Sports
Running Coaching: The Contrast Between Brazil and the US
While the Brazilian model offers hands-on coaching, the American market leans toward DIY training and apps.
Brazil's running club model with hands-on technical coaching is a global outlier. In the United States, amateur runners predominantly favor a DIY approach, requiring market education to introduce structured training.
Brazil's running consultancy ecosystem is one of the most structured in the road running world. With in-person supervision, coaching support, and customized training plans, this model has become the standard for runners looking to improve. However, crossing the border into the United States reveals a starkly different landscape for amateur training.
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The DIY culture and the absence of traditional coaching
In the United States, the traditional running club model with individualized technical coaching is virtually nonexistent for everyday amateur runners. The local culture is predominantly self-directed: runners often look up workouts online, follow training apps, or train on their own—a trend also visible in gyms, which rarely offer floor trainers or personal coaches in the way Brazilian facilities do.
While large running crews and social clubs bring together hundreds or thousands of runners in cities like New York and Jacksonville, personalized coaching with tailored workout plans focused on major marathons remains a distant concept for most American adults.
The reverse approach: educating the market from the ground up
Facing initial resistance to traditional adult coaching, the strategy for introducing this model has been to start at the youth level. Programs for children and teens focus on building structured track-and-field routines, teaching everything from dynamic warm-ups and cool-downs to running drills and app-supported interval sessions.
This movement has created a ripple effect, sparking interest among parents and paving the way to expand coaching services to adults. Brazilian initiatives are already tapping into this opportunity and expanding into the US market, such as the Bora consultancy, which established a base in Miami to meet demand in a market that is just beginning to realize the value of professional guidance.
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