Martin Karoki Muriuki

About

Martin Karoki Muriuki is a professional Kenyan runner and coach shaped by one of the world's most respected distance-running environments. Asked to describe his coaching, he says he would "call my coaching top class", driven by the desire to achieve world-class honours and medals through his runners. He moved into coaching to mentor upcoming athletes, drawing on years of racing and on what he learned from his own mentors and coaches.

“When you're training, music is absent. You don't need distraction. You think about how is your body: are you getting tired, is your body moving, are you responding to the training?”

Second place, Nyahururu, August 2026

Martin finished second in 30:46.98 at the National Marathon Association of Korea 10 km time trial in Nyahururu on 1 August 2026, 8.94 seconds behind winner Johnson Kamau and 1.37 seconds clear of third. Sixteen men in the field broke 32:30. He is racing in the white singlet and red shorts, chest number 313.

Coaching Style

He demands determination, self-drive, and a high level of discipline, while maintaining a close, friendly dynamic with athletes. His approach combines Kenyan and international methods: the 75/25 rule for middle-distance runners and 80/20 for marathoners. Those figures come from the professional group he coaches in Kenya, who run 120-160km a week for middle distance and 180-210km for the marathon in twice-daily sessions. They are not a starting point for a recreational runner. He begins any new athlete from their own training history, recent races, injuries and available days, treats anyone coming back from a break as a beginner, and gives beginners easy running, stretching and light strength work for around three months before any track session. In the first few weeks, Martin uses GPS data to establish each athlete's effort zones, because in his experience running purely by feel usually means running too fast, which is how people burn out. He keeps prescribing paces from the watch, but periodically takes the watch away during an interval or tempo session and calls the pace himself, so the runner learns what a given pace actually feels like. He also builds mental resilience using local Swahili proverbs like 'Mtaka cha mvunguni sharti ainame' (whoever wants something from under the bed must bend down for it).

Training guides authored by Martin

Martin has written up how he actually trains, from the full method to the final weeks of a marathon block. Start with the book, then the two phase guides below.

• The Kenyan Running Method (free book): Martin's own 11-chapter guide to how he trains: his real week, easy-pace discipline, the sessions that matter, hills, rest and race day. First three chapters open, full book and PDF free by email.
• Three-week marathon taper plan: Week-by-week structure for the three weeks before race day, written from Martin's own training and coaching practice.
• Seven-day race-week prep guide: Day-by-day plan for the final week before a marathon: workouts, fueling, sleep, and the calm execution that protects the build.

Coaching paths Martin works best on

Martin's calibration-first approach scales across recreational marathoners and serious time-goal chasers. The three paths below match the fit profiles he describes when he takes on new athletes.

• First-marathon coaching: Martin's strongest fit. Disciplined progression, easy days that stay easy, and the patience to let a first-marathon build settle without panic.
• Sub-3 marathon coaching: For runners moving from middle-distance toward serious marathon goals. Martin's 14:13 5K background brings the speed; the marathon coaching brings the structure.
• Boston Qualifier coaching: A BQ is earned in disciplined weeks, not hero workouts. Martin's repeatable-week structure fits the BQ standard better than chasing one big breakthrough.

Best Fit For

• First-marathon runners who need disciplined structure rather than guesswork
• Runners moving from middle-distance or shorter races toward stronger endurance
• Athletes who need help keeping easy days easy and training weeks repeatable

Achievements

• 5K PB: 14:13 (Oct 2023)
• 10K PB: 29:43 (Jan 2026)
• 2nd, 10 km time trial, Nyahururu (Aug 2026): 30:46.98