Greg’s Story
Greg is a professional running coach with more than 15 years of experience. He is keen on personal service and is committed to turning his runners into top athletes. Greg is an analytical, dedicated professional passionate about trail running and ultrarunning.
That´s enough of talking about myself in the third person.
Who Am I Really?
My name is Gregor Rasp (you can call me Greg). Not too long ago, I founded Top Of The Trail to help trail runners and ultrarunners on their journeys to the top.
I started coaching more than 15 years ago, and for over a decade, I have specialized in trail and ultrarunning.
Running has been a passion of my wife’s and mine for almost 20 years. We started running on the road initially, but soon discovered the thrill of trail running and were immediately hooked.
Life presented me with challenges that kept me from running for over a decade. Fortunately, I could stay active in other ways during that time. Now, I’m gradually getting back into running, although it’s not as easy as it used to be when I was younger.
Qualifications
Is this guy even qualified to coach runners?
Absolutely!
- UESCA Certified Ultrarunning Coach since 2023. Jason Koop, a well-known author and Head Coach for CTS Ultrarunning, has led the program.
- Certified Running Coach since 2015, a certification originally created by celebrated running coach and author Dr. Jason Karp PhD.
- NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) since 2010.
- ACE Certified Personal Trainer (ACE-PT) since 2010.
See my UESCA coach profile here.
Greg’s Bio
Here is a brief rundown of the crazy roller coaster ride of my life, including two close calls that messed up my body for good. I’ve managed to overcome these challenges, and the tough times have taught me a lot about life and how to handle difficult situations.
- I was born in Berchtesgaden, Germany, on January 11, 1958.
- I grew up in Salzburg, Austria, graduating from high school in 1977.
- While young and undecided, I spent several years at odd jobs and backpacking in North and South America.
- In November 1987, at age 29, I moved to the Netherlands, where I studied computer science but never completed the degree due to the high demand for programmers.
- I worked as a freelance programmer and database designer/analyst for the German government for several years.
- I moved to Bangkok, Thailand, in October 2001, where I met and married my wife in September 2002. We have no children.
- In 2009, at age 51, I retrained to become a Personal Trainer, Strength and Conditioning Specialist, and Running Coach.
- On New Year’s Eve 2013, my life changed abruptly and for good. While I was riding my bicycle, a car hit me, leading to permanent damage to my lungs. For years, I was unable to run or coach. It was a difficult period in my life, but I was able to overcome the challenges. Check out the story of my accident on my personal blog.
- In 2015, I took on short projects in race organization and timing for a company based in Singapore, which required extensive travel across Asia and the Middle East.
- These assignments stopped abruptly in March 2020 with the global COVID-19 lockdowns.
- I’ve not been able to work since March 2020 due to the COVID-19 lockdowns. During that time, I started suffering from severe shortness of breath and was diagnosed with a pulmonary embolism, which is probably a late consequence of the accident I had.
- By February 2022, the pulmonary embolism had turned into chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH), a potentially fatal lung disease. I was given three to five years to live.
- Luck was on my side again, and after receiving treatment in Japan in October and November 2022, I could finally return to a normal life and have a bright outlook for the future.
- I spent the next 18 months getting back into shape and figuring out what I wanted to do with my life. That’s when my wife and I decided to start our own company, which became the foundation for our coaching business.
- In December 2023, at age 65, I took the UESCA Ultrarunning Coach Certification exam to ensure I am qualified to coach trail- and ultrarunners and to demonstrate to the world that I’m serious about it.
A Strong Team
Nee (Sutinee Rasp) and I have been married for over 20 years, and I have been her coach since the beginning of my career, more than 15 years ago. We have had some great successes together. Check out Nee’s profile.
We have teamed up for Top Of The Trail, and our combined expertise promises to take your running to the top and beyond.
Why Not Earlier?
Why didn’t I start a coaching business earlier, given my passion for running? The short answer is that the time wasn’t right.
Starting a coaching business requires health, stability, and a clear outlook for the future. For a long time, I didn’t have those. In 2013, I survived a serious accident that took years to recover from. Just as life began to normalize, COVID-19 hit. Shortly after, I was diagnosed with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH), a severe and potentially life-threatening condition and a late complication of that accident. Starting a business simply wasn’t realistic.
Since 2024, those obstacles are behind me. My health is stable, and I’m in a position to do this properly.
I’ve written in more detail about my experience with CTEPH and the accident that led to it on my personal blog.
In case you haven’t noticed yet, I love taking selfies.
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