Megan Cooke - Running CoachVDOT Certified

Megan Cooke

(50)
Hillsborough, NC
Accepting New Clients

Our Best Race is Still Ahead of Us.

About Megan Cooke
Have a dream of finally running a half marathon, full marathon, or hitting that Boston Qualifying time? I'm here to help you achieve those bucket list goals you've been thinking about for years. The decision to dream big takes guts. Let me help prepare to have the fastest race of your career.
Description
I've spent my entire life as an athlete, from winning the World Championships to running dozens of Boston Qualifying races. I love racing and I want to share how I've cultivated a passion for it. I've also worked as a coach for many years, including 15 years at the D1 level, and my favorite thing to do is watch people fall in love with the fastest version of themselves. I'm dedicated to your success, from hearing your goals, to making a plan that fits your lifestyle, and ultimately helping you across the finish line in any and every way. In 2026, I ran the Boston marathon in 2:56 and finished 6th in my age group. I won the Mississippi Run for the Rainbows half marathon in a time of 1:24 and finished third female overall in the Garmin half marathon in Durham with a time of 1:24. In 2025, I ran the Boston (2:59), London (3:02), Cincinnati (2:57) full marathons, Carolina Reaper 50k Ultra (3:34 and first place overall for men and women), and Wineglass FM (2:58 and first place masters). I finished the year with a 2:57 at the New York City Marathon and a personal best of a 2:53 at the California International marathon this December. I placed third in my age group at CIM and top ten for NYC. I've recently coached myself from a 3:50 marathon (January 2024) to 2:53 at CIM in 2025. Furthermore, I was able to accomplish running 3 marathons, averaging under 3 hours, in 13 days thanks to the principals I learned under the Jack Daniels program. In 2024, I ran 12 full marathons including 1 Ultra and 8 Boston Qualifying times. Some of my races included the Berlin Marathon, NYC Marathon, Kiawah (winning the masters event), San Francisco and Grandma's. I also won the master divisions of the Hillsborough HM and Bull City Run Fest HM. Prior to running, I was an avid rower and competed on 6 National Teams for Team USA. In 2006, I was fortunate enough to win a World Championship and set a world record that stood for a decade. After finishing my elite rowing career in 2008, I turned to coaching. I coached at the D1 level for 15 years, including working as the Head Coach at Duke University and as the Associate Head Coach at University of Wisconsin. My passion for running started in High School on the XC team. I stayed with it my entire life and I reignited my love for racing after my third son was born in 2020. In the last several years, I've taken on dozens of private running clients and helped them achieve the impossible, often times using my personal experiences to guide them to success.
Athlete Requirements
Willingness to share workouts, work hard and be open to thoughtful coaching.
Qualified To Coach
Keywords
Available for Coaching
Online/Remote coaching, Consultations
Coaching Certifications
V.O2

Reviews for Megan Cooke

Megan's customers
Avatar of Kevin Kelly
Kevin Kelly 

I came to Megan with a high-level rowing background, a running habit, and a marathon goal that was either realistic or delusional depending on the day. She figured out which one pretty quickly. Megan...

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Avatar of karen ringheiser
karen ringheiser 

Helpful and knowledgeable.

Avatar of Johanne Gjendal
Johanne Gjendal 

A great coach with good and relevant feedback. So far, I am very happy with my decision to work with her.

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