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Meet your coaches

Ultra-marathon runner

You're in good hands,

No matter where you run

At Trails and Tarmac, we hand pick each coach on our team with very specific skill sets in mind. These are athletes with years of experience in every possible facet of running, from 1 to 100 miles and beyond.

Picture of Ryan Ghelfi

Ryan Ghelfi

Ryan has been working and playing in the mountains since he was a kid. He began pursing running seriously in high school and has never looked back. Ryan has always been a multi-faceted runner, not often focusing only on one type of racing. From short distance mountain FKT’s, to 5ks and 10ks on the track, and 100 mile trail runs, Ryan loves to do it all. He brings this passion for endurance and the outdoors to the Trails and Tarmac coaching team, helping runners achieve any dream no matter how big.

Running Career Highlights

  • 2016 Pine to Palm 100 mile Champion

  • Mount Shasta FKT 1:37:05

  • Wonderland Trail FKT 18:27:42

  • 2019 Scout Mountain 100 mile Champion

Picture of David Laney

David Laney

David Laney and his mustache make a powerful pair. A multiple-time all-American at Southern Oregon University, he joined the Hanson’s Distance Project after serving as SOU’s assistant coach in 2011. In 2013 he was signed to the Nike Trail Team, and has worked with Nike product development and testing on trail and road footwear. In 2021 David left Nike for The Craft Sportswear Elite Run Team. David works at Steens Mountain Running Camp every summer sharing a wilderness experience with high school cross country runners.

Running Career Highlights

  • 3rd at the 2015 Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc 105 Mile

  • 2015 UltraRunner of the Year

  • 2:17:02 Marathon PR

  • 2019 Rocky Raccoon 100 Mile Winner

  • 2021 Desert Solstice 100 Mile Winner

Picture of Camelia Mayfield

Camelia Mayfield

Camelia Mayfield is an Ashland, Oregon native where she grew up running in the hills of the Rogue Valley and following along on her father’s ultra marathon adventures around the Pacific Northwest. Now residing in Bend, OR, Camelia has over a decade of competitive running experience ranging from NCAA Division I Track at Portland State University (10k and 5k) to Marathon, 50k, and 100k. Her passion lies with trail races, but with a debut road marathon time of 2:47:45, she is familiar with the unique training aspects of road racing. Because of her interest in approaching new challenges with curiosity and a sense of adventure, she will help you reach your individual goals and approach upcoming races with confidence and excitement.

Running Career Highlights

  • 2016 Eugene Marathon 1st Place

  • Mt. Ashland Hillclimb Course Record Holder

  • 2018 Olympic Trails Marathon Qualifier 2:42:38

  • 2018 Western States 100m 7th Place

  • 2019 Western States 100m 5th Place

  • 2019 Javelina Jundred Mile 2nd Place

  • 2021 Western States 100m 8th Place

Picture of Brett Hornig

Brett Hornig

Brett is the kind of coach who constantly thinks about his athletes and what will make them better. He is thoughtful, analytical and likely one of the best running minds on the planet. After a successful four years of collegiate cross country and track he got a job at Rogue Valley Runners and transitioned to the trails with dreams of black toenails and 5000 foot climbs. He has coached individuals, teams and counseled 100’s of runners. Brett knows the good and the bad of running, having dealt with some injuries early in his career he has a quiver of knowledge on how to successfully stay healthy.

Running Career Highlights

  • 2018 Sierra Crest 50k 2nd Place

  • 2018 Secret Beach 50 Mile Winner

  • 2018 Lithia Loop Trail marathon Winner

  • 2019 Bandera 100k 8th Place

  • 2019 Broken Arrow 52k 6th Place

  • 2019 Siskiyou Out and Back 100k 3rd Place

  • 2021 Peterson Ridge Rumble 36 Mile Winner

Picture of Cole Watson

Cole Watson

Cole grew up in Rogue River, OR where he won multiple high school cross country and track championships. He then spent five years at the University of Oregon specializing in the 1500m. After his collegiate career he moved back to Southern Oregon to start a cross country and track program at Rogue Community College. He also worked part time at Rogue Valley Runners in Ashland, Oregon which eventually launched him into his ultra running career. Cole currently lives in Folsom, CA and is sponsored by HOKA ONE ONE.

Running Career Highlights

  • 2016 1:03:50 Half Marathon

  • 2017 US Long Distance Mountain Team Member

  • 2017 Canyons 50k Winner (CR)

  • 2017 USATF Trail 50k Championships Runner Up

  • 2018 Chuckanut 50k Winner

  • 2019 OCC 55k 8th place

  • 2020 US Olympic Trials Marathon Qualifier with a 2:18:04 at CIM 2018

  • 2021 Javelina Jundred 3rd Place

Picture of Alex Nichols

Alex Nichols

Alex Nichols ran his first marathon at the age of 13 and was immediately hooked on running. He ran cross country and track at Colorado College and eventually became an All American in cross country and set a school record for the 3k steeplechase in track. For the past 5 years Alex has been trail running at an international level and has found success in everything from short distance European Skyrunning races to the 100 mile distance.

When not training on Pikes Peak, Alex can be found at his alma mater working as the assistant coach for the cross country and track programs. In 2013 Alex was put in charge of the women’s distance track athletes and since then he has personally coached 10+ All Conference performances, 7 individual Conference Champions, and 5 new school records. He has a passion for coaching distance runners and an ability to develop all levels of athletes. He is looking forward to combining his experience in the collegiate coaching world with his own experience in the mountain, ultra, and trail world.

