British sport startups: TrainAsOne and Racefully

Runners now track their progress, but what if you had AI to offer advice and support? That’s the idea behind British startups TrainAsOne and social fitness app Racefully. Chris Pointon, co-founder of Racefully, explains the system.

How does it work?

“The training from TrainAsONE is powered by advanced artificial intelligence, machine learning and Big Data analysis of over 11 million kilometres of running that precisely models each runner and their needs. Unlike standard training calendars, there’s no problem if a user misses a training run or chooses a different type of run than the one in the plan. TrainAsOne’s AI automatically adapts their future workouts to keep them on target.”

Who is this for?

“[Our] AI offers people of all levels: from those just beginning their foray into running to elite athletes – access to an adaptive, learning AI coach that provides live, in-run coaching and dynamically adjusts each individual’s programme based on their actual performance and progress. Most other platforms only offer “static” training plans that fail to take into account the user’s actual performance. This is not only unhelpful, but also counterproductive, resulting in people not training effectively and increasing the risk of injury.”

Is this only for runners?

“Racefully has rolled out a new employee wellbeing and engagement solution, connecting groups together in companybranded ‘Tribes’ who share challenges, train or work towards goals together, and participate in virtual events. Firms with distributed teams or multiple locations particularly benefit from the new connections made across departments and geographies.”