Running Coach – How much to charge?
Hi all. You folks have been such a great community and SO helpful…so here I am with another question. I have a couple friends and friends of friends interested in hiring me as a running coach. Literally starting from ground zero so the coaching would be basic (meaning not training them for sprints, speed, PRs – just getting them comfortable with stretching, couch to 5k format, etc). I have NO clue what to charge these folks. I’m going to take them through a 8-12 week plan depending on how long they want to commit. As a trainer I charge hourly, but as a running coach, not sure what the format for fee would be. Any suggestions or thoughts??? Thank you!
Depends on your area and what normal rates are for services like personal training. Also, depends on your specific skills and background that will be utilized. For a basic program, without getting into athletic specialization, I would think $25-$30 per hour if you are attending and observing the session, but a flat rate monthly or for the entire program would probably be more appropriate as it is more pre-programmed and structured without as much need for adjustment. I am thinking they wouldn’t need guidance and supervision daily for improvement in skills and techniques, so that fee structure may work better for you and the clients.
I charge around $43-$50 per hour; however, the focus is on athletic specialization with frequent supervision, covering all the nuances, accelerating athlete’s learning curve through education of the sport and training theory so the client and I are on the same page, and adaptation of training based upon the client’s individual response.
Then there are the select group of clients that are post-collegiate with high-level aspirations and performances to match. These clients are free, as long as they are willing to put forth the effort to attain their goals. (This is true of all coaches of top athletes in minor revenue sports. They put in the time for the love and passion of the sport, and hope to make the dreams of an athlete come true whether it be qualifying for the Olympic Trials and/or representing their home country in international competition.)
I also coach for free from time to time for HS athletes without the financial means, but have the drive and talent to attain collegiate scholarships and hopefully increase their long-term quality of life.
So to answer your question, it varies very widely depending on the client, circumstances, and local economy.
You have a few options:
-Charge them your regular hourly rate since they will be taking an hour of your day which you could be making money by training someone else (depending on the number of participants they will have to split your hourly rate among them). This option will not bring you much income and since they are friends of yours this might be a more comfortable option for everyone involved.
-If you want to make more $$ pre hour by training them then charge each of them $10-$20 per session depending on the going rate in your market and the extra time you will be putting in beyond their sessions (this is an average rate for group classes). For example if you have 10 people in your class then you will be making $100 per hour but it will only cost them $10/session.
-You can charge them monthly rate but then you might be limiting your revenue by training them.
As Craig mentioned, it all comes down to how much you want to make. I hope this helps.
