Get to Know Coach Brittany Peterson
- Peak Run Performance
- Sep 30
- 5 min read
Updated: 4 hours ago
“Rehabilitation, Resilience and Running Happy”
Brittany Peterson comes to coaching from a healthcare and rehabilitation background, as she has been a Registered Occupational Therapist since 2009, specializing in neuro rehabilitation. She has been coaching since 2019 and has been with Peak Run Performance since 2023. She is a Certified Ultrarunning Coach through the United Endurance Sports Coaching Academy (UESCA).
Her background in occupational therapy naturally led her to coaching, as there is strong overlap between fields, since they are both about maximizing performance while promoting and facilitating optimal health and functioning in order to participate in a desired task; in this case the task is everything related to running, training and racing.
Brittany combines her educational background and work experience with her own training and racing experiences as a professional ultrarunner. Brittany has a varied racing resumé, which includes:
3rd in the World Skyrunning Race Series (2018)
2nd and 4th at the Western States 100 miler (2019 and 2021)
1st with a course record at the Black Canyon 100k (2021)
2nd in the Javelina Jundred 100 miler (2021)
Experience at CCC and UTMB in 2019, 2021 and 2022
Various FKT’s including the Overall FKT for the Superior Hiking Trail (2020), Overall female for the Idaho 12’ers (2022) and Overall female for ascending and ascending/descending Mount Borah (tallest peak in Idaho; 2020)
Brittany’s coaching philosophy blends structured evidence-based training with respect for balance, recovery, individuality, and creativity. She fosters resilience and adaptability through progressive training, encouraging joy in the process, and views the coach-athlete relationship as a partnership built on trust, communication, and accountability. Her goal is to guide athletes toward peak performance and help them develop tools and confidence beyond the finish line.
She believes a good coach-athlete relationship is built on trust, open communication, feedback, and collaboration, seeing the coach and athlete as a team. Coach Brittany approaches tailoring training plans through individualization, specificity, and progression, customizing training to each athlete's context, goals, and race specifics (distance, surface, demands). She sees training as a balance of art and science, implementing evidence-based methods with creative design for race goals and holistic athlete development.
Coach Brittany's favorite type of athlete or style of training involves mountain running and helping individuals gain confidence for races that push their limits, whether it's a first 100-miler, technical terrain, or a first trail race.
Coach Brittany has learned resilience as an athlete through many injury setbacks, including bilateral hip surgeries and an ankle fracture. She used her rehabilitation background as an Occupational Therapist to problem-solve and overcome these biomechanical obstacles, which has helped her relate to and problem-solve other athletes' challenges, empowering her to keep working through low points to get back to optimal running.
Running has shaped Brittany’s life by becoming her avenue of exploration, making her who she is today, seeking challenges that are about more than just a result, but about what she experiences along the way. She has found coaching to be an extension of that passion and joy, as she gets to share in others' experiences alongside them.
Want to be a part of Coach Brittany’s team?
Check out our website at https://www.peakrunperformance.com/ , read more about Coach Brittany at https://www.peakrunperformance.com/coach-brittany or email us at info@peakrunperformance.com for more information or how to get started!
Q&A with Coach Brittany
What is a myth about run training that you wish more people understood?
"Quality over Quantity" and "High Peaks and Low Valleys." What this means is that you don’t need to force high mileage in order to be a great athlete. You should emphasize easy days for recovery which allows you to push harder on workout days. This allows you to make the greatest gains and maximize your training output.
What is your number one piece of advice to new runners?
"Be patient with the process and find joy in the journey." New runners need to focus on building a solid foundation which includes strength, mobility, and other means of building durability and reducing risk for injury.
What is a common mistake runners often make and how can they fix it?
“Getting stuck in comparison - feeling like they need to run as much or as fast as someone they see on social media or on strava. This can lead to overtraining or not maximizing easy days in order to get the polarization of the training design. TRUST YOUR TRAINING, know that this is an individual sport and training looks different for each of us. Another way to fix it is to set boundaries and not engage in comparison.”
What is a proud coaching moment for you?
“I really enjoy the moments you get to share with an athlete where they accomplished something they didn't know they could. I have several examples of athletes finishing their first 100 miler and making the cutoffs, an athlete finishing UTMB, an athlete finishing top 5 in a competitive field.”
What is the biggest lesson running has taught you, that you share with your athletes?
"Make sure training is fun. Find balance. We GET to run and that is a gift."
How do you help athletes stay motivated during a tough training block?
“Breaking the training block into smaller segments and helping the athletes understand the goals of the segments and how they build toward the larger goal ahead. I like the saying, "Get to the next Aid Station" (vs focusing on how far you have until the end of the race). This thought process allows us to be in the moment and tackle the current challenge without getting distracted by things farther out in the training block.”
What is a favorite go-to workout you assign (or train with yourself)?
“I like customizing a peak training weekend to a specific race. This can look like mixing hill work with tempo work and designing the workout to mimic the sequence of the course.”
What is your most proud running moment or accomplishment?
“Black Canyon 2021 was my career highlight - I won and got a course record. But what made that a special race was I executed exactly how I intended and didn't have a low moment. It was a year where COVID restrictions were still in place and there was less support than normal, which means I did this "on my own" (not fully, but a lot more autonomously than it normally would have been). This race result helped me truly believe in myself.”
What inspires you during tough runs or races?
“The opportunity for growth. Challenge and adversity develops a tougher version of me.”
What other training means to you utilize (i.e. cross training, strength, etc.)?
Gravel biking, mountain biking, yoga, strength, and mobility routines.
Where is your favorite place to run?
Right now I’m really excited to be exploring my backyard, the Canadian Rockies.
All Surfaces. All Distances. All Abilities.