Testimonials

Catherine Filipone
I knew Samuel from the running community for many years before I decided to work one-on-one with him to reach my running goals. Samuel is a consistent, strong, smart runner representing good sportsmanship, with gained respect from his peers in the sport of running.

Since running with Samuel, I have met my goals of improving overall race times in all distances. In the past my race times were very inconsistent. Training with Samuel has improved my consistency in finishing times and has yielded race times in the top 5-10% for my age group. Samuel’s thorough and carefully graded workouts have been considerate of race recovery periods and periods of ramping up towards races without resulting in injury from over-training. I feel fortunate to work with such a dedicated and supportive individual like Samuel and look forward to improving my overall race times.

Yuliya Oryol
Hi Samuel, please feel free to use me as a referral anytime. As you know, we have been working together since January 2007. In this time I have made huge progress. Looking back, I wish that I had started working with you sooner. You are a wonderful coach and I truly owe my improvement as a runner to you. I feel stronger, faster and more confident as a runner due to your training program in just six months of working together. You have pushed me to a level that I never believed I could reach as a runner. My running times are a testament to this…my two-mile time trial has improved by 3 minutes, my 5k time has improved by 2 minutes, my half marathon time has improved by 13 minutes, and my marathon time has improved by 22 minutes all in one year of training with you. The best part about training with you is that you constantly inspire me to be the best I can possibly be as a runner.

Charlie Herndon, Age 11
Samuel Harvell has been teaching me track ever since I was 8 years of age. He has taken me and my family on trails to Strawberry hill, on narrow trails, and other beautiful landmarks inside Golden Gate Park. At the same time when Samuel took my family and I on trails in the park, he would observe our running posture and make adjustments. I used to run with my arms flailing about, causing my dashes to be about 4 seconds slower than what I could really do. Samuel told me to keep my elbows slightly below my rib cage, and like magic I was running 4 seconds faster than what I used to run. After only one month of Samuel helping me, my 200 yard dashes were better by at least 10 seconds. I was HAPPY!!! I was also the fastest kid in my school.

Jack Herndon, Age 15
My experience with Samuel was very beneficial. The design of Samuel’s workout program was perfect for my body shape and overall fitness. The results of the workouts were nearly immediate and by the end of the summer I had endurance, speed, and the well shaped legs of a runner. And I was the fastest miler in my school.

Vanessa Herndon, age 17
I first started training with Samuel when I was just 13 years old. Samuel took the time to get to know me and my two brothers when we trained with him, running beautiful trails through Golden Gate Park, sprinting around Kezar track, and stretching and toning up on the grass. I was not much of a runner. I ran goofy footed and awkwardly at an average pace. Samuel took immediate notice of what I needed with my stride. He told me focus on bringing my knees up, which was just what I needed to straighten out my goofy run. The workouts were intensive, and I could feel myself getting better each week.