CLIMB YOUR LOCAL HILL.
ABOUT US
Find your Local Hill.
We started Local Hill to combine our complementary training philosophies and help others chase their big goals with the same passion and curiosity we bring to our own. When you’re an athlete at Local Hill, you’re tapping into years and years of our experience running at the highest level.
Our methodology for training doesn’t only come from our own learnings during the highs and lows of our training logs, but from the mentors and coaches we’ve been fortunate to have over the years. We put all of this to use when writing training for our athletes, while never getting too stubborn in our own ways to welcome new research and methods into the mix.
From all of our experiences, we can confidently say that consistency is the biggest X factor in training. There’s no magical three-week buildup. There’s no silver-bullet workout. There are just weeks and weeks of dilligent, process-oriented training. It’s not super snazzy, but that’s how we’ve learned to conquer our Local Hill — step by step.
STEPHEN KERSH
Hometown: Albuquerque, NM
Currently 📍: Seattle, WA
Career highlights: 2 top-10 finishes at The Western States Endurance Run,
🥈JFK 50 Mile, 🥉 Madeira Island Ultra Trail, 🥇Crown King Scramble 50K, 2016 Olympic Marathon Trials Qualifier
Sponsor: adidas TERREX
Coaching since: 2017
Favorite local hill: Mt. Elden, Flagstaff, Arizona
Current local hill: West Tiger 3, Issaquah, Washington
Born and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico, I grew up in a family that spent much of its time outdoors. Some of my earliest memories are pinning a bib on for a race, getting dragged along during hikes, and sipping cocoa in ski lodges across Northern New Mexico. Those early days of competition and outdoor exploration created the foundation for my pursuits moving forward.
After wrapping up my college cross country and track career at both the University of Portland and Georgetown University, I moved to Flagstaff, Arizona where I became a metaphorical sponge soaking up training theory from world-renowned coaches in town, sharing countless miles all over Northern Arizona with incredible training partners, and developing my own philosophies on training methodology from those experiences.
Since 2019, I’ve competed on the trails in some of the most competitive races our sport has to offer. My spark and love for training in this space continues to burn bright due mostly in part by how much more we have to learn about how to train for ultra trail events and all the untapped potential in the sport.
JARED HAZEN
Hometown: Titusville, PA
Currently 📍: Flagstaff, AZ
Career highlights: 🥇🥈Lake Sonoma 50 Mile, 🥇JFK 50 Mile, 🥈🥉The Western States Endurance Run, 🥈Grand Trail des Templiers, 🥇Oil Creek 100 at the age of 18.
Sponsor: Salomon
Coaching since: 2021
Favorite and Current Local Hill: Mt. Elden, Flagstaff, Arizona.
Originally from Titusville, Pennsylvania, I grew up with an affinity for the outdoors I was surrounded by. Hunting with my dad and running on my school’s cross country team were early influences that instilled in me a love for long hours spent in nature and a competitive streak that cannot be satisfied.
I explored the network of singletrack in nearby Oil Creek State Park and quickly found my calling in trail running. I learned of a 100 mile race hosted by the park and began training immediately. One year later, at the age of 18, I won the Oil Creek 100. Since then I have competed in ultra marathon races around the world and have finished on the podium of races like, The Western States Endurance Run, Grand Trail des Templiers, JFK 50 mile and Lake Sonoma 50 mile.
I now call Flagstaff, Arizona home where I enjoy thousands of miles of trails from my doorstep. Flagstaff’s diverse terrain and access to dozens of world class training partners makes it the ideal place to train for just about any race on the circuit. Plus, its proximity to the Grand Canyon is a massive perk.
COACHING
We coach the entire athlete.
We know that goal races require not only specific physical preparation, but also a strong mental approach. We help athletes pinpoint the specific challenges they might face during their goal event and craft a plan to prepare for those challenges. We’re committed to ensuring our athletes are ready on all fronts when they step on the starting line.
We believe open and direct communication is the only way to have successful coach-athlete relationships. We begin working with each athlete by having a kick-off call to better understand their background and goals. We make time to reach out to our athletes to see how their training is going and we prioritize giving any questions or concerns that come up a thoughtful response.
We’re professional runners. We’ve experienced many years of training in the sport, which means we’ve got an absurd wealth of knowledge about anything and everything related to running. Nutrition, equipment, travel to races, how to contend with weather – you name it, we’ll have recommendations about it.
Who We Work With
We guide athletes of all experience levels to nail their endurance goals, whatever those may be.
Our own running backgrounds have roots in track, road, and trail and we work with athletes who want to train for any of those disciplines. Whether you’re chasing a new 10K personal best or aiming for qualification to the UTMB, we’re excited to plan out the journey to get you there.
Not all of our athletes have goals that fit into neat, tidy silos and most of them are pursuing excellence across a range of distances and terrains. We love that! We know that the skills gained training for specific events prove highly useful over a wide variety of endurance pursuits.
Athlete Testomonials.