bookings and Mike's race-weekend support. Your own trip costs (race entry, flights, lodging, meals) are booked for you and billed at cost, with no markup.
Can I upgrade from Private Coaching later?
Yes. Upgrade anytime before your race and pay only the difference, as long as there's time to book.
Why are spots limited?
Mike coaches every runner personally. To keep the 24/7 line real, he takes on a limited number of private runners each season. Founding runners also keep this year's rate for their next race.
Only [10] private runners per season
Your start line is waiting.
Book a free 20-minute Start Line Call. We'll talk about your goal, pick a race date and tell you which program fits, or if neither does.
Book your free Start Line CallNo pressure. No obligation. Just a plan.