After the last successful ‘private’ visit of our favourite form coach Shane Benzie to Gibraltar in January, we spoke of getting him back to do a bigger, group session. Having jumped through a few hoops locally, we secured a room at the Lathbury Sports Complex - with a big TV for analysis, and use of the track - for the weekend of 20 and 21 June.

It was full-on summer, humid in the mornings and hot in the afternoons, and the session started at 10am on Saturday 20 June with no air con (broken) and no TV (no remote/couldn’t turn it on). Once we’d figured out where the hidden button to navigate the TV was, and nabbed a fan from centre manager’s office, we were ready to go.

Ken getting some one-on-one coaching out on the track on the Sunday.

We had 12 athletes, mainly from Carpe Diem Running Club but also some of the crew from Crazy Morning Runners, plus triathlete Charlie, Hyroxer Kyrone and our mate Tim who we ran Boston with - a friendly, perceptive bunch, all keen to learn. Shane introduced himself, got everyone to share a bit about themselves, then it was straight out to the track for the ‘before’ of the day’s ‘before and after’ filming of running form.

Interspersed with stories, impromptu advice on everything from training shoes to triathlon transitions, and anecdotes, Shane went through everyone’s videos, helping the athletes to spot where they could improve. Then we repeated, and repeated - I think we had seven sessions out on the track in total across the seven hours together, as foot landing/takeoff technique, leg movement, arms, posture, head position and more were experienced, watched on video, understood and improved upon.

Our hastily produced flyer for the event - we’ve never arranged anything like this before but I was pleased and proud of Gibraltar for getting behind our first try at something like this.

It was a storming success - to a person, everyone left with a completely different view of how to run, lots to think about and put in to practise, and were all appreciative of our efforts to get Shane here. Before and after the ‘main’ day he squeezed in a few private sessions with local runners we’d previously pointed his way, and I dropped him at the airport on the Sunday with firm plans for a return early in the new year for even longer - possibly a beginner day, an intermediate day and a day of private sessions.

It’s great to facilitate bringing this calibre of coach to the Rock, and whatever happens next, I strongly feel that this is the start of something. Personally I loved enabling this along with Faye, because I know what a difference his coaching made to my own running, playing a big part in moving my marathon PB from 3:31 to 2:59. I am sure we’re going to see some equally impressive changes in the running of some of the athletes who attended this weekend.

Feedback from participants:

“This was amazing. I always fear that with these single day events that most of the time it’s just the coach saying all the amazing work they’ve done but this was the complete opposite. In detail as to what is good running, what am I doing differently and what can I do going forward. Extremely worth it. I understand how to run now. This time one month ago I was doing 40secs slower/km and feeling 10x worse. This felt like clockwork and it’s only been a day since I’ve learnt how to run properly!” - Charlie Walker

“An excellent workshop! The focus on treating the body as a whole provided great takeaways that apply far beyond just running. The instructor was engaging, positive, and very clear in his coaching, making his teaching points easy to learn. I would definitely look forward to learning from him again and further progress my knowledge and self awareness in my running ability.” - Kyrone Watson

“Thank you for such an informative and enjoyable workshop, for sharing your expertise and delivering such a worthwhile course. I found it extremely valuable. The practical explanations and guidance were excellent. As someone in my 60s with osteopenia, my goal is to keep running for as long as possible. This course has given me greater confidence in how to do that safely and efficiently, while helping me better understand my movement and technique. I will certainly be putting what I learned into practice.” - Stephanie

“There’s a lot of running advice available in books and videos, but too often it focuses on what to do, not why it works, which leads people to apply techniques ineffectively. Shane’s course is different: he explains the science and reasoning behind each approach, then gives practical demonstrations and a clear, structured plan that helps you implement the lessons and see real improvement.” - Tim Seed

“Thank you Shane for a fantastic day on Saturday! The whole day was so well organised, it was interesting and I learnt so much. As a keen runner I enjoyed learning about the perfect running form. It was great to receive some live coaching feedback on my form and ways to improve. It was also great to learn so much within a group environment, everyone was engaged and had a laugh together. I also enjoyed hearing your real life stories about different athletes you have met and coached/ analysed, but also the different places you have been too, the projects you have been a a part of and are working on. I can’t wait to book in to see you again for a follow up session on my progress. Thank you Phil and Faye for organising such a great and memorable day.” - Emma Risby

“I first had a private session with Shane in January, where he quickly identified areas I could improve, including my rather unfortunate heel strike, which I had absolutely no idea I was doing! After that session, I worked hard to follow his advice and improve my running form. Like most runners, though, once the initial focus faded, I gradually stopped thinking about every step and simply got back to enjoying my runs. That is why it was so valuable to be reassessed this weekend. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that I hadn’t slipped back into my old heel-striking habits after all. The all-day group session was a fantastic refresher, packed with useful information, practical exercises, and plenty of laughs along the way.

