Michael Schaffner

Michael, who was anything but athletic in his younger years, ran his very first race on his 40th birthday, the Chicago Half Marathon, without proper training or any real concept of what 13.1 miles entailed. So unsure of his ability to complete the race he did not tell anyone about it until after he finished it. Little did he know how the struggle to cross that finish line would alter his life. In retrospect, Michael has built his running career around taking on new challenges with the uncertainty of success. In his 17 years of running he has completed 22 Marathons and 19 Ultramarathons with distances ranging from 50k to 100 miles, and racing everywhere from the Utah desert to the mountains of Peru.

Since 2005 Michael has been involved with CES, starting as a participant and slowly working up through the ranks of pacer, mentor, and eventually coach, which he has has been doing for the past ten years. Michael really enjoys the opportunity to pay it forward, sharing what he has learned with runners starting out from where he once was, helping them conquer their own self doubts and achieving goals they may have never thought possible.

Email: mschaffner@chicagoendurancesports.com

Available for Virtual 1:1 Coaching Add-On

(must be current member of CES Training program)

IMPORTANT NOTE: We have limited slots available for each coach, to insure their ability to give the full attention that you deserve. If your preferred Coach is not available, we will work with you to select an appropriate Coach, to ensure an appropriate match.