Meet the Coach

Francesca Barbetta is a certified run coach, strength coach, marathoner, and full-time working mom of three. Since 2012, she has completed 12 marathons (including one entirely on a treadmill), 21 half marathons, and 3 ultramarathons, with her longest race being 50 miles.

Her coaching career began in 2012 as the head middle school track coach at the school where she taught English, leading a program of more than 150 athletes each season. From 2015–2019, she was a Mad Dogg Certified Spin Instructor at Fitness Works, and from 2016–2022 she served as an NCSF Certified Strength Training and Bootcamp Instructor and Running Coach at PHL Athletics, helping runners build strength, improve performance, and reach goals from their first 5K to ultramarathons.

In 2023, Francesca founded Francesca Barbetta Fitness, where she continues to privately coach adult runners with personalized training, strength, and fueling guidance. In 2026, she also returned to youth coaching as the head track coach for a local Catholic school's K–2 track team.

As both a lifelong runner and coach, Francesca believes endurance training should be sustainable, approachable, and enjoyable. Her passion for creating homemade energy gels grew from a desire to fuel long runs with simple, nutritious ingredients while keeping endurance sports affordable for everyday athletes.

Today, she shares practical training, fueling, and strength tips with her online community while helping runners of all experience levels train smarter, race stronger, and enjoy the journey.