Our Story
We are a new business founded on a shared passion for running, fitness, the outdoors, and making coaching accessible for all.
While this is our first personal business venture, the combination of our skills and lived experiences, alongside our collective interest in accessibility, enables us to offer inclusive coaching for a diverse community of runners.
Run coaching is a passion project for us. It’s what we enjoy putting our time and energy into outside of our day jobs. While our work at HTG Running happens outside of standard business hours, we are committed to providing you with the support you need to meet your running goals.
We can't wait to work with you to hit the ground running!
Annika
Lead Coach
Annika (she/her) is the driving force behind Hit the Ground Running and will be your main contact for training programs and coaching support.
Certified as a Level 2 Advanced Recreational Run Coach with Australian Athletics, Annika pairs her knowledge of training principles with her own personal running experience to create a safe and empowering training environment. Her approach to coaching can be summarised as practical, empathetic, and built on real-world experience.
Annika also runs with Achilles Australia in Melbourne, an organisation that helps reduce barriers for people with disability to participate in running events by matching them with trained guides; a reflection of her commitment to inclusive sport. In her day job, Annika works in accessible transport policy.
Tess
Operations
Tess (she/they) brings her background in the not-for-profit and healthcare sectors, alongside a strong understanding of person-centred care, to the business. They are behind the scenes across the operational side of the business, ensuring things run smoothly.
As a recreational runner, Tess has participated in a few running events and has been Annika’s test subject for new training programs. She also brings living experience of disability, navigating life and physical activity with ME/CFS and OCD. This perspective informs the business’s core values of accessibility, adaptability, and compassion.