Training Plans
The Dashing Whippets offer training structure for your individual running goals. Each training cycle, the Dashing Whippets Coaching Team develops group training plans customized to goal races in NYC and beyond. These plans guide each team run and workout, taking the guesswork out of your race training. At team runs and workouts, your teammates will motivate and encourage you to be the best runner you can be.
Each training cycle offers multiple training plans:
Long distance plans - Full Marathon, Half Marathon, 15K
Short distance plan - 10K distance and shorter
Track specialist plan
Join us as we get faster together!
Weekly Runs
The Whippets organize 10+ weekly runs that meet in Central Park, Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn, featuring speed workouts, long runs, and casual easy group runs. Check the Yakka Event Calendar for the day, time, and meeting locations. Meeting times may adjust seasonally, so be sure to check Yakka for the most up-to-date information.
Runs break out into a range of smaller pace groups of runners with similar goals.
Long Runs
A keystone element of any long distance race training plan. Long runs with friends are more fun! Each week’s Whippets long run explores a new route throughout the Five Boroughs.
Two long runs depart Saturday mornings from Columbus Circle in Manhattan and Prospect Park in Brooklyn.
Speed Workouts
Structured speed sessions customized to both long distance, short distance, and track specialist training plans. Speed sessions with the Whippets helps you find your pace crew to chase each other to reach your goals.
Speed workouts meet Tuesday and Thursday evenings in Central Park, Lower Manhattan, and Brooklyn.
Easy Casual Runs
Keep it easy for 4-5 miles and catch up with your teammates at an easy conversational pace.
Easy runs meet Monday and Wednesday evenings in Central Park and Lower Manhattan.
Monday Evening
Casual easy run
Central Park & Lower Manhattan
Tuesday Evening
Long interval speed workout
Central Park & Brooklyn
Wednesday Evening
Casual easy run
Central Park
Thursday Evening
Short interval speed workout
Upper Manhattan & Brooklyn
Saturday Morning
Long run
Columbus Circle & Brooklyn
Meet the Coaches
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John Ferry
Head Coach
John joined the Whippets in 2013 and credits the club for the best training and racing of his running career. He became head coach in 2024 with a goal to provide high quality training and an environment for athletes to learn and excel. In addition, John is also the Head Coach and Co-Founder of Team Wilpers, which provides training to thousands of athletes each week.
John is a USATF Level I & Level II Certified Endurance Coach, and has completed coaching certifications by VDOTO2, RRCA, CFSC, IRONMANU, and TRX.
While John is currently training and racing, his greatest satisfaction comes from helping others achieve their goals.
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Stephen Cox
Short Distance Coach
Stephen develops training plans and provides guidance for team members looking to run 5k and shorter distances. Stephen oversees the DWRT track program and fosters a fun and competitive environment for both experienced and newer athletes.
While Stephen’s main coaching focus is on shorter distances, don't hesitate to ask him about races ranging from 200 meters to ultra marathons! -
Makayla Karr-Warner
Assistant Coach
Makayla is a lifelong athlete who grew up in the Bay Area and started rowing at 13, going on to row competitively through college in Boston and afterward, training for Olympic Trials with hopes of representing the US at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, all while coaching high school girls' crew year-round on the Charles River. After moving to NYC in 2021 for graduate school, she traded her oars for running shoes, running her first marathon just months into settling into the city. She's since raced Philly, NYC, Boston, Chicago, and London, along with countless NYRR races like NYC Half, Brooklyn Half, Staten Island Half, and the 5th Avenue Mile, to name just a few. She joined the Dashing Whippets in 2022 and has been hooked ever since, and she's thrilled to give back as a coach to the community that welcomed her when she was still finding her footing in New York.
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Alan Wu
Assistant Coach
Alan has been running with the Whippets since 2024, and a part of the coaching team since 2026. He is a regular attendee of many of the club’s weekly runs, where he provides guidance and context to team members on how to integrate the club’s workout plans into their existing training.
As a coach, he particularly enjoys working with athletes on mindset and resiliency; beyond running, he works with professionals on leadership development, where he sees a significant overlap on how both groups approach setting and achieving challenging goals.
Alan is a RRCA Level I Certified Coach and also holds a professional coaching certification from ICF.