Skip to main content

Coach

John Gay

1500m, mile, 3000m, 5k to 10k, Half Marathon, Marathon
road, track
Kelowna, BC
Select John
as your personal coach
  • Tokyo 2020
  • Doah 2019
  • Eugene 2022

John Gay

road, track
John is a Kelowna, BC based athlete coaching, racing, training, and hosting "The Shakeout Podcast" on the world of running

About John

John is an Olympic finalist in the 3000m Steeplechase and a 12xCanadian national team member in distances from the 3000m to 10km Cross Country. With experience on the roads, track, and XC course he brings his passion for running to helping athletes achieve their goals across every distance and surface.
After a decade-plus focusing on middle-distance track events, John is shifting his focus to longer distances and is excited to share his experience with athletes of all abilities looking to get faster, go further, and feel better.
John speaks
  • English

Qualifications

  • BA, UBC Vancouver
  • MM, UBC Vancouver
  • NCCP Sport Coach - Trained

My Coaching Philosophy

Take care of your body and it will take care of you. My own experience as an athlete has shown me that I perform at my best when I'm happy, healthy, and enjoying the process. I hope to help athletes find a "win" in the day-to-day of training and to enjoy the journey towards their next big goal.

If my career has taught me anything, it's that making the most of the day-to-day is the best guarantee of success come race day.

  • Olympic Finalist - 2021 Tokyo Games (3000m Steeplechase)
  • 12xCanadian National Team member 3000m, 5000m, 3KSC, XC
  • 2xCanadian Champion 3000m SC
  • Canadian Cross Country Champion (2021)
  • 2023 Vancouver Sun Run Champion
  • Mile
    00:03:58
    Vancouver, BC, 2021
  • 3000m
    00:07:45
    New York, NY, 2022
  • 3000m Steeplechase
    00:08:16
    Tokyo, JPN, 2021
  • 5000m
    00:13:29
    Birmingham, UK, 2022
  • 10000m
    00:28:18
    Vancouver, BC, 2020
  • Half Marathon
    01:05:05
    Houston, TX, 2025

Qualifications

  • BA, UBC Vancouver
  • MM, UBC Vancouver
  • NCCP Sport Coach - Trained

Interview

  • Favourite race type and why?

    Big-City road races. I love the shared camaraderie that unites every runner, regardless of age or ability. Plus they’re usually in the morning, which means more time post-race to bask in the race-day high.

  • Favourite running podcast, website, book, videos, or blog?

    The Shakeout Podcast! Shameless self-promotion here, but I love the opportunity to tell stories from across the world of running.

  • Favourite single race?

    The Vancouver Sun Run! It was my first-ever road race as part of a high school team and the energy I felt running with tens of thousands of other runners through the streets of Vancouver got me hooked for life on the sport.

  • Favourite sporting moment? (that you experienced)

    Running a life-time best in the steeplechase to qualify for the Olympic Final in Tokyo. There’s no feeling quite like putting a performance together when it matters most.

  • Favourite sporting moment? (any sport, athlete/team)

    Sidney Crosby’s Golden Goal at Vancouver 2010. I’ll always remember where I was watching the game, it’s the first time I realized how much power sport has to bring people together.

  • Favourite workout?

    I love cut down sessions, whether they’re distance based like 1200m-800m-400m or time based like 5-4-3-2-1 minutes. There’s something so fun about trying to run faster as a workout progresses and knowing that you get to reward yourself with a shorter rep each time.

  • Least favourite workout?

    I have an irrational dislike of anything involving 600m reps.

  • Most unexpected place running has taken you?

    Abidjan, Côte D’Ivoire for the 2017 Francophone Games.

More Coaches

Rob Watson
Jasmine Fehr
Lisa Harvey
Liam Walke
Becky Pieterson
Garrett de Jong
Victoria Cirone
Vancouver, BC
Brit Cooper
Bridget Pyke
Lucas Bruchet
Tony Tomsich
Tuebingen
Katheryn Cochrane
Corner Brook, NL
Jake Cameron
Theo Hunt
Lauren Prufer
Squamish, BC
Kevin Coffey
See All Coaches 

Partners