Coach Spotlight: Kenneth Jooste — Coaching with Curiosity, From Decathlon to the Dirt Trails
From a young age, Kenneth Jooste knew that sport would play a role in his life. But instead of chasing medals, he found purpose in helping others unlock their own athletic potential—first in jumps and sprints, and now in the rugged world of ultra-trail running.
🏃♂️ The Start: Where Curiosity Took the Lead
Kenneth’s journey into coaching began remarkably early—at just 14 years old. While most teenagers were focused on their own performances, Kenneth was captivated by something different: technique.
“I wasn’t particularly good,” he shares modestly, reflecting on his days competing in the long jump and high jump. “But I could spend hours watching others and trying to understand what made them excel.”
It wasn’t just curiosity—it was foresight. That analytical instinct would become the cornerstone of his coaching philosophy.
🎓 Setback as a Catalyst
Kenneth continued his dual path of athlete and coach through university until a devastating injury—tearing all the ligaments in his knee at a national championship—put an abrupt end to his competition days. But where others might have walked away, Kenneth leaned in.
He was entrusted with overseeing the multi-events team at university, a perfect match for his detail-oriented mindset. “The multis rely heavily on technique,” he explains, “and that’s where I felt I could make a real difference.”
🏞️ Returning to Coaching Through Ultra-Trail
After stepping away from track coaching to focus on family life and a full-time career, Kenneth’s passion for sport found a new outlet—this time through trail running, inspired by his wife’s growing interest in the sport.
“I started helping her train for ultras, and something reawakened in me,” he says. With no preconceptions and little prior experience in distance coaching, Kenneth approached it with an open mind: “Ignorance is bliss,” he laughs. “I had no idea what good performances were supposed to be—I just watched, learned, and adjusted.”
The result? Multiple ultra finishes and podiums for his wife—and a growing community of word-of-mouth clients in South Africa’s trail scene.
His path, though, had come full-circle as he relied on one of his first lessons learned while coaching the decathlon – “you need to have enough conditioning so as to be able to continue after day 1. The same holds true for ultra running, when you get to the 60km mark of a 100k race, you need to feel like you have more strength to keep going.”
💬 A Philosophy Built on Trust and Feedback
Kenneth’s coaching beliefs are grounded in two core principles:
- Trust unlocks potential: “Any athlete can be good if the relationship with the coach is built on trust and confidence,” he says. “It’s never about the coach—it’s always about the athlete.”
- Feedback is essential: Unlike track and field, where performance is visible and immediate, distance coaching requires a deeper layer of communication. “With trail runners, I can’t see them every session. So verbal feedback—and now, digital feedback from platforms like EndoGusto—is vital. To get the feedback you need, you have to learn to ask the right questions.”
He carefully monitors athlete responses, stress levels, and even post-session recovery. Was the session harder than planned? Did the athlete bounce back as expected? These aren’t just numbers—they’re clues that shape the next step.
🎨 Endurance Coaching as an Art
While many modern coaches lean on data alone, Kenneth champions the art behind the science.
“Sure, you can chase metrics like VO2 max or lactate thresholds,” he says, “but most amateur athletes don’t have labs at their disposal. They have jobs, kids, stress—and goals that are deeply personal.”
He believes the real magic lies in tailoring the training to the person: “Knowing when to push and when to ease off is more than just protocol—its intuition built through experience and conversation. It’s a balancing act of getting enough detail, but not overly complicating things.”
🌊 Looking Ahead: Coaching the Next Generation
Kenneth’s love for sports doesn’t stop at adults. He’s recently taken an interest in Surf Life Saving, particularly the Nippers category for kids aged 5–14. “It’s a perfect mix of strength, speed, and endurance. Plus, it encourages kids to be outside and test their limits in a safe, structured way.”
For Kenneth, coaching isn’t just a skill—it’s a lifelong joy. Whether guiding elite ultrarunners or helping kids fall in love with movement, he’s continually driven by the same instinct that started it all: to watch, understand, and help others grow.
🦉 Final Words: Minimum Breakdown, Maximum Progress
“In coaching, trends come and go,” Kenneth reflects. “But the art remains. It’s about building a program that meets the athlete where they are today—and helps get them to where they want to go without breaking them tomorrow.”
Social Media links:
https://www.instagram.com/jooste_we_have_a_problem
https://www.instagram.com/thisisrun_ac
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kennethj13