“I must admit that when my alarm went off on Saturday morning, I seriously questioned whether I wanted to spend an entire day at a running class. By the end of the day, I was very glad I did. It was informative, enjoyable, and a great opportunity to spend time with my running friends while learning how to become a better runner. Since my first session with Shane, I have genuinely seen improvements in my running. This weekend reinforced that there is still more potential to unlock and more progress to make. Shane has a unique way of explaining things that makes improvement feel achievable, no matter your level. For me, Shane is like the running godfather, guiding us, correcting us when needed, and helping us become better runners, even when we don’t always realise we need it!”. - Reda Rimkute

“A fantastic session from start to finish. Shane provided a combination of theory, track-based drills, and video analysis and everything was easy to understand and apply. By the end, I felt like something had finally clicked with my running form. I came away with practical tips, greater confidence, and a clear plan of what to work on. Now it’s all about practice and repetition. I can’t wait to see the improvements this brings to my running. Highly recommended!” - Joanne Deaves

Thanks to Nicola at Carpe Diem Running Club, and also to Maurice and Jonathan at GAAA for helping us to make this happen.

A couple of years ago I bought some coaching with Shane Benzie, whose book, The Lost Art of Running, had resonated with me. In two or three visits to his base in Goring-on-Thames, I ran around the village cricket green, and he filmed me, explained in person the things I’d read in his book (essential to do it this way if you want the big changes, I feel - a book alone is not enough) and we worked on every aspect of my running form. With some ongoing online coaching, within 18 months I was running circa three-hour marathons, having been stuck at 3:30 for years. More importantly, I felt my running form had improved forever. I was, and remain, a fan.

So when I told running friend Yael about him on one of our long runs together and she read his book too, and when her husband James treated her to a coaching session with Shane to congratulate her for a 3:20 at Valencia for her first ever marathon, I was really chuffed for her. But what I didn’t expect was an email from Shane: ‘Phil I’m coming to Gibraltar, want to hook up?’

Of course I immediately knew Yael was the reason he was coming, James having figured out that due to availability and logistics it was the best way to get her a session. What’s more, it turned out Shane could squeeze in a couple more coaching sessions while here, and he asked me if I knew anyone else who may like them. I booked Faye in for a session with him as a cheeky little Christmas present, and happened to mention it the next day to our friend Reda - also a fan having read Shane’s book - who immediately grabbed the other one. Job done - now we were all set for his visit…

Wet and windy

We offered to collect Shane from the airport on New Year’s Day, and after the usual Gibraltar drama of a windy, touch-and-go landing, he was straight into a wet coaching session with Faye. As the track was closed, we headed down to a quiet bit of road at the small boats marina. Shane was soon getting her to run, watching her form, videoing her, and helping her to make some crucial changes. I’d taken the campervan down to use as a mobile office, and as we sat out of the rain Shane showed her videos of herself and explained proper foot landing and pushing off, leg cycling, chest positioning, arm movement and many other things, all brought to life by stories, case studies and of course by Faye actually implementing the changes there and then. Her before and after videos showed how much she had improved her running style, and she left the session excited and enthused.

Next day I joined Yael and Shane at the Lathbury track for Yael’s session. I wanted to continue to soak up new tips, and offer support to Yael - I was unexpectedly really enjoying all of this! Over a whole morning (cold and blowy but mercifully dry), Shane went even deeper, diving into multiple aspects of how the best Africans run, how to harness our brains to run better, the data provided by modern watches and how to use it, and much more. Yael got an awful lot from the session, and her running again improved (im)measurably. Shane said she was going to be a running ‘weapon’, which pleased her greatly, and I agree - she’s got so much raw talent and now she knows better than ever how to channel it. She is going on to big things.

Instant improvement

Arguably the biggest immediate difference of all the sessions, though, was in Reda - in her coaching later that day, she leapt from shuffling along (I’m sure she won’t mind me saying that) to literally striding like a pro, and was frankly unrecognisable from the runner we’ve always known, in merely minutes. Unsurpisingly, she too was blown away by what she gained from it. I can see why Shane says it’s addictive doing what he does. Faye, Yael and Reda are all very different runners, but they all got some life-changing stuff out of the sessions.

I had time to take Shane to my ‘day job’ DJ training studio in the World Trade Center and explain how we film, livestream and podcast from our facility - he’s setting up similar for himself and was keen to get the lowdown on our methods. He’s totally rethought his system of doing this and he took a list of new kit to buy, to pivot towards our way of doing things, so it was good to be able to offer something big to him too. As we parted at the airport, we both agreed we should try to get him back to Gibraltar soon, maybe for a more formal group coaching session down at the track - so watch this space!

Overall, a hugely positive and inspiring start to a new year of running.