Accreditation & qualifications
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Athletics Australia Accredited Coach 2018
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Athletics Australia - Level 2 Intermediate Recreational Running Coach 2018
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Athletics Australia - Level 1 Community Athletics Coach 2018
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IAAF Kids Athletics Coach
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Community Coaching General Principles - Australian Sports Commission 2018
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PBTR – Child Protection 2018
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PBTR - Harassment and Discrimination 2018
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PBTR - Let Kids Be Kids 2018
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Getting in the Zone - Australian Sports Commission 2018
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Goal Setting - Australian Sports Commission 2018
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Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority
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(ASADA) - Level 1 Anti-doping 2017
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St Johns Ambulance Australia 2017
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- Provide cardiopulmonary resuscitation
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- Provide basic emergency life support
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- Provide first aid
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Endurance Training Leader (ETL) British Army 2006
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UK Athletics Level 2 Track & Field Coach 2004
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UK Athletics Level 1 Track & Field Coach 2002
Tony Smith
“Nobody cares how much you know until they know how much you care”
- Attributed to Theodore Roosevelt
First and foremost, Tony has a passion for running. He doesn’t profess to be born with natural talent, but over 20 years in the Armed Forces has given him a discipline and work ethic that is second to none.
Tony has combined his passion and work ethic to help others succeed in their running goals.
He is a firm believer in keeping an open mind to what is considered the best way to coach runners. Whilst he is a Level 2 Intermediate Recreational Running Coach, Tony believes in continually innovating and is always learning new coaching methods strategies to assist others in meeting their running goals, whether this is for runners simply starting to run through to ultra-distance marathons. The key point is that Tony recognises we are all different and therefore applies the most appropriate training strategy for his runners.
Running Highlights
2021 Kep Ultra 100km 1st (8:53)
2021 Bunbury 50km 3rd
2021 Sandman 50km 1st (3:45)
2021 Australia Day Ultra 50km 2nd (3:23)
2020 Busselton Marathon 3rd
2020 Australia Day Ultra 50km 3rd
2019 Busselton Marathon 2nd
2019 Berlin Marathon (2:42)
2019 City to Surf Marathon 5th (2:45)
2019 Pipeline Marathon 2nd
2019 Rottnest Marathon 3rd
2019 Bunbury 50km 2nd
2019 Australia Day Ultra 50km 1st
2018 Sandman 50km 1st
2018 Rottnest Marathon 3rd
2018 Running Works 50km 1st
2018 Bunbury 50km 1st
2018 Australia Day Ultra 100km 3rd
2018 Darwin 10km 2nd
2017 Yaberoo 50km 4th
2017 Vine Runner Half 3rd
2016 Australia Day Ultra 50km 4th
2016 Goldfields Marathon 1st
2016 World Masters Marathon 7th (Age Group)
2016 Busselton Half Ironman (5:01)
2016 Feral Pig 50km 1st
2016 Bunbury 50km 1st
2016 Lighthorse 12 Hour Ultra 2nd
Accreditation & qualifications
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Athletics Australia Accredited Coach 2020
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Athletics Australia - Level 1 Run Coach 2020
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Perth Trail Series - Event Ambassador
Ben Harris
“Don’t limit your challenges, challenge your limits” - Anon
An avid trail runner, Ben has gravitated towards longer and challenging race formats. While not always on top of the podium Ben has had much success in his amateur running years dating back to his first road ultra in 2014 finishing eighth in the 50km event.
After years of writing programs from hard-earned lessons and assisting others to succeed in their own events Ben has formalised his qualification as a Level 1 Run Coach to join the Tony Smith Run Coaching Team, complimenting Tony’s road race expertise specialising in training for trail events.
Ben believes in using goals and races for motivation while having some flexibility in training targets to keep training for those goals fun and effective.
With a similar military background to Tony, Ben has similar values when it comes to training dedication and commitments to both his clients and their goals.
