Coaches
Mike's personal records
Marathon: 2:32:13 (Indianapolis, 2024)
Half Marathon: 1:12:29 (Greenville, SC, 2021)
10k: 32:53 (Charlotte Racefest, 2024)
8k: 26:46 (Charlotte Winter Classic, 2019)
5k: 15:59 (Park Run, 2023)
Ultra Trail 50k: 5:09:13 (Table Rock Ultra 50k, Ashville, 2018)
Mike McMillen
Founder and Coach
Coach Mike is a Road Runners of America Level 2 Certified Coach, a US Track and Field Level 1 Coach, the run lead at OpenTap Run Club, and a certified Physical Educator with a Master’s in Education. Mike has been running competitively for over 15 years, competing in a variety of distances from the mile to Ultra events on the road and trails. What started as a hobby and way to stay healthy has turned into a way of life for Mike and running is viewed as a way to find both adventure and challenge. From running Marathons on the Great Wall of China for fun, to competing in local races to continue pushing his limits as he gets older, he understands that running serves a different purpose for us all.
Mike combines his experience and knowledge of running to provide detailed and structured training plans that focus on getting the best out of your training. Additionally with his background in education, Mike presents and breaks down complex training principles and concepts to you in a manner that makes them easier to understand. This way, you know what you are doing and WHY you are doing it, so that every run serves a valuable purpose towards your goals. Within his coaching, you’ll be able to discuss mental strategies, nutrition, wellness, and complementary strength work that will get the most out of your training. With this approach, Mike has worked with a wide range of athletes, leading them to 200+ PRs.
Outside of running, Mike is a husband and a Father of 2 young children, so he know how difficult it can be to balance work, family, and running. He enjoys hiking and camping with his family in the nearby mountains, cooking up some global cuisines, or creating new DIY projects around the house (some more successful that others). Mike is originally from Liverpool, England, but spent 8 years living in Asia as a Physical Education teacher, before moving to the States in 2017.
Brad Hunt
Coach
Coach Brad, grew up in Wilmington, NC, but also spent time as a child living in Chester, England (just 20min down the road from Coach Mike, but we never knew each other). Brad holds a degree from NC State where he majored in Psychology which has turned out very useful when it comes to coaching athletes!
Brad has a strong athletic background having ran various distances from 5k-Marathon (PR: 2:57), played on the NC State Club tennis team, competed in various Ironman’s and gravel bike races, and has a passion for soccer. Brad is a certified RRCA Run Coach and has coached athletes working towards various race goals across a range of distances and events. Additionally, Brad has experience coaching tennis and triathletes as an Ironman Certified Coach and a US Professional Tennis Association Certified Coach.
His extensive background in coaching and competing in different sports allows him to offer a holistic approach to your training and provide enhanced performance insights. He views your training through different lenses so that he can provide diverse training techniques that are personally suited to you, making your training more engaging and effective. In summary, Brad loves to build relationships with people and find a way to help them grow and develop.
Outside of sports, Brad is a husband and is also the guardian of 2 very loveable dogs, one of which is currently in puppy training.
Drew Marshall
Coach
Drew is a native of Fort Mill, SC and ran all state XC & track at Fort Mill High School. He took a break from running following attending Appalachian State but found his way back to running again in 2018. Since then Drew has gone on to set the course records in several trail races including Table Rock Ultra 50k and Mill Stone 50k and achieved a personal record of 2:27:47 in the Marathon (Charlotte, 2024).
Drew is a certified UESCA Run Coach and has been coaching athletes for several years. From first time 5k runners to experienced marathoners and trail and ultra enthusiasts, Drew has worked with a wide range of athletes to help them achieve their goals and fit in their training with busy work and life schedules.
“My specialty is in developing an endurance mindset that sees no finish line, training with life in mind & learning to love our bodies for what we’re capable of.”
Drew is versatile but has a particular love for the trails and has competed in many ultra trail races, winning at the 50k distance four times including 2 course records along the way and completing the challenging Grindstone 100k. Drew is a strong proponent of cross training and applied his vast knowledge of multiple disciplines to complete Ironman Florida 70.3.
In his spare time, Drew loves to play disc golf & competes in tournaments often, recently scoring a Top 10 MA-2 at Richmond Hill Rumble 2024. He often runs with his girlfriend, but she hates to wear a watch & track her paces. She remind him that running is meant to be fun first, exercise second!
