Personal Peak regrets to announce that Matt Shepard has officially resigned as a Personal Peak coach for personal reasons. Matt has been with Personal Peak since February of 2019, when he hired Personal Peak to coach him for his first Backyard Ultra. He went on to win the Outrun Backyard Ultra that June in 32 hours (214.6 km | 133.33 miles) – winning a golden ticket to the 2019 Big Dog’s Backyard Ultra.
Matt’s infectious enthusiasm and dedication to the Personal Peak programs made him a stand out athlete. Which is why, in October 2019 Matt was invited to join the Personal Peak coaching team. While coaching remotely, Matt traveled the United States where his smile could be seen both participating in, and volunteering at races across North America. On his travels, he amassed an impressive list of performances including:
- Across the Years 6 Day Race | 2nd place, 701.45 km, 435.86 miles
- Quarantine Backyard Ultra | 6th place, 41 laps, 274.9 km, 170.8 miles
- 6 Days in the North | 1st place, 551.2 km, 342.5 miles
- Big Dog’s Backyard Ultra – World Championship | 2nd place (CND), 42 laps, 281.6 km, 175 miles
As a coach, Matt built strong relationships with his athletes, and his enthusiasm and encouragement helped many reach goals they never dreamed possible. As an athlete, Matt has proven time and again that he is strong, resilient, and one of the most capable ultra runners we have ever had the pleasure of working with. We have no doubt that he will continue to impress us all well into the future.
Although he will be deeply missed, we wish him all the best, and are excited to see where his journey takes him.
To read more about Matt
For information on Matt’s Quarantine Backyard Ultra performance
For information on Matt’s Big Dog’s Backyard Ultra performance and here
For information about 6 Days in the North | Matt’s race report | Coach’s race report
To follow Matt’s journey | Instagram