Running Highlights
2019 Great Southern Endurance Run, 171km with 10,500m v+, Silver buckle finish in 37 hours 30 - 8th
2019 Birdy’s Backyard Ultra, 87.1km 2,500m v+, 13 hours 7th
2018 Waterous Trail On Foot, 161km 3,300m v+, 23 hours 30, buckle finish - 12th
2017 6 Inch Trail marathon, 47km 900m v+ 4 hours 14 - 33rd
2017 Great Southern Endurance Run, 181km 10,300m v+, 42 hours 38, Bronze buckle finish - 17th
2017 Waterous Trail On Foot, 82km, 1,600m v+, 8 hours 19 - 1st
2016 6 Inch Trail Marathon, 47km, 900m v+, 4 hours 16 – 25th
2016 Lighthorse 12 Hour Ultra, 102km – 10th
2016 Watrous Trail On Foot, 161km 3,300m v+ 20 hours 59 – 3rd
2016 Feral Pig Ultra, 50km 1,000m v+ 4 hours 44 – 4th
2016 Australia Day Ultra, 50km 3 hours 46
2015 6 Inch Trail marathon 47km, 900m v+ 4 hours 10 - 24th
2015 Waterous Trail On Foot, 161km, 3,000m v+ 21 hours 45 - 1st
2015 Goldfields Pipeline Marathon, 42.2km 150m v+, 3 hours 12 – 5th
2015 ANZAC Day Challenge, 100km 10 hours 21 – 10th
2015 Lark Hill Dusk Till Dawn, 50km 5 hours 8 – 15th
2015 Australia Day Ultra, 50km 4 hours 10 – 6th
2014 Waterous Trail On Foot, 82km, 1400m v+ 9 hours 14, - 8th
2014 Bunbury 3 Waters, 50km 103m v+, 4 hours 44 – 8th
In addition, Ben has raced or volunteered at almost every trail event in Perth including a previous event ambassador for the Perth Trail Series
Accreditation & qualifications
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Athletics Australia Accredited Coach 2019
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Athletics Australia - Level 2 Intermediate Recreational Running Coach 2019
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PBTR – Child Protection 2019
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PBTR - Harassment and Discrimination 2019
Gareth jones
“A runner must run with dreams in their heart” Emil Zatopek
Gareth had a late start into running after playing team sports for most of his life and found that running was the best way of him staying healthy whilst balancing work and a young family.
Gareth’s strengths and enjoyments lie in seeing others succeed. After taking on a volunteer weekly coaching role at a large running group, Gareth wanted to learn more about the key principles and theories involved in training and coaching and formalized this by becoming an accredited coach in 2019.
Open-minded when it comes to running and coaching, he is always looking to improve and consider new research and methods and how to apply them in training plans for today’s busy society.
Gareth enjoys being a part of the local running community and will often be at a local parkrun willing to jump in and help pace someone to a PB.
Running Highlights
2021 Bunbury 3 Waters Half (1:27)
2021 Athletics West Night of Five 5000m (18.20)
2020 Fremantle Running Festival (1:45 Pacer)
2020 Perth Half Marathon (1.22)
2019 Perth Running Festival Half (1:27)
2019 HBF Half Perth (1:29)
2019 Perth Half Marathon (1:29)
Accreditation & qualifications
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Athletics Australia Accredited Coach 2020
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Athletics Australia - Level 1 Running Coach 2020
vici richardson
“There is no exercise better for the heart than reaching down and lifting people up”
Jonh Holmes
Vici started running 20 years ago in the UK and after joining a local running club, became a regular on at events ranging from 800m track to cross country and off-road ultras.
After moving to Australia in 2015, Vici jumped on the triathlon bandwagon but always defaulted to running as the discipline she most enjoyed. Although not naturally talented at any sport, Vici realised that grit and determination work wonders in helping to break through pain barriers. Her fling with the dark side culminated with Ironman Busselton in 2019, and running again became her focus throughout 2020.
Vici's passion for the sport is driven by a desire to achieve better than yesterday but she also places great importance on running to help manage the stresses of everyday life.
Vici is keen to support and encourage runners of all abilities to gain enjoyment and positivity from running and achieve their goals. She has recently formalised her coaching with the level 1 accredited run coach course.
"I'm excited to contribute to the fantastic community Tony has built and feel honoured to have been given the opportunity."
Running Highlights
2020 Busselton Marathon (3:20)
2020 ANZAC Day Marathon* (3:40)
2019 Busselton IM Marathon (4:55)
2019 Bussleton IM (13:15)
2019 C2S Marathon (3:40)
2018 Bussleton 70.3 (5:54)
2018 Melbourne Marathon (3:44)
2018 Busselton Marathon (3:41)
2015 London Marathon (3:48)
2014 Thunder Run 24hr (120km)
2013 Yorkshire Marathon (6:13 - Trail)
2012 Abingdon Marathon (3:53)
2012 Manchester Marathon (3:54)
2012 Daffodil Marathon (5:18 - navigation)
2011 Stratford Marathon (4:46)
2011 London Marathon
2008 Robin Hood Marathon (4:29)
Adventure/Team Races - Toghy Guy, Sandman 50, MRU, Cobber Classic, Moon Shodow, Mt Helena 40miler,
Run Director at Perry Lakes parkrun and regular runner.
Accreditation & qualifications
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Athletics Australia Accredited Coach 2018
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Athletics Australia Accredited Coach 2018 – Level 1 Recreational Running
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Athletics Australia Accredited Coach 2021 – Level 1 Recreational Running
ryan shand
“If you want to master the mind and remove your governor, you’ll have to become addicted to hard work. Because passion and obsession, even talent, are only useful tools if you have the work ethic to back them up.” David Goggins
Ryan started running initially as a means to an end – a goal to lose weight and get fit and healthy for his family and to keep up with his two energetic kids. Starting in 2017 at 143kg Ryan soon became a regular parkrunner and soon got his run/walk times of 32 minutes down to ~20 minutes with the weight coming down to under 100kg within a year.
