Running Coaches Are Everywhere—but Who’s Actually Qualified?

Chances are, your Instagram algorithm knows you’re a runner and that you like runner things. Your feed is likely filled with advice—injury prevention tips, motivation, workouts—you name it, and a self-described “running coach” has a post for you.

It’s nice to see the running community exploding, but like all things on the internet, not all the advice is good, or even safe. And, making matters even more complicated, not all “coaches” have the education or certifications you might expect.

“What you have to recognize is that there are no state or federal requirements to being a coach,” says Scott Browning, who has a Bachelor of Science in exercise science and a Master’s of Science in kinesiology, corrective exercise, and sports psychology, and who is also an ACSM-certified exercise physiologist. “Anybody can attach the name of ‘coach’ to their resume, and you don’t have to have an extensive background.”

Browning says that despite it feeling like the Wild West, there are many good running coaches out there with different types of accreditations and backgrounds that can help athletes both physically and mentally. But the onus is on the athlete to suss out who is providing helpful tips and services and not just chasing clout and money.

We talked to coaches and coaching educators to help you understand what’s legitimate in the world of run coaching.

What Makes Someone a “Running Coach”?

Runners look for coaches for a variety of reasons—accountability, support in reaching an audacious goal, and validation. A coach is someone who can look at the full picture of your training and find opportunities. For running coach Kim Harding, it goes beyond just running performance.

“By profession, I’m a clinical psychologist, so I have a tendency to want to help people,” she says. She calls herself an “absolute back-of-the-packer” who discovered running later in life after battling obesity and medical issues. She wanted to help other people heal through running.

“I just strongly believe that it doesn’t matter how fast or slow you go, running is for everybody and every body. So I thought, ‘I’ll continue to spread that message as a coach, but I need to learn more about this, so I can help other people do this.’” It’s what led her to obtain two different coaching certifications.

There are various kinds of coaching credentials for all different types of coaches. The certifications that fit Harding, who focuses on beginner and intermediate adult runners, might not work for youth coaches or people hoping to work with collegiate or elite athletes. Here’s a look at the most popular programs.

Road Runners Club of America Coaching Certificate

Possibly the most recognized certification, the Road Runners Club of America (RRCA) course has certified more than 10,000 coaches. Randy Accetta, PhD, the director of coaching at RRCA, says the RRCA Certified Coaching courses are designed to help students learn how to create science-based training plans and motivate runners through one-on-one coaching, group runs, and training programs.

“We’ve had Olympians take the course and we’ve had novices who just love the sport take the course,” Accetta says. “So our goal is to provide a rich environment for all levels of coaches.”

There are two levels of the RRCA certification. Level One is designed to provide an overview for all levels of runners and coaches. Accetta says this includes exercise physiology, sports psychology, mental health, developing a periodized program, and the business of coaching. Level Two is designed to support experienced coaches with a curriculum that is matched to their specific needs, focusing on developing training programs and working with clients.

To become an RRCA L1 coach, you must participate in a two-day seminar either in person or via Zoom and pass a 100-question exam with a score of 85 percent or better. Harding took the RRCA L1 course and says the hands-on aspects of the course were useful in how she coaches her athletes. She says she and her cohort would split into groups and be given assignments to create training plans for individuals with specific goals. The exam, she says, is timed but open-book and not proctored. She found it easy, but she has a biology background, which gave her a head start in the anatomy and physiology components.

United Endurance Sports Coaching Academy

Endurance athlete and exercise physiologist Rick Prince, founder of United Endurance Sports Coaching Academy (UESCA), says he created it to elevate the standard of endurance coaching through science-backed education and expert collaboration. UESCA has almost 4,000 coaches in 100 countries.

Prince says UESCA’s curriculum is modeled after a four-year kinesiology degree, beginning with anatomy, physiology, and biomechanics before moving into sport-specific application. “It’s not like you’re going to med school,” Prince jokes. “But it’s in-depth enough that a coach will have a working knowledge of the body.”

Harding says it took her about four months to get through the self-paced, online course. “I printed it all off because I just like paper reading better than online, and my paper was three inches thick—it was a good 800-page textbook of phenomenal information.”

