Education is the key to empowerment - and our 261 Master Coaches are the key to the 261 Train the Trainer certification courses. The 261 Master Coaches educate candidates to become certified 261 Coaches, 261 Group Leaders and 261 Club Directors and prepare them to spread the joy of running in their communities. Through the ongoing support that our 261 Master Coaches offer individual 261 clubs, they receive the backing they need to become established and thrive.
Our 261 Master Coach team consists of Edith in Austria, Emily and Melissa in the USA, Juliet in the UK and as from now our newest members Heidi, Lisa and Christina. This small team of seven educates all 261 Coaches around the world and supports them in empowering other women through running. Our newest team members told us more about themselves and about what drives them to be Master Coaches:
I am Heidi.
I live in Burnsville, Minnesota (about 15 miles south of Minneapolis).
I wanted to become a 261 Master Coach because the mission and vision of 261 are aligned not only with my career and educational background, but also with my core values and passions. I believe in the work that we are doing, and I feel an incredible sense of pride at having the opportunity to contribute to the development of the 261 Education Program.
The 261 Fearless and its Education program are special to me because I am an educator at heart. My professional career is teaching and administration for what are referred to as "broad access" online graduate schools, which means we serve working adults who might not otherwise be able to obtain a higher degree, whether because of their previous educational background or because of lack of access to higher education. For me, 261 Education Programs serve this same mission: bringing the gift of education to women who might not otherwise have access to it.
My responsibilities within 261 Fearless beyond educating are supporting the US Clubs in quality control and management of meet runs as well as supporting and coordinating overall quality management of the Education Program.
My 261 Fearless moment was: I really have had several in my life. I've been privileged to have participated in athletics since I was a young child, and I have experienced the benefits of being and athlete, teammate, and coach in a variety of sports. Running, however, was nothing I ever imagined myself to be good at or to even like all that much until I was convinced to try training for a marathon by a close friend. Even as an experienced athlete, it was the hardest thing I had ever done, not just because of the physical demands, but also because of the time demand and because of the emotional demand. Despite the challenge, I have never been prouder or felt more empowered than I did when I was training for that first marathon.
I am Lisa Ruggles
I live near Oxford UK
I wanted to become a 261 Master Coach because the ethos of 261 Fearless sparked a fire within me and it propelled me to want to step outside my comfort zone and become a Master Coach.
The 261 Fearless and its Education program are special to me because they have the power to change lives. They have the power to inspire, motivate and free women.
My responsibilities within 261 Fearless beyond educating are: I am one of the UK Club Directors and Group Leader/Coach in Bicester. I also work on the Empowerment Education Team.
My 261 Fearless moment was at the end of the first Train the Trainer course I helped to lead, all the candidates swapped phone numbers. I absolutely loved seeing the women support each other as they set up their clubs.
I am Christina.
I live in Vienna, Austria.
I wanted to become a 261 Master Coach because I believe in the mission of 261 Fearless and want to contribute in spreading it.
The 261 Fearless and its Education program are special to me because it comprises a unique choice of topics and prepares women to motivate and inspire others to become empowered through running. We prepare women to step up and take responsibility for themselves.
My responsibility within 261 Fearless beyond educating is communication - making sure everybody is up-to-date internally, social media, our website, etc. I help to spread the message of 261 Fearless around the world!
My 261 Fearless moment was the Train the Trainer certification course in Albania where I trained a group of women to become 261 Coaches and assistant 261 Coaches together with Edith. It was amazing and touching to see how the education we provided had a real impact on the women and inspired them to step up and be truly empowered. Every Train the Trainer certification course is special and has its emotional moments, but this one did even more!
