The Maxwell Coaching Team

Michelle and Chris are the founding coaches of Maxwell Coaching and live near Chippenham in Wiltshire, with their 3 children.  Assistant coach Jason Cuthbert completes the Maxwell Coaching Team.

Michelle and Chris are fully qualified UKA and UESCA performance running coaches, experts in strength and conditioning and PhD scientists, with an analytical, fully scientific and yet holistic approach to coaching. Chris is a level 3 British triathlon coach and Michelle has a full nutrition advisor diploma.

Michelle and Chris have 35 plus years of high level running and triathlon racing and training experience, with 15 years of performance coaching experience. They combine this experience with a phenomenal zest for life and all things endurance, they live and breathe their sports. They really get it, they understand training around work and family life, they are a team. You don't get one coach when you join our purple crew, you get a team.

Jason and Kate are our assistant coaches. Jason is a fully qualified BTF triathlon coach, and Kate is is UKA running coach. Both are a valuable addition to the team.

Coaches Michelle, Chris and Jason

Michelle

Michelle has 15 years experience in run coaching.

Michelle is an experienced endurance runner of 35+ years competing for her county in cross-country, track and road events and in several championship and elite starts with Masters International vests over the marathon and half marathon distance. Michelle now focuses on ultra running achieving podium positions in 50k up to 100 mile distances including several mountain terrain and coastal trail ultras. Michelle has also competed in triathlon events and swam competitively in her teens for Devon.

Michelle was coached herself by top international coaches. She has a great understanding of the needs of an athlete in training.

Marathon 2:59 (most recently 3:06),
Half-marathon 1:20
10k 37:10
50k trail 4:31
Jurassic Quarter 46 miles 2016 2nd / 2018 1st
SVP100km 2016 11:18 3rd
Beacons Ultra 2016 1st and 2017 2nd
NDW50 miles trail 2017 1st 8:26, 2021 2nd 8:16
Lakeland 50 2017 10:15
UTMB CCC 100km 2018 20:15
SDW100 miles trail 2019 19:31 2nd
TP100 miles trail 2020 18:46 2nd
SDW50 miles trail 2020 8:15 1st
South Downs 100km trail 2022 2nd
Arc of Attrition 100 miles finisher
Several triathlons Standard up to Middle Distance

Chris

Chris has been coaching running and triathlon for 15 years.

  • British Triathlon Level 3 Coach
  • UKA Level 2 qualified Running and Athletics Coach
  • Physical Preparation for Triathletes CP
  • UKAD Qualified
  • Scientific BSc and PhD

Chris has a pedigree in endurance running (road, track and xc) and triathlon (GB age-group and Ironman). With some very fast road and track PBs to his name he moved into triathlon in his late 20s.

Chris was coached as teenager so really understands what it means to be coached. He was a top English schools cross country runner and track athlete. Chris has experience of coaching triathletes at all levels including children, novices and experienced international/age group triathletes.

  • Marathon 2:34 (2017 2:58)
  • Half-marathon 1:09
  • 10k 31:50
  • GB age grouper in the World Duathlon Championships 2011
  • World Triathlon Championships 2015 and European Triathlon Championships in 2016
  • 10 Full Ironman (Germany 10:08 Ironman Wales 10:37, Bolton 10:25 and 10:38, 2018 - Switzerland 10:06, Italy 2019 9:41, Kona World Championships 10:21 2022)
  • ITU World Long Course Championships 2019 7th
  • GUCR 147 miles 2022 6th overall
  • Spartathlon 152 miles 2023, 1st British male

Jason

Jason Cuthbert joined the Maxwell Coaching team in November 2018.

  • British Triathlon Level 2 Coach
  • FA level 1 Football Coach

Jason’s focus is aimed at working closely with his athletes towards their endurance goals for the coming season. Jason is a British Triathlon Level 2 coach and will always be seen out cheering on all athletes at events. He currently coaches triathletes from around the UK and Europe. “It’s such a pleasure to work closely with, and help my Maxwell Coaching athletes progress, and ultimately see them achieving some quite amazing results throughout their season”. Jason has been involved with and has raced at all distances of triathlon over the past 15 years or so, with 3 Ironman races under his belt. More recently, he has also been focussed on ultra running, and has a goal to tick off a 100 mile race... He is also an FA Level 1 Football coach and is currently part of the coaching team at a local football club at youth level.

Kate

Kate has been a running coach for 4 years.

  • UKA Coaching in Running Fitness
  • Working towards Event Group Coach

Kate holds a UK athletics Coach in Running Fitness qualification and has been coaching at her club, Harwell Harriers, since 2020.  She is working towards her Event Group: Endurance qualification at present. Kate is the Race Director of The Abingdon Marathon.

Kate started running in 2004 and has since completed almost 50 races of marathon distance or further, including 29 road marathons. She ran her first ultra in 2018 and has continued with the longer distances throughout the following years with 2 x 100 mile ultras ticked off.  It would be hard to pick a favourite but the Chiltern Wonderland, her first 50 miler and a "local" ultra, would be up there as would the infamous Arc of Attrition.
With experience ranging from 10km road races through to mountain ultras, Kate is keen to encourage everyone to try a variety of events: to find what they enjoy the most or to challenge themselves with something different.  She has coached athletes of all ages and abilities and knows the struggle of fitting training around the daily grind.  Kate juggles her training and work around 3 young boys.