The FREE 5-Day Starting Line Mini Course for RunnerParents
Know exactly what to say after every race, without becoming your runner’s coach, even if you’ve never run a race yourself.
Get the mini course and the 20 Foundations sent directly to your email. One short lesson a day for five days, and one small thing to try tonight.
Free · Five minutes a day · Unsubscribe anytime
This is for you if…
- You’ve driven home from a race and had no idea what to say
- You’ve said the wrong thing and replayed it at midnight
- You want to support your runner without becoming their coach
- You came to running from another sport, or from no sport at all
- You’re raising a runner in middle school, high school or college, or more than one athlete in more than one sport
I said the wrong thing first.
In October 2021, our eldest son, Justus, crossed the line last at his league finals. The car ride home was silent. Then, from the back seat: “I will become a champion, no matter what it takes.”
Jamie and I were swim and water polo parents. We didn’t know a tempo run from a taper. For the next few seasons, I added pressure when belief was needed and talked when I should have listened.
So I went at it like a reporter: coaches, sports psychologists, the research. And a lot of watching Jamie quietly do it the better way. What I found surprised me. Almost every breakthrough we saw came when we were present, steady and out of the way.
The Starting Line is the first five things I wish someone had handed me that night.
What you’ll learn in five days
- Lesson 1The big shift: You don’t need to know more about running.
Why your runner needs a pacer, not another coach, and the six words that change the car ride.
- Lesson 2Dream: What is your runner running for?
Why kids ranked winning 48th out of 81, and the one question that puts the dream back in their handwriting.
- Lesson 3Prepare: The car ride after a hard race.
The 20-minute rule, the P.A.C.E. method, and what to do when you’ve already said the wrong thing.
- Lesson 4Build: You don’t have to change anyone else.
The home, the coach and the village, plus the 24-Hour Rule that keeps the adults on the same team.
- Lesson 5Scale and Dream Bigger: Run the next lap.
How to celebrate a breakthrough without adding pressure, and how to end a season so it lands.
Every lesson ends with one Try Tonight action you can use the same day.
Here’s everything you get when you sign up today:
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The Starting Line. A 5-day mini course by email: five short lessons, five research-backed ideas, five Try Tonight actions. ($197 value)
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The 20 Foundations. Our guide to supporting your runner with presence, purpose and belief, sent to your inbox right away. ($27 value)
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Joel’s weekly RunnerParent letter. One short note a week for every season of the sport. (Included)
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A direct line to us. Hit reply on any lesson. Jamie and I read every one. (Included)
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First invitation to the live Starting Line Challenge. The same five lessons, live with Jamie and me. (Included)
Total value: $224
Today
FREE
Send Me The Starting LineGet the mini course and the 20 Foundations sent directly to your email.
Your hosts
Two parents who went first.
We’re Joel and Jamie Hundley, parents of four runners and the founders of RunnerParent, Village Run and Victory Altitude Camp in Flagstaff. Jamie spent more than 20 years as a therapist before moving into child therapy. I spent 13 years and four runners getting it wrong and taking notes. The Starting Line is what we learned, one car ride at a time.
One village
200youth at the starting line, at no cost
555registered participants
1,000+community gathered
Kaiser Permanente Village Run 5K · August 22, 2026 · Vacaville. Participation counts from the inaugural event, not course results.
Questions
Is it really free?
Yes. The Starting Line and the 20 Foundations are both free.
How long does each lesson take?
About five minutes to read, plus one small thing to try that day.
When does it start?
The 20 Foundations arrive right away. Lesson 1 arrives the next day, then one lesson a day for five days.
My runner is in middle school, or in college. Does it still apply?
Yes, from first race to college.
My kid plays more than one sport. Does it still work?
Yes. The Foundations work for every child in your home, whatever sport they play.
Are you going to try to sell me something?
Honestly, yes, once. On Day 5, we’ll invite you to Legacy Circle, our membership for RunnerParents. No pressure. The five lessons are yours either way.
The next car ride is coming.
Get the mini course and the 20 Foundations sent directly to your email, and start your first lap tomorrow.
Send Me The Starting LineFree · Five minutes a day · Unsubscribe anytime