MEET THE COACHES: COURTNAY WALKER
Published: 25/09/2026 | By: Alex Courbat
She was chasing the podium at eight. Now, as a Nike coach, Sport Sociology PhD student, pre and postnatal PT and mum, Courtnay Walker is chasing something bigger: a way of running that leaves room for change, challenge and joy.
There's no hiding on a track. The splits are right there, the rep is the rep, and eventually your legs tell you exactly how ambitious you were feeling when you agreed to the session. That's part of the appeal. At the opening Sports Direct x Nike After Dark Tour 2026 training session in North London, women came together to work hard, push themselves and get comfortable in a space that can feel intimidating when you're new to it. In the middle of it all was Nike coach Courtnay Walker.
Courtnay's relationship with running began at eight, when she joined a track club as a sprinter. For years, everything was about performance. "My whole identity was shaped around wanting to win, race and run fast," she says. Then she became a mum, and that relationship changed. Pregnancy and postpartum life meant letting go of a lot of the expectations she'd carried for years, and learning to be a little kinder to herself, with more grace for wherever she was at.
"There is a lot of fun, playfulness and joy to be found in not always just wanting to perform," she says.
That doesn't mean the competitive side disappeared. Courtnay still races internationally and is a half and full marathoner. She still loves training hard and seeing what her body can do. The difference is that performance is no longer the only measure of a good run.
That belief shapes her work as a Nike coach, pre and postnatal PT, founder of Luna Club and Sport Sociology PhD student. She draws on her experience as a competitive athlete to help women, mums or not, build strength, train with confidence and embrace movement with fearless intention. Her aim is not to prescribe one way of being a runner, but to help women find a version that works for their bodies and their lives.
It's a philosophy that fits naturally with the Sports Direct x Nike After Dark Tour, Nike's women's race series built around running, sport, culture and community. For Courtnay, creating a space where women feel they belong matters just as much as the training itself.
Her advice for anyone starting out is simple: "Start where you're at." Don't measure your first session against somebody else's years of experience. Build gradually, find your people and give yourself permission to enjoy the process.
Her four-year-old daughter has grown up around running, from riding in a jogging buggy to joining her mum's sessions and leading her own mini warm-ups. For Courtnay, it's a reminder that movement doesn't need to come with pressure. Young girls should see women running, competing and enjoying sport in all its forms.
At eight, running taught Courtnay to chase the podium. Motherhood taught her that her running could change without losing its value. Now, she's still chasing hard sessions and big goals. She's just making sure there's room for joy along the way.
