Meet the coaches.
Jana and Simon are a married couple who reside in Painswick, Gloucestershire (UK) . Some of the bedrocks of their relationship include; a shared love of the outdoors, an active healthy lifestyle, and making ethical food and lifestyle choices. Dating throughout high school and university, Simon began studying sport science and Jana managed to convince him to start running with her. What started as a hobby became a shared passion for the both of them. Jana and Simon have shared many running miles together including multiple African X finishes, solo treks through the mountains from the Cederberg to La Reunion island, and many mountainous adventures shared with friend for Waaihoek to Patagonia. Recently they have added two children to their family and now enjoy sharing this passion for nature and healthy lifestlye with their boys.
Through Rooted in Dirt (RID), Jana and Simon share their passion for running with their athletes, who they coach to achieve their running goals. The RID platform allows them to share the theoretical knowledge that they have gained through their continued learning and their experiential knowledge through deliberate practice of both running and plant based living. Their clients follow various diets and being plant based is not a requirement for joining the RID family, however if you are interested in learning more about thriving as a runner on a plant based diet, then this is certainly the right place to be. Jana and Simon take a holistic approach in providing their athletes (whether recreational or advanced runners) with all of the scientific and evidence-led tools to enhance their running performance.
Simon (Bsc (Hons), Msc, PhD candidate)
Simon holds a Master’s degree in Sport Science and is in the final phase of his PhD in Sport Science, focused on the physiological performance indicators of ultra-trail running. Simon is a senior lecturer in sport and exercise sciences at the University of Gloucestershire (UK) and an extraordinary lecturer at the University of Stellenbosch (RSA). His teaching and research involves preparing athletes for competition, training load monitoring of road and trail runners, as well as applied strength and conditioning. He is one of the leading trail running researchers in South Africa, with multiple publications in this space and many more in the pipeline, including co-supervising on a PhD in Low Energy Availability and women trail runners with frequent collaborator Emily Robertson (Trail Culture). Simon has also recently presented his PhD research at international conferences including the European Conference of Sport Science (2024) and disseminated these findings via webinar and podcast. An amateur runner who competes regularly on the road and trail circuit, Simon’s current aspirations are to run sub 1:20 in the half-marathon and establish himself in the ultra-trail distance. Simon believes strongly in concurrent endurance and strength training to better performance and avoid injury and was a formerly qualified Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) with the NSCA. He has also completed short courses with the Sport Science Institute of South Africa in training essentials and programme design for endurance running in an ongoing bid to refresh his learning and continues to work on his qualification towards running coaching through UK Athletics.
Jana (LLB, LLM, Admitted Attorney (RSA))
Jana is a UESCA-certified running coach with a deep passion for running and the outdoors. After completing a Master’s in Law and working as an attorney, she shifted her focus to coaching and performance, becoming certified in endurance running (UESCA, SSISA) and plant-based nutrition (through the T. Colin Campbell Centre for Nutrition Studies and eCornell). A keen road and trail runner, Jana’s personal best for the half marathon is 1:27, and she aims to complete her first 100-mile race in 2025. She has experience coaching runners of all levels, from 5 km to ultra-distance events (100 km+), using evidence-based methods to optimise performance, prevent injury, and support recovery. Jana believes in the power of a plant-based diet to fuel both training and recovery, and credits it, along with strength training, for keeping her healthy and injury-free. When she’s not running, she enjoys experimenting in the kitchen, fuelling both her and Simon’s training with wholesome, nourishing meals.
They take turns cooking for and coaching one another. It works out well for them.
Simon’s (shortened) running CV:
Mountain Series Challenge (winner)
African X multi-day stage race on trail (multiple finishes)
CT Marathon – 42.2km on road
Ultra Trail Cape Town (multiple finishes, 23 – 35km)
(Brecon) Beacons Trail Marathon
Numerous half marathons – 21km on road (PB 01h23)
Jana’s (shortened) running CV:
PUFfeR (Peninsula Ultra Fun Run) – approx 80km (mostly) on trail
Ultra Trail Cape Town – 65km on trail
Numerous multi-day stage race events on trail (African X, Southern Cross Trail etc.) 80-100km in 3 days
CT Marathon – 42.2km on road
Ultra Trail Cape Town – 35km on trail
Numerous half marathons – 21km on road (current PB 1:27)
Winning isn’t about finishing in first place. It isn’t about beating the others. It is about overcoming yourself. Overcoming your body, your limitations, and your fears. Winning means surpassing yourself and turning your dreams into reality. – Kilian Jornet