Vert.co

Trail . endurance . Road

Who we are?

The co-founders and co-owners of Vert.Co are South African outdoor and fitness enthusiasts, Johardt van Heerden and Louis le Grange.

Johardt, an athlete sponsored by The North Face, and attorney, grew up running around athletic tracks and dusty cross country routes in the northern parts of South Africa before moving down to Cape Town. Some of his best running achievements include:

- being a double South African Long Distance Trail champion
- winning and holding the South African records on the Otter Run and Retto Run
- winning and holding the course record on the Whale of Trail
- winning and holding the course record on the Ultra Trail Drakensberg GCU62
- winning the Cape Town Trail Marathon
- winning and holding the course record on the NumNum Trail
- placing top 5 in the Dodo Trail Xtreme 50km and Zermatt Marathon
- placing top 10 in the UTCT 100km
- holding the FKT’s (Fastest Known Times) on some of South Africa’s most prestigious routes

such as Mafadi, Sterkhorn and the Jonkershoek Hoefyster.

Louis, a blogger, engineer, and UESCA certified ultrarunning coach, grew up competing in middle distance athletics and cross country running, amongst numerous other sports, before veering off into the cycling, triathlon and adventure scenes. He eventually discovered his passion for ultrarunning and endurance sports and enjoys delving into the science of human performances. Although intrigued by the numbers, Louis is an advocate for having fun and enjoying nature. Although not too fussed about placement, some of his best running achievements include:

- winning the Mac Mac Ultra 50mile, Mont-Aux-Sources 50km Challenge, Origins 50km Ultra, Lesotho Mountain Marathon, and KZNTR Mountain Marathon Series
- top 5 at Mnweni Marathon, Drakensberg Northern Trail, NumNum Trail and Uitsoek Mountain Marathon
- top 10 at the Skyrun 100km, Ultra Trail Drakensberg GCU62, 4 Peaks Challenge, and Rhodes Run
- sub 24-hour 13 Peaks Challenge
- top 15 at the Otter and Retto Runs.

coaching SERVICES

WE OFFER COACHING IN ROADRUNNING, TRAILRUNNING, ULTRARUNNING, AND OTHER ENDURANCE athletes

INDIVIDUALIsed coaching

Unfortunately, in a life with so many variables, one size does not always fit all

All fitness LEVELs

Even the top athletes started somewhere, the key is really just to start

goal orientated

Set your own target, take ownership of it, and give us the opportunity to assist

CUSTOMIsABLE

Life happens, we know. We can adapt your training sessions quickly by using the TrainingPeaks platform

experience & science based

Although we've cranked up years of experience with top results, we combine that experience with science based literature to keep up to date

SUPPORT

We are here to assist and aim to provide feedback within 24 hours

OUR PRICING

BASIC

R 650 / month
Discussions around your own needs and goals
Formulating a structured goal-orientated long-term plan
Structuring monthly short-term workouts to meet long term adaptation and target requirements
A once-a-month feedback session
A pacing strategy for race day

PREMIUM

R950 / month
Discussions around your own needs and goals
Formulating a structured goal-orientated long-term plan
Structuring weekly short-term workouts to meet long term adaptation and target requirements
Analysing your fitness and fatigue and make workout changes where required
Bi-monthly feedback sessions
Continuous Q&A availability with 24-hour response time
A pacing strategy for race day

"My coach is amazing! His coaching has been a game-changer for me. His knowledge, guidance, and support have helped me improve my skills and reach new heights. I feel so fortunate to have such a dedicated coach. I can't wait to see what we accomplish together in the future!"

WANO KATJIRI

"Vert.Co has helped keep me consistent, focused and encouraged with my training. The constant feedback on how training and races went and the adjustments to the plan as a result give one confidence in the process. They have helped me navigate a return back from injury as well as to pull out some solid results. I would highly recommend them to anyone seeking growth in their running."

JASON PEACH

"Setting running goals are simple. Planning, execution and assessing progress is not. VertCo has helped me plan and continuously assess multiple running goals - short distances, longer distances, even trail and road. Each time their plans, accountability and technically clear communication helped me improve my times and resulted in me enjoying my running more. I'd refer them to anyone seeking to improve."

RICARDO FERNANDES

"It has been such an incredible journey having Vert.Co coach me. They have taken my running to a whole new level and grown my love for the sport. They are always there to explain things, give feedback, race guidance, nutrition advice and do more than just give you a program. They are involved every step of the way and I couldn’t recommend them more!"

TYLER KENNAIRD