Interview with John Starrett: Coaching Beginners to Olympians — The Stazza System Explained

John Starrett has been coaching runners for over 40 years. Since moving online in 2017, he's guided nearly 900 athletes to sub-3 marathons and over 250 to sub-2:30 — including athletes at the US Olympic Trials and the Tokyo Olympics. In this episode, he breaks down the complete Stazza's Stable system from the ground up.

What you'll learn:

• Why 5 runs per week is enough for most sub-3 marathoners
• The Foundation phase: building the base before any real training begins
• The Pre-Super Base: hill blasts and aerobic strides to go from hip flexor to glute dominant
• The Super Base: the 40-50-60 endurance spine runs and the V-shaped valley of death
• Why one marathon per year beats two every time

Timestamps:00:00 – Intro & John's background01:18 – The numbers: 900 sub-3s, 250 sub-2:30s, Olympic athletes02:03 – Ifa Cook: from 2:46 to the Tokyo Olympics03:00 – How online coaching works04:10 – The Kenya running camp05:33 – Coaching recreational runners: form before fitness07:00 – One marathon per year08:08 – Why 5 runs/week beats Norwegian doubles10:25 – Why most runners plateau11:00 – The Foundation phase13:09 – The Pre-Super Base14:05 – Hill blasts explained18:31 – Aerobic strides progression21:15 – The Super Base24:45 – The V-shaped valley of death28:39 – Results: 30 sec/km improvement in 14 weeks

Find John:Website: stazzasstable.comInstagram: @stazzas_stableYouTube: youtube.com/@stazzasstable1965Podcast: The Stablemaster Speaks (Spotify & Apple)