Prince says athletes who thrive under UESCA coaches are typically more inquisitive—runners who want to understand the training process and be educated on why what is working works. Harding agrees with that.

She sought out the UESCA credential to better inform her ultrarunning training and coaching. She says while RRCA gave her the foundations of coaching, UESCA’s education went deeper into individual runners’ needs, as well as knowledge of terrain other than road. While she intended to use it only for her trail and ultrarunners, the concepts she learned changed how she coached all her runners.

“There’s just a different philosophy when it comes to coaching that volume of mileage and that kind of distance,” she says. “A lot of my plans are now built by time on your feet, not mileage.”

USA Track & Field Coaching Certificates

The USA Track & Field (USATF) coaching certification program is offered by USATF, the governing body for track and field in the U.S. The SafeSport certification is required for coaching track and field at the high school, collegiate, or club level.

“I like that USATF requires SafeSport training before you can even take their L1 course and exam,” Browning says. “It covers important topics like harassment, coaching styles, and athlete safety—especially valuable for youth coaches.”

After SafeSport, USATF offers three levels of coaching certificates. Level 1 provides foundational knowledge in coaching principles, sport science, and event-specific instruction across track and field disciplines. While not required, most NCAA coaches have at least USTAF Level 1 credentials. Level 2 dives deeper into specific event groups, like endurance, sprints, jumps, and throws, focusing on technique, training theory, and performance analysis. Level 3, the highest certification, is geared toward coaches working with elite and national-level athletes.

The courses are online and combine lectures, interactive components, and assessments. To earn the USATF L1 certification, participants must take the classes and then pass the test within 30 days of course completion with an 80 percent or higher.

VDOT O2 Coach Certification

When legendary distance running coach Jack Daniels started to feel overwhelmed by the number of other coaches asking him to fax his training notes, plans, and philosophies, he decided to write a book. That book, “The Daniels’ Running Formula”, became the basis for the VDOT O2 coaching certification course.

According to Brian Rosetti, founder of VDOT O2, the self-paced, online coursework helps coaches learn the exercise science principles that Daniels outlines, which includes how the body responds to different training types, how to individualize plans using the VDOT calculator, and how to target adaptations like endurance, VO2 max, and running economy. He says it equips coaches with an understanding of how to use data to optimize performance and is best when combined with another coaching certification.

The training philosophy emphasizes accuracy and consistency. “There’s this steady improvement at a safe rate, which leads to more consistency because oftentimes if you see athletes that improve a ton over a short period of time, there’s probably a higher risk of injury, and eventually they might run into problems,” Rosetti says. “Our sweet spot is probably [Boston qualifying]-level runners who are motivated to improve. But we have coaches helping everyone from middle-school record holders to 70-year-olds.”

What Makes a Good Running Coach?

A person can have all the qualifications in the world, a long client list, a treasure trove of PDF training plans, a 2:30 marathon PR, and be a terrible coach. Why? Browning explains that coaching is about human connection.

“Writing a program is not coaching,” he says. “Coaching involves psychology and identifying people’s objectives, understanding their obstacles, and being a partner in their path to achieving whatever it is they are hoping to get out of the sport.”

If you’re looking for a coach, Browning says not to base your search on race results or appearances, but instead to sit down and talk to a few. In terms of education, they should know basic biomechanics, physiology, gear nuances, and fueling principles. Then, see if there’s chemistry. Ask yourself if their approach to coaching will motivate you to reach your goals, and pay attention to how they’re assessing you as an athlete.

As for those workouts that “coaches” are prescribing to the masses on social media? A not-so-good coach might just plop that TikTok workout into a pre-templated workout plan without much thought into you as a runner.

Browning says a good coach will be interested in what is alluring to you. “To me, that’s the real art in coaching—when someone comes to me and says, ‘TikTok says I need to do this workout.’ And it’s like, ‘well, do you? What do you hope to benefit from that?’ But you can’t dismiss it,” he says. “There is something that’s making them consider the workout, even if it’s ridiculous. They are looking for something they feel is missing, and it’s your job as a coach to educate them and design something that will fill that need.”