John Sterner

John’s specialties:

-Masters athletes (all distance/all surfaces)

-Trail/ultra runners of all ages

-Athletes looking to build a fresh relationship with running

Currently accepting new athletes!!

John’s passion for sports has been lifelong, diverse, and always included running of some sort.  Over 30+ years, he has coached tweens, high schoolers, collegiates, and midlifers in various sports that have included football, track, wrestling, basketball, and swim/diving.  In doing so, he understands that no two paths to endurance sports are the same.  In more recent years, his focus has been on helping post-collegiate athletes maximize their potential in distances from 5k through ultra and trail races.

His coaching philosophy is grounded in building rapport and open communication. Foundational pieces of the process are rooted in having an athlete articulate their goals and collaboratively understanding how the pieces (training, work, family) can fit together to create a rewarding and enjoyable pursuit of those aspirations.  He believes meaningful progress happens through patiently building a strong, healthy balance of all components of a person’s life: “If we personify the running journey as a son or daughter and want it in our lives long term, then we come to view it as a gift to nurture.  We need to know when to push and when to pull back.  Growth happens by giving our running selves the same balance of push and grace we would give a child.”

In high school, John was a state-caliber athlete in football, wrestling, and track at Marquette University High School. He attended UW-Whitewater and majored in English, later earning his MSE in C&I with an emphasis in health, physical education, and coaching.  At UW-W, he was a 3-year starter on the football team at wide receiver, team captain, and MVP his senior year.  He was a 2-time All-American in the pole vault and was also a decathlete.  He was inducted into the UW-Whitewater Hall of Fame in 2008.  In 2003, he published The Football Coaches’ Guide to Clock Management.  He has taught high school English and, occasionally, health.  He holds personal bests of 19:00 (5k), 40:40 (10k), 1:29 (HM), 3:17 (Marathon), 5:11 (50k), 11:04 (50 mile), and 23:13 (100 mile), has qualified for the Boston Marathon multiple times, and holds the degree of black belt in tae kwon do.

John and his wife Sue live in Eagle, Wisconsin and enjoy running trails in the Kettle Moraine Forest.  They have two adult children (Keeley and Jack).