James Lawrence

Athlete, Coach, Student of the Sport

PBs: Mile: 4:03 / 3,000m: 7:52 / 5,000m: 13:32 / 10,000m: 27:54

Ever since I started running, I’ve been fascinated by the training and coaching side of the sport and have devoured all the books, podcasts, and expert advice I could get my hands on. I spent my four years of high school overseas in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where I immersed myself in the culture of the world’s greatest running nation and was self-coached, making many mistakes and learning important lessons along the way.

I went on to compete as a Division I runner at Dartmouth College and Loyola University Chicago, serving as team captain for both programs. Along the way, I made a deliberate choice to see how good I could get and bet on myself when it would have been easier not to. That decision led to significant personal bests, three Atlantic 10 titles, All-Midwest Region honors, and selection to the Ivy Select team for the Izumo Ekiden in Japan.

After years informally advising friends and former teammates on their training and gaining experience as an assistant coach at a Virginia state championship-winning cross country program, I started White Whale Running because I want to bring everything I've learned from competing, coaching, and studying the sport to help athletes who are committed to getting better.