Interview with John Starrett: Coaching Beginners to Olympians — The Stazza System Explained
John Starrett has been coaching runners for over 40 years. Since moving online in 2017, he's guided nearly 900 athletes to sub-3 marathons and over 250 to sub-2:30 — including athletes at the US Olympic Trials and the Tokyo Olympics. In this episode, he breaks down the complete Stazza's Stable system from the ground up.
What you'll learn:
Why 5 runs per week is enough for most sub-3 marathonersThe Foundation phase: building the base before any real training beginsThe Pre-Super Base: hill blasts and aerobic strides to go from hip flexor to glute dominantThe Super Base: the 40-50-60 endurance spine runs and the V-shaped valley of deathWhy one marathon per year beats two every time
Timestamps:
00:00 – Intro & John's background
01:18 – The numbers: 900 sub-3s, 250 sub-2:30s, Olympic athletes
02:03 – Ifa Cook: from 2:46 to the Tokyo Olympics
03:00 – How online coaching works
04:10 – The Kenya running camp
05:33 – Coaching recreational runners: form before fitness
07:00 – One marathon per year
08:08 – Why 5 runs/week beats Norwegian doubles
10:25 – Why most runners plateau
11:00 – The Foundation phase
13:09 – The Pre-Super Base
14:05 – Hill blasts explained
18:31 – Aerobic strides progression
21:15 – The Super Base
24:45 – The V-shaped valley of death
28:39 – Results: 30 sec/km improvement in 14 weeks

Find John:Website: stazzasstable.com
Instagram: @stazzas_stable
YouTube: @stazzasstable1965
Podcast: The Stablemaster Speaks (Spotify & Apple)