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Step inside TrainingPeaks' office in north Boulder and you’re likely to notice the "pain cave." That’s the nickname affectionately given to their indoor fitness facility, complete with trainers, weights and cardio equipment. It's a testament to the company's mission and the drive within their employees — working out is more than just a side activity for the staff here.
Founded in 1999, the company helps athletes achieve their training goals and pair them with a coach. “We think there’s a right way to train and it’s this idea around deliberate practice,” said Justin Walk, director of marketing at TrainingPeaks.
He added that it’s necessary to have: “clear goals, find expert instruction, in the form of a coach or a training plan, perform structured training and receive immediate feedback.”
Their platform and apps provide athletes with the tools and training manuals they need to succeed, provides a coach matching service and gives coaches a way to find new athletes to train and communicate seamlessly with them. For some of TrainingPeak’s athletes, the big goal could mean competing in the Tour de France, for others, it could mean running their first half marathon.
Replacing the Fax Machine
Back when TrainingPeaks was founded, the main technology of choice for coaches was to fax athletes their training plans. At the time, the co-founders were just looking for a better way for coaches to work with athletes.
The idea of helping coaches connect with athletes isn’t just part of their business – it's a mindset. Walk says the company firmly believes that training works best with a coach. Barring that, athletes should at least have a plan.
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When the team started, they were working heavily with pro cycling teams, which helped shape their approach to training. “Since then, we’ve evolved into deeper analysis software, in addition to web and mobile applications,” said Walk.
For a company that started out replacing the fax machine, they’ve continued to innovate. Over the past two years, the company redesigned its software user interface and came out with more design-driven software. That meant doubling their staff to around 50 employees.
Coach Matching & Training Platform:
TrainingPeak's web-based platform, along with deep analysis software and mobile applications, allows athletes of any level to tap into the expertise and experience of coaches. The business matches two sets of people — coaches and athletes — and helps both parties achieve their goals. For coaches that means helping them grow their business and reach new potential clients. For athletes, it means helping them achieve their fitness goals.
Their success is evident in the sheer numbers: the site now has over 5,000 coaches worldwide.
Although the company focuses on three core areas (triathlons, cycling and running), they found that some speed skaters and cross-country teams were using it as well. Those are now new areas of the business.
It's a good industry to be in, as it seems like everyone these days is training for a marathon or posting pictures from their latest tri on Facebook. “Within triathlon, cycling and running, all three industries are growing and there’s more age-group athletes looking to compete in marathons, half-marathons and even Ironman’s. For those not familiar with the lingo, “age group athletes” is code for anyone who’s not a pro, but is still interested in competing.
The industry is growing substantially and it’s our goal to help these athletes from their transition from novice all the way to pro,” said Walk.
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Outdoors Best Place to Work
Beyond the love of endurance sports, and almost all staff members train, compete or coach for their three core sports. Walk says the company has a great culture, which helps it land a spot on Outdoors Magazine's Best Places to Work list. The company is currently hiring for three positions and plans to continue hiring over the next year.