After hitting a plateau and a marathon debut performance that was less than expected including the dreaded bonk, Ryan reached out to Tony for coaching. As a coached athlete since 2018, Tony and Ryan have become close friends and under Tony’s guidance Ryan has hit personal best times across all distances from 5km-50km.
Ryan is passionate about nutrition and it has been a cornerstone of his journey from 2017 through today, starting from focusing on nutrition for weight loss and now working with a specialist dietician for performance optimization.
A massive shoe geek, Ryan regularly researches the latest in technological advancements and latest prototypes being tested by the elite athletes.
Ryan is keen to sharing his learnings and loves to encourage and support the local running community. Ryan formalized his coaching in 2018 & 2019 as a running coach with a goal to help other reach their goals
Running Highlights
2021 Bunbury Marathon (2:47 PB) – 3rd Place
2021 Australia Day Ultra 25km (1:37) – Winner
2019 Fremantle Running Festival Half (1:18 PB) – 7th Place
2019 Lake Joondalup parkrun (16:30PB)
2019 Sydney Marathon – WA Representative for Athletics Australia’s National Marathon Championships (2:49) – Top 50
2019 Sydney City2Surf 14km (0:51) – Top 200 of 70,000 runners
2019 Australia Day Ultra 50km (3:46) – 2nd Place
Core Event team member helping to start Wanneroo parkrun 2018-2020
Accreditation & qualifications
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Athletics Australia Accredited Coach 2021
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Athletics Australia Accredited Coach 2021 – Level 1 Recreational Running
kat watt
“When you enjoy the process your goal becomes a milestone not a finish line”
Kat‘s passion for running started as a young child, enjoying some success as a junior athlete. After a hiatus in her early 20s Kat turned back to running in 2011 as a means of weight loss for her upcoming wedding. She hasn’t looked back since.
With a debut marathon of 3:11 in 2013 and PB of 2:52 in 2020, the marathon is her favoured distance.
As a busy working mum of two young boys, she knows exactly how difficult it can be to fit marathon training in. Although a self-confessed data nerd and preference for evidence-based training methods, she firmly believes flexibility in training and a strong athlete/coach relationship is the key to success.
After informally coaching over the past few years she recently formalised her coaching with a level 1 accredited run coach course.
Running Highlights
2021 Rottnest half marathon winner
2021 Bunbury half marathon winner
2020 Bibra Lake marathon winner
2019 State Marathon Champion (PRF)
2019 R/U Perth half marathon
2019 Bunbury Marathon winner
2018 Melbourne Half marathon 5th
2018 State Half Marathon Champion
2018 Bunbury Marathon winner
2017 R/U Rottnest Marathon
2015 6 inch trail marathon winner
Accreditation & qualifications
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Athletics Australia Accredited Coach 2021
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Athletics Australia Accredited Coach 2021 – Level 1 Recreational Running
Iain Finlayson
“I love it when a plan comes together”. John “Hannibal” Smith
(The A-team)
Iain took up running in his early 30s to help his recovery from a serious neck and back injury and after gradually building his distances ran his first marathon in Dublin in 2009. Since moving to Perth from Scotland with his family in 2011 Iain has continued running regularly and participating in local runs in Perth, including 3 City to Surf Marathons between 2016 and 2018 before he became more seriously interested in running.
One of Iain’s personal goals was to run a sub 90 min half marathon and off the back of a 2018 personal best, at the time, of 3hrs 26, in the marathon at City to Surf in 2018 he adopted a more structured approach to his training and created a training block for himself for the inaugural Perth Running Festival and came home in 1hr 27. With the running bug now catching he quickly followed that up with a self coached sub 3 marathon on Bunbury in early 2019 and during that period he started to run with Tony and some other TSRC team members and coaches.
Officially joining TSRC after Bunbury, and working with Tony, Iain quickly lowered his half marathon PB to 76 mins and finished the season with a huge PB at Perth Running Festival marathon finishing in 7th in 2hrs 40 mins shortly after his 44th birthday. (He’s also not to shabby over shorter distances with a Parkrun PB of 16:20.)
Iain balances being a Husband and Dad of 4 with training, work and occasional instagram posting. He gained his coaching qualifications in 2021, completing both level 1 and level 2 courses and would like to help others realize their goals regardless of their background.
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“What I love about running is the fantastic community and on a personal level I believe that we get out what we put in, age is just a number. With focus and effort, working with a coach and a supportive team like TSRC we are all capable of achieving more than we thought possible. I know i have had that experience myself working with Tony and would love to help others do the same.”