Running Career Highlights

  • 2014 Les Templiers Grand Trail – 3rd Place

  • 2015 Mont Blanc 80k Winner

  • 2015 IAU World Championships 6th place

  • 2016 Run Rabbit Run 100 Mile Winner

  • 2017 Western States 100 Mile 2nd Place

  • 2018 Nolans 14 FKT 46:41

  • 2020 Bandera 100k 2nd Place

  • 2022 USATF 100 Mile Road Championships 2nd Place

Picture of Gabe Joyes

Gabe Joyes

Mountain runner, adventurer, family man, buckaroo. Gabe calls wild western Wyoming home and loves running in some of North America’s most remote mountains. He enjoys all distances and types of running, but especially relishes helping other prepare for mountainous 100-mile races, ultra marathons, and big adventure projects. Balancing running, work, and family life is a top priority, and he knows how to help others find the balance as well. Gabe is sponsored by Scarpa and Black Diamond.

Running Career Highlights

  • 2021 Scout Mountain 100 – 2nd place

  • 2021 Quad Rock 50 – 2nd place

  • Wind River High Route FKT

  • 2018 Bighorn 100 Winner

  • 2018 2018 Orcas Island 100 Winner

  • 2017 Hardrock 100 – 4th place

  • 2016 Never Summer 100K Winner

  • 2016 Scout Mountain 100K Winner

Picture of Jackson Brill

Jackson Brill

When Jackson Brill was turned down by the University of Colorado cross-country program at the beginning of his freshman year, he signed up and ran his first 50k a few weeks later. In spite of the first semester of college being difficult for everyone (Jackson dropped out of Calculus 3, both got and quit a job at a local running store, and had his bike stolen), the race could not have gone smoother as Jackson finished in second place. Fast forward three years, and he was being flown to Europe to compete in races such as the Zegama and Mont Blanc Marathons. Growing up in Boise, ID, Jackson complemented his cross-country and track running with lots of backpacking, skiing, and biking, which was the perfect cocktail for his immediate trail-running success. He still competes across all distances and surfaces; in 2021 for example, he ran PRs in both the 50mi and 5k.

While he might jokingly say he majored in “power-hiking” at the University of Colorado, Jackson conducted and published research on uphill walk-run gait transition, a topic that both his Undergraduate Honors Thesis and Master’s Thesis dive into. So maybe he was not joking after all. Working in the Locomotion Lab under revered biomechanist Dr. Rodger Kram, Jackson also got to assist some groundbreaking research on road-running “super-shoes”. Jackson has long held a passion for coaching, which he has been doing in some form since 2015 (when he was still in high school!). He likes working with a wide variety of athletes and has a wealth of knowledge and experience despite his relative youth. Goofy and exuberant, Jackson will help you shoot for big goals while fostering joy along the way.

Running Career Highlights

  • 2017 Broken Arrow Skyrace 25k 4th place

  • 2018 Dirty 30 50k 1st place

  • 2018 San Juan Solstice 50mi 3rd place

  • 2018 Pikes Peak Marathon 9th place

  • 2018 Run the Rut 50k 1st place

  • 2019 Moab Red Hot 33k 2nd place

  • 2019 Marathon du Mont Blanc 18th place

  • 2021 Quadrock 50mi 1st place

  • 2021 Moab Trail Marathon 6th place

  • 2021 Skyrace des Matheysins 10th place

Picture of Sarah Keyes

Sarah Keyes

Sarah is a mountain and ultra trail runner based in the Adirondack Mountains of New York. Sarah began her competitive racing career with mountain and Skyrunning. Today she competes in trail races up to the 100 mile distance. Sarah coaches athletes of all levels and enjoys focusing on women’s physiology. When not training or coaching she also works as a nurse at her local hospital and is the RD for the Whiteface Mountain Races. Sarah’s coaching philosophy is that running can help athletes become stronger and healthier not only on the trail but in life. Sarah runs for The North Face.

Running Career Highlights

  • 2016 US Skyrunning Ultra & VK Champion

  • 2016 Broken Arrow Skyrace 54k Champion

  • 2016 Cascade Crest 100 Mile 4th place

  • 2017 North Face Challenge Ultra-Trail Harraicana

  • Canada 125k Champion

  • 2018 Ultra Race of Champions 100k 2nd place

  • 2021 Black Canyon 100k 3rd place

  • 2021 Western States Endurance Run 12th place

  • 2022 Run The Rut 50k 3rd place

Picture of Natalie Chirgwin

Natalie Chirgwin

Natalie approaches coaching and running with serious positivity and an openness to adventure. She competed in Division 1 Track and Cross Country at the University of Portland, where she held the school record in the 3K steeplechase. After undergrad, she was a Fulbright scholar to Spain, where she raced Track & XC for C.E.A. Tenerife 1984. Returning to the states, she obtained a Doctorate in Physical Therapy, and entered her first road marathons and trail races. Now she races VKs to 100Ks, road marathons to rugged mountain races, everywhere from her backyard trails to international start lines. She is a volunteer coach for Ashland High School XC and an Acute Care Physical Therapist. She believes in pairing curiosity and positivity, with dedication and consistency, to help you enjoy achieving your goals.

Running Career Highlights

  • 2017 Mt Ashland Hillclimb 13.3 mi – 1st place

  • 2019 North Face Endurance Challenge 50 mi – 13th place

  • 2021 Lake Sonoma 50 mi – 6th place

  • 2021 Broken Arrow Skyrace VK – 7th place

  • 2022 Black Canyon Ultra 100K – 16th place

  • 2022 Lithia Loop trail marathon – 1st place

  • 2022 UTMB Puerto Vallarta 50K – 2nd place

  • 2022 CIM marathon 2:43:40r