Riccardo Tortini – Vancouver Running Coach

5.00 out of 5
(3 customer reviews)

From: $115.00 / month and a $19.00 sign-up fee

Coaching makes the potential possible. If you have fun in training you can and will achieve any goal!

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Description

Riccardo Tortini coaches runners of all levels from his home base in Vancouver, BC. He brings a scientific background to coaching so you can methodically improve your running.

***Riccardo wants to ensure the best fit before runners work with him, so please reach out to him first before signing up for coaching.***

Contact Riccardo

LEVELS: Beginner, Intermediate
TYPES: Road, Trail
DISTANCES: 5k/10k/Half Marathon, Marathon, Ultra
TRAINING PLATFORM: Google Docs
TRAINING PLAN: Individual, customized training plan
COMMUNICATION: Unlimited email, unlimited text
RESPONSE TIME: Within 24 hours
LOCATION: Vancouver, British Columbia

SPECIALTIES

After several years tackling shorter distances on both road and trails, trail ultra marathons is what I have been competing in the last decade, with a focus on international and UTWT events in recent years. I aim to provide athletes who are looking to approach their training from a committed and scientific perspective the necessary tools for a wide range of challenges, from first time road and trail events to distances of 100 miles or more, while balancing running goals and everyday life.

PHILOSOPHY

To me, coaching an athlete means to maximize an athlete’s potential while keeping running, and even the most demanding workouts, fun. On the other hand, no athlete should be too naive either – I am convinced that structure is pivotal in training. Consistency and commitment from both parts are key to a successful relationship between athletes and their coach.

As a scientist by formation, I use an evidence-based, holistic approach in coaching athletes. As a former research scientist with NASA with a doctorate in engineering I understand the importance of analyzing hard numbers, but it’s the athletes’ feedback after each session what shapes the next steps in their training.

COACHING EXPERIENCE

Starting with family and friends, I have mentored and coached several athletes for the vast majority of my 15-year running career from first time half marathons to ultra events. Through the years I have found great satisfaction in helping athletes achieve their running goals while staying healthy and injury-free, and I receive enormous joy in assisting my father, a visually impaired runner (T11), as his mentor and running guide at events worldwide.

ABOUT ME

I was raised with an analytical mind, and a part of me craves method, data, tangible evidence. I started journaling my track and road running-related activities since day 1 in the summer of 2005, filling them with charts, graphs, observations, and plans concerning everything from what I ate that day to wind direction. Trail and ultras made me realize that the variables in play are simply too many, and we all can benefit from a more flexible approach.

I am currently supported by rabbit, GU, Compressport Canada, and Ryders Eyewear. Besides running, I enjoy riding skinny tires, gliding on skinny skis, and spectating any sports. Wisconsin professional and college sport teams fan. My guilty pleasure is Survivor.

BIG INFLUENCES

I have learned lots and keep learning from the coaches I teamed up with through the years who have helped me in the past and still are helping nowadays to succeed season after season. On a more general level, I take inspiration from the works of Jack Daniels and, more specifically to the train and ultra running world, Jason Koop.

RACING HISTORY

Several wins and podium finishes in events spanning from 10k to mountainous 100+ miles. Highlight: 2nd place at The Canyons Endurance Runs 100k (2017 & 2018).

Selected events by distance:

  • 100+ milers: Pinhoti, Fat Dog, Pine To Palm, UTMB, Javelina Jundred.
  • 100k: The Canyons Endurance Runs, Ultra Trail Mexico, Tarawera.
  • 50 milers: White River, The North Face Endurance Challenge – San Francisco, North Country.
  • More than a dozen 50k and shorter events on the West Coast and in the Midwest.
  • Road marathons: New York City, Chicago, Seattle, Denver, Austin, Twin Cities, Grandma’s (Duluth), Frankfurt, Krakow, Vilnius, Milan, Vienna, Marrakech, and Istanbul (among others).

PRs

  • Marathon (trail): 3:02:21 CR (09/14/2013) The North Face Endurance Challenge – Wisconsin
  • 50k (trail): 3:44:45 (03/03/2018) Griffith Park Trail
  • 50 mile (trail): 6:45:28 (08/23/2014) The North Country Run
  • 100k (trail): 10:19:24 (04/28/2018) The Canyons Endurance Runs
  • 100 mile (trail): 19:40:15 (11/01/2013) Pinhoti
  • 6 hours (trail): 46 miles (09/21/2019) Hamster Endurance Runs

AWARDS & ACCOLADES

7th place overall in the 2016-2017 Ultrarunning Magazine Race Series (1st Canada region).

CONTACT RICCARDO

Finding a coach who is a great fit for you is really important. We encourage you to email your coach prior to signing up so you can connect, communicate, and ensure a good athlete/coach fit.

Give us a brief history of your running, and this can include what distances and/or races you’ve run, how long you’ve been running, any past or present injuries, if you’ve worked with a coach or a specific training program before, etc.
Any short term or long term goals?
Describe your ideal coach/athlete relationship.
Any questions/comments for Team RunRun or the Coach in general?

SOCIAL

3 reviews for Riccardo Tortini – Vancouver Running Coach

  1. 5 out of 5

    Rodrigo J

    Riccardo is great coach. Plenty of experience and good communication skills to share it. I came from a period of constant injuries and trying to tackle some large distances on trail running. It was always great to see how he adapted my training plan based on how my body was reacting, always with the large goals in sight, preventing over exertion when not needed.
    I had good chats and e-mail exchanges with him to get an extra motivation bump on the harder days. I finish all my goals for the 1st season we worked together. At the end of it I felt stronger than ever, ready to reach even larger goals.

  2. 5 out of 5

    Rae-Lynn Nesbitt

    Riccardo is such a pleasure to work with, not only for his extensive knowledge in trail running training but also because of his supportive nature. He is quick to pivot my weekly training program due to the demands of a travelling career. He is quick to respond and provides detailed information on the training program which helped me understand the importance of each component of the training schedule and where to really concentrate my efforts.

  3. 5 out of 5

    burroslocos

    I have some pretty hefty goals and Riccardo is fully on board to help me achieve them. It’s hard to train like an elite athlete with a full time job, family and other life duties. Riccardo helps me navigate this with precision and accountability and always humility. He very quick to respond and help adjust my workouts when something pops up. I am much more confident now with him in my corner and my goals just got heftier!

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