BTC Trail Sessions - Coaching
Coaching Purpose:
The BTC coaches for this program are all experienced trail runners who know the trails around Bozeman. They are involved to help guide your athletes to be the best possible runners they can be. They’ll offer lessons during each practice, advice during runs, and encouragement along the way. We plan to have at least 3 coaches at every practice. They will have small first aid kits, and bear spray if needed!
The coaches will engage everyone personally as much as possible, but with a ratio of 3 coaches to 20 athletes, we can’t always give dedicated 1:1 advice! So, our focus will be to guide the group overall. If we see things that several athletes are struggling with these will be discussed. If we see someone doing very well, we might ask them to demonstrate!
Most of all, we‘re there to help the athletes have fun, learn, and grow at their own pace.
Volunteer Opportunities:
We believe running can and should be a family activity. We would love to see parents and caregivers participate. If you would like to volunteer to help coach the group, please let us know, and we’ll coordinate the necessary background checks and help you get involved!
If you can volunteer in non-running capacities, we need that too. For example, can you help lead our form drills to warm up, or strength exercises after our runs? Can you stay at the trailhead to watch over the bags and water bottles? Just identify yourself when the season starts, and we’ll gladly accept your help!
Coach Bios:
Brett Valentine
Brett has been running for about 12 years. He was drawn to trail running to be close to nature and to manage the stresses of life. He’s run several half marathons, the Bridger Ridge Run, The Rut, The Expedition 12k, and the Crosscut races several times (among others). Because he started running later in life, he has spent a significant amount of time learning the mechanics, physiology, and craft of running by reading, attending seminars, and participating in local group runs. Brett is one of the assistant coaches for BTC Cross Country and is a USATF Level 1 certified coach. He will be the first to tell you he’s “not fast and won’t be winning any local races…but that’s OK!”
Katy Ross
Middle school cross country sparked Katy’s life-long passion for running. She enjoys distances from 5k to 50 miles and over the years has competed in both road and trail races like the New York City Marathon and The Rut. Katy has run the Grand Canyon rim-to-rim-to-rim and loves solo adventures in the mountains. High volume weeks, doubles and long track workouts are some of her favorite things! Katy has coached cross country and track for BTC and Headwaters and she is co-race director for the Sweet Pea Race.
Abigail Cook
Abigail grew up in Michigan, where most of her running experience derived from the soccer field. She played soccer for Northern Michigan University for four years and used a final season of eligibility to run the 1600M on the NMU track team. After college she continued running for an USATF Elite team and coached high school cross country. Since moving to Bozeman in 2021, she embraced the trails and now finds balance in her passions for both road and trail running. Abigail is known for her love of maple syrup, map reading, and Wilderness First Aid. (You're in good hands, on-trail, as she is NOLS WFA certified).
Mike McCormick
Mike McCormick is a trail running dad that has coached with our program since his girls began running 10 years ago. Mike's focus is to introduce fun-running to every child and eliminate those mental barriers that keep people from enjoying this lifelong activity. Mike's ability to pace like a tortoise and downhill like a rabbit are his special trail powers. But it's his longtime experience and tremendous stoke-factor that make him a coach. 'Run with a smile.'