Running for Life - Performance
Running for Life - Performance
This is an evidence-based, clinically grounded course designed for healthcare and performance professionals who work with runners of all experience levels—from recreational joggers to competitive marathoners.
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Venue
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Toronto, ON
June 6-7, 2026
9:00 - 5:00 (subject to change)
VENUE: TBD
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Portland, OR
Are you a clinician or coach looking to better assess, treat, and train runners with confidence and clarity?
Through years of hands-on experience, critical thinking, and constant refinement, we’ve asked ourselves: What consistently delivers results? What can we do better?
Running for Life is the answer to those questions, a weekend course built to distill everything we’ve learned into practical, evidence-informed strategies you can use with your own patients and athletes right away.
This comprehensive, hands-on weekend course is designed to give you the tools you need to bridge the gap between rehab and performance for the running population.
Led by Vikash Sharma, Doctor of Physical Therapy, Board-Certified Orthopedic Clinical Specialist, and certified running coach.
This course will help you understand the demands of running from both a clinical and coaching perspective.
The Revolving Door of Running Injuries: Rethinking Prevention and Management
The annual injury rate among runners is substantial, though figures vary across studies depending on the definition of “injury.” Most research indicates that between 30% and 80% of all runners will sustain an injury in any given year. Some estimates suggest that at any one time, about 25% of runners are currently injured. The vast majority of these are overuse injuries, caused by the repetitive stress and impact of running, rather than traumatic events like falls.
As these statistics demonstrate, the high incidence of running-related injuries translates to a significant and consistent portion of the patients who will walk through your clinic doors. However, there is clearly a large deficiency in our understanding of endurance running. This is where Running for Life comes into the equation. Designed to leave you with the know-how and confidence to better manage the endurance runner and help play a part in decreasing the prevalence of running-related injuries. Developing a specialized skill set in this area is therefore not just an enhancement of your practice, it’s an essential tool for effectively managing a large and motivated patient demographic seeking to stay running for life.
What you will learn
- The mindset/identity of the runner
- Essential traits to consider for successful & sustainable running
- Evidence-based return-to-running guidelines
- Principles of effective programming for runners
- Footwear considerations, prescription & how they influences performance and injury
- Strength training strategies tailored specifically for runners
- Nutrition: research-backed guidelines
- Treadmill vs. overground running: key differences and clinical takeaways
- …and more practical insights to help you better serve your running population
Who This Course Is For
To participate we recommend that you hold a certification or degree of higher education including:
- Physical Therapist (PT)
- Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA)
- Doctor of Chiropractic (DC)
- Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO)
- Doctor of Medicine (MD)
- Certified Athletic Trainer (ATC)
- Doctor of Podiatric Medicine (DPM)
- Certified Personal Trainer (CPT)
CE Approvals
Approved for PT CEUs in New York State. While this approval is widely recognized by other state boards through reciprocity, we recommend verifying eligibility with your individual regulatory body.
The Outline
12 CE Hours
Collapsible content
Day 1
9:00am – 10:30am The Running Athlete – Considerations when working with the running athlete (runner’s identity, best practices); – What is Running? What is needed to run – Foot strike patterns and their significance
10:30am -10:45am BREAK
10:45am -12:15pm Return to Running – Progression through a 5 stage model, introducing speedwork, training load monitoring
12:15pm – 1:15pm LUNCH
1:15pm – 3:15pm Basics of programming the runner – Breakout to Follow (create a marathon training program for an example runner)
3:15pm – 3:30pm BREAK
3:30pm – 4:30pm Footwear Considerations – Types of shoes, “super” shoes, shoe spectrum, minimalist footwears role
4:30pm – 5:00pm Review/Questions
Day 2
9:00am – 9:30am Review of Day 1 9:30am – 10:00am – Footwear continued
10:00 – 10:15am BREAK
10:15am -12:30pm Strength Training for Runners – Research backed basics of programming the runner. Breakout to Follow – Create a strength training program & program it along with previously created run training plan
12:30pm – 1:30pm LUNCH
1:30pm – 2:00pm Strength Training for Runners – Continued
2:00pm – 2:45pm Treadmill versus Overground Running – What are the differences? Considerations for running/rehab
2:45pm – 3:15pm Nutrition – Research Guidelines
3:15pm – 3:30pm BREAK
3:30pm – 4:00pm Review & Questions
Instructor
Vikash Sharma
PT, DPT, OCS, COMT
Vikash graduated from Elon University of North Carolina with a Bachelors of Science Degree in Exercise Sports Science and a minor in Philosophy. He went on to receive his Doctor of Physical Therapy from The George Washington University and has since completed his orthopedic residency at Temple University. He is a Board-Certified Orthopedic Clinical Specialist (OCS). Vikash has undergone rigorous training and testing to achieve his Certified Orthopedic Manual Therapist (COMT) designation through Maitland Australian Physiotherapy Seminars. He is also a certified Running Coach through The Road Runners Club of America and The United States Track and Field Association. He is also on the advisory board for Men's Fitness.
Vikash has a strong passion for continuing education and he is an evidence-driven practitioner committed to remaining at the forefront of the profession. He has provided workplace lectures and movement culture workshops for various establishments throughout New York and also is the founder of Running for Life, an education company geared towards helping health professionals better understand/manage runners and improve their outcomes. Over the course of his career, Vikash has obtained certifications in the Functional Movement Screen (FMS), the Titelist Performance Institute (TPI) Level I Golf Certification, Functional Range Conditioning (FRC), The Grey Institute Certification in Applied Functional Science (CAFS), Stick Mobility, Rocktape Functional Movement Technique Basic and Advanced Kinesiology Taping and completed the EXOS Performance Therapy Mentorship. He has also obtained Active Release Technique (ART), and Functional Range Release (FRR) Manual Therapy certifications and obtained a Maitland Certified Orthopedic Manual Therapist (COMT) designation. Vikash is a member of the American Physical Therapy Association and The United States Track and Field Association.
