Meet Brennan & Kat

Brennan is an ultra trail runner, Precision Hydration sponsored athlete and professional running coach based in Keswick, in the Lake District, UK, coaching athletes across the UK and worldwide. He lives with his family in the heart of the Northern Lakes, where the mountains shape both his training and his coaching philosophy.

With over 16 years of endurance sport experience — spanning triathlon, professional cycling and fell, trail and ultra running — Brennan brings a rare depth of understanding to performance, resilience and long-term athlete development.

Athletic Achievements

• Winner — Three Peaks Fell Race (x2)
• Winner — UTS 50km, UTMB World Series
• Winner — Garmin Mourne Sky Race
• Winner — Steall Marathon
• Winner — Skiddaw Fell Race
• Winner — Newlands Memorial Race
• Winner — Buttermere Sailbeck
• Winner — Grisedale Horseshoe
• Winner — Lakeland Classics Trophy
• Former Record Holder — George Fisher Tea Round
• Runner-up — English Fell Running Championships (2022)
• Former UK Skyrunning Champion
• 34th — OCC by UTMB (UTMB World Series Finals)
• Top 10 — Val d'Aran by UTMB, PDA
• GB Representative — 2022 European & World Trail Running Championships
• Team Bronze — 2022 World Trail Running Championships

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UTMB World Series Experience

Competing at the front of UTMB World Series events gives Brennan a direct and practical advantage as a coach. He understands exactly what it takes to perform on the most demanding courses in the world — from pacing and fuelling to technical descending, climbing efficiency and race execution under fatigue.

For the athletes he coaches, this translates into real-world insight, not just theory — helping them prepare effectively, avoid common mistakes and perform with confidence on race day.

View Brennan's UTMB Profile ›

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Coaching Experience & Philosophy

Brennan has been coaching endurance athletes since 2012, working at every level to maximise performance, prepare for key events and build long-term progression. He also offers road and gravel cycling coaching — see cycling coaching.

His approach is grounded in science-led methodology — a BSc in Sport & Exercise Science (final year), data analysis, structured periodisation and real-world racing experience from two elite endurance careers, on the road and in the mountains. Every athlete responds differently, so coaching is highly individualised, designed to optimise performance while balancing lifestyle, recovery and long-term development.

The goal is simple: build durable, resilient athletes who perform consistently when it counts.

Kat Townshend is an experienced running coach — road, trail, fell, mountain and skyrunning — based in Keswick, Lake District, and an Inov-8 sponsored athlete, combining active competition with real-world mountain experience to help runners across the UK and worldwide reach their potential.

As co-founder of Townshend Performance, she works with athletes of all abilities — from runners chasing a first 10K or marathon to experienced mountain and ultra competitors — delivering structured, personalised coaching built around long-term development.

A former track and cross-country runner and now an active competitor on the trails and in the mountains, Kat brings current racing experience directly into her coaching. Combined with her background as a mountaineer and alpinist, and the reality of balancing training as a mother of two, her approach is firmly grounded in real life — understanding fatigue, technical terrain, and how to build consistency around work and family without burning out.

Athletic Achievements

• 3rd place — The Lap (8:54)
• 3rd place — Skiddaw Fell Race (1:36)
• 5th place, 1st age category — UTS 25km, UTMB World Series / Ultra-Trail Snowdonia (3:08)
• 3rd female — Adidas Terrex Keswick Mountain Festival 25km (2:35)
• 10th place — Ennerdale Horseshoe, English Fell Running Championships (5:05)
• 4th female — Salomon Serpent Trail 50km (4:46)
• 14th female, 5th age category — Wildstrubel by UTMB, Wild 25 (3:00)
• 12th female, 1st age category — Val d'Aran by UTMB, EXP Val d'Aran 32km (4:22)
• 10th female — Snowdonia Trail Half Marathon (2:31)
• 49th female — Salomon Ring of Steall Skyrace, Glencoe (6:29)

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Coaching Experience & Philosophy

Kat coaches road, trail, fell, mountain, skyrunning and ultra athletes across the Lake District, UK and worldwide to build consistency, resilience and long-term progression.

Her coaching blends evidence-based training, strength work, and terrain-specific preparation — supporting everything from road 10Ks and marathons to local fell races, technical skyrunning events and ultras. Every plan is individualised, built around your lifestyle, experience, and goals rather than a generic template.

The philosophy is simple: develop the athlete over time — stronger, aerobically fitter, more efficient on any terrain, and more resilient when it counts. The focus extends far beyond a single race, creating sustainable progress that lasts for years rather than weeks.