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Endurance Performance Centre Coaching staff

CraigCraig Winrow, Centre Coordinator and Performance Coach

During his running career Craig won multiple English Schools medals and UK age group championships over 800m. His first major achievement was winning the gold medal at the 1989 European Athletics Junior Championships. He followed this up with a silver medal at the 1990 World Junior Championships, as part of the GB 4 x 400 metres relay team.

Craig continued to improve his performances as a senior athlete, competing at the highest level of international competitions. He represented England at the 1994 Commonwealth Games, finishing fourth in the 800 metres final. He also reached the final of the 1994 European Athletics Championships finishing sixth place and that year also won a bronze medal at the World Cup.

His career highlight was competing at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, where he reached the Semi-Final. Craig’s personal best over 800m was 1:45.69.

Craig retired from competitive running in 1998 and moved to the US, where he coached at a division one NCAA university for 6 years. During that period, he had great success with his athletes and university team winning many medals at the Southland Conference Championships over track and cross country.  This also led to taking many of his athletes to the NCAA Championships.

He moved back to the UK in 2005 and started coaching at St Mary’s EPC in 2007. Craig is very passionate about sharing his knowledge and experience with the athletes he coaches and strives to help them achieve their potential.  Since 2007 he has helped the university team and individuals’ athletes to many team and individual medals at the BUCS Cross Country, indoor and outdoor championships. His coaching highlights include serving on GB coaching teams for international meets and guiding several successful athletes to international-level achievements, including:

Andrew Osagie 

  • 2011 World Athletics Championships – 800m - Semi Final
  • 2012 and 2014 World Athletics Indoor Championships – 800m -Bronze medallist
  • 2012 Olympics Games – 800m -7th place (1:43.77)
  • 2013 World Athletics Championships – 800m – 5th place
  • 2014 Commonwealth Games and European Athletics Championships.

Ross Murray 

  • 2012 Olympic Games – 1500m – Semi Final.

James Brewer 

  • 2009 European U23 Athletics Championships – 1500m -Silver Medal
  • 2009 World Athletics Championships – 1500m – Semi Final
  • 2012 World Athletics Indoor Championships – 1500m.

Colin McCourt

  • 2010 European Athletics Championships – 1500m – 9th place
  • 2010 Commonwealth Games – 1500m
  • 2010 European Team Championships – 1500m – Gold medal.

Rowan Axe

  • 2018 Commonwealth Games – 1500m.

Thomas Randolph

  • 2021 European U23 Athletics Championships – 800m – Bronze Medal.

Joseph Wigfield

  • 2019 European Athletics U20 Championships
  • 2022 U23 European Cross Country Championships – 13th place
  • 2023 World Athletics Cross Country Championships – Mixed Relay.

Rebecca Murray

  • 2019 FISU Summer University Half Marathon – 7th place
  • 2023 European 10000m Cup.

Adelle Tracey

  • 2015 European U23 Athletics Championships – 800m – 4th place
  • 2016 World Athletics Indoor Championships – 800m 
  • 2016 European Athletics Championships – 800m 
  • 2017 FISU Summer University Championships – 800m – 4th place
  • 2017 World Athletics Championships – 800m – Semi Final
  • 2018 Commonwealth Games – 800m
  • 2018 European Athletics Championships – 800m – 4th place
  • 2019 European Athletics Indoor Championships – 800m – Semi-Final
  • 2022 World Athletics Championships (Jamaica) – 800m – Semi-Final
  • 2022 World Athletics Championships – 1500m
  • 2023 World Athletics Championships – 800m – 7th place
  • 2023 World Athletics Championships – 1500m – Semi Final and National Record.

Contact: craig.winrow@stmarys.ac.uk


Mick Woods, Performance Coach

Before becoming one of Great Britain’s top performance coaches Mick Woods’ running career started in 1964 when he joined Aldershot Farnham and District. As an athlete Mick specialised in road running, competing in over 70 marathons and winning 6 with a personal best of 2:20.12, which led him to represent Ireland over the distance. He also developed a passion for mountain running where he headed to Europe to compete in countless races throughout the years.

In 1986, Mick Woods begun coaching at his local athletics club Aldershot Farnham and District, where he achieved numerous successes with junior athletes including, now Olympic marathon runner, Chris Thompson.

In 2003, after much success as a coach at Aldershot, he began coaching for British Athletics where he was based at St. Mary’s beginning his work as the manager/coach of the EPC. Working as a British Athletics performance coach he had an immediate impact on the St Mary’s programme, where in 2004 St Mary’s placed in the top 5 at the BUCS Cross Country Championships. From that team, athletes such as Matt Ashton and Chris Lamb went on to compete at the European Cross Country Championships and World Athletics Cross Country Championships respectively.

By 2005, Mick successfully led the Men’s team to breaking Loughborough’s winning streak at BUCS Cross Country, where St Mary’s won the title. This was the beginning of a dynasty of excellence at BUCS Cross Country races where Mick was/continues to be influential in developing young St Mary’s EPC athletes to become individual and team champions. 

In 2010, Mick Woods transitioned becoming a full-time St Mary’s Endurance Performance Centre (EPC) coach. During his tenure as a coach at St Mary’s he has coached multiple athletes to Olympic Games including Stephanie Twell and Beth Potter.

Mick worked closely with Steph Twell as junior athlete. He guided her to Gold in the 1500m at the World Junior Championships in 2008, earning her a spot on Team GB for the Beijing Olympic Games. By 2010, under Mick’s guidance, she then went on to win Bronze at the Commonwealth Games. In 2016, after earning Bronze in the 5000m at the European Championships, she secured another spot upon the 2016 Rio Olympics Team for the 5000m.

When coaching Beth Potter, a now World Champion triathlete, as an EPC athlete in 2016, she secured 3rd place at the British 10,000m Championships which secured her spot in the Rio Olympics squad as well. Beth also went on to win the British Championships in 2017 across the 10,000m distance with Steph following behind in a close second place.

Some highlights of Mick’s coaching career so far include when Ellis Cross, Emile Cairess, and Abdulqani Sharif secured a 1,2,3 finish in the 5000m Men’s BUCS championship. Coaching at least one athlete every year to a European Cross Country Team GB vest since 1999, as well as developing some of Britain’s current international athletes such as Charlotte Purdue, Ellis Cross, Jacob Allen, and Emile Cairess. Since 2004 Mick has been the Team GB Men’s U23 coach for the European Cross Country Championships.

Contact: michael.woods@stmarys.ac.uk