CraigCopeland

Craig Copeland’s running journey began with high school track, when he was 16. But despite his young start with running, it wasn’t until age 50 that Craig really began his long-distance running journey. That year, Craig joined Team for Kids to run his first New York City Marathon. It was the beginning of a life-changing journey that continues today with the NYC running community. Over the past decade, Craig’s running has included training over 12,000 miles, completing 10 straight New York City Marathons, and the Abott Six Star World Majors (Boston, Tokyo, Berlin, London, Chicago, and of course NYC). For eight of those years, Craig has also been a mentor with Team for Kids. As a mentor, the rewards of sharing his experienced perspectives to help others achieve their running goals inspired Craig into coaching, to attain RRCA certification as an adult distance running coach and become a Team for Kids coach.

How would you describe your coaching style?
I'm a big believer in mental training, especially for long distance training. I believe it’s invaluable to develop your own personal visualizations early in training, for all runs, workouts, and especially the long runs and races.

What is your proudest coaching moment?
Leading a half dozen runners for 3 hours to complete their 18-mile long training run together from start to finish.

What is your favorite workout to coach and why?
Training the last 15 miles of the New York City Marathon because it's a chance to talk through many of the runners' deepest concerns of the marathon particulars and to help them deepen their mental preparedness in real time.

Please list any awards, achievements, or certifications below. This can be sports and/or coaching certifications.
Abbott Six Star World Marathon Majors
Team for Kids Mentor (2016-2023)
RRCA Level 1 Certification

Where is your favorite place to run in New York City?
Brooklyn Bridge or The High Line early in the morning