Coach Ray Nypaver
Coach Ray will be accepting new athletes again in late summer/early fall of 2023.
Ray is a Lydiard II certified coach who has been part of the Higher Running team for 5 years. She has competed in numerous trail races, from 5 miles to 100 miles. Most notably, she came in 2nd at Burning River 100 in 2011, 1st place at Virgil Crest 100 in 2012, 1st place at Forget the Pr 50k in 2014, and 1st place at Leatherwood Ultra 50 Miler in 2015. In August of 2015, Ray thru-hiked the 500 mile Colorado Trail with her pup and adventure partner, Pacer (aka. Supergirl). In 2019, the pair completed their goal of summiting 40 of Colorado’s 14ers.
Ray currently lives in Estes Park, CO, located in the valley below Rocky Mountain National Park, where the mountains and Elk are her neighbors. In 2019, Ray graduated from Naropa University with her Master’s Degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling with Transpersonal Wilderness Therapy. In 2020, she opened up Wanderlust Counseling. Her passion for coaching follows in line with her mission of helping others reach their full potential in all aspects of life and therefore carries a strong mind/body/spirit focus in her coaching. At Higher Running, she enjoys coaching runners embarking on new adventures and who use running as a modality to discover more about themselves. Ray’s hobbies include reading, volunteering, Yoga, snowshoeing, rollerblading, and exploring new places with her daughter(dog). Please email for coaching inquiries.
Price for Coaching:
One Year Commitment: $200 per month.
Month to Month (with a 3 month commitment): $250 per month.
*It is important that our work remains accessible to as many as possible; that is why each coach offers a sliding scale for those who cannot afford the full price. Please contact your desired coach directly to inquire about sliding scale options.
Click here for Coach Ray’s Body Positive Workshop Curriculum for Female Runners.
Email: Ray.HigherRunning@gmail.com
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Testimonials
“Ray has been my guide in the ultras journey for over 5 years! She really took time to get to know me, my goals and figure out what would work for me. But most of all, she taught me how to truly listen to my body again. After years of chronic disease, I thought of ultras as a way of getting back at my body that failed me so many times before. Now, “we” play together and “we” go to beautiful places.”
“I always thought private or personal coaches were for “Professional/Serious Athletes.” Generic training plans are fine, in fact I think they are great. BUT having personalized help, from an experienced, well-informed athlete is exactly what a beginner needs!
“Ray is kind and professional, I ran my first half with her as my coach, and I felt the best I ever had during and after a race! Injury Free!!”
“Individual coaching is not just coaching, it’s developing relationship between Coach and athlete over time. It is an opportunity to know an expert athlete who has a lifetime experience of doing the sport you enjoy. Gaining any peek into the experience of such an athlete is priceless for me. What I got most out of this is I learned a technique about how to listen to my body. Before I started coaching, I really didn’t know that, over the period of time, Coach Ray taught me that by taking me through various varying work-outs, easy work-outs. In the beginning, both myself and Coach Ray didn’t know what are my pace bands, that is exactly what an individual coach should do that is he/she will know you personally first before plotting your plan/goals. Another very important thing that I get out of coaching is personal motivation. Sometimes you need someone to push you, say good words to you and that all makes a big difference. You just cannot get that experience in online coaching! I am very glad that I got acquainted with Coach Ray, and other Coaches in the higher running family!”
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