Active Network, a provider of a suite of race management tools, has collaborated with Garmin International Inc. to integrate listings on Active.com with Garmin Coach through a new system integration (API), providing Active’s customers and their endurance events with expanded marketing reach.
Garmin Coach is available through Garmin Connect—a free online fitness community that allows users to analyze training, set and track goals and share activities on social media. To help athletes achieve their fitness goals, Garmin Coach offers plans for new runners looking to complete their first 5K, as well as intermediate runners seeking to improve their performance in a 5K up to an eight-minute mile. Within Garmin Connect, athletes are provided expert training by world-renowned coaches and can view training videos, running tips and nutrition advise.
Active’s new collaboration gives athletes a choice of a target event based on the timing of their training program end date. “We are excited to partner with Garmin to help grow the sport of running and encourage Garmin users to advance their fitness goals,” said Gary Schwake, VP of Consumer Engagement & Analytics at Active Network. “Through Garmin Connect, we will introduce relevant events on the Active Endurance platform to runners at an important milestone, the selection of a goal for their training plan.”
The relationship naturally expands on Active Network’s well-positioned consumer reach, mainly driven by Active.com, which receives more than 11.6 million monthly visits and is ranked by Running USA as the No. 1 most visited website by runners. “Active Network has a long history of helping event organizers grow their events,” Schwake says. “This collaboration with Garmin is another example of our focus to put events on the Active platform in front of prospective runners, wherever they may [digitally] reside.”
Event organizers using ActiveWorks Endurance benefit from the industry-leading content on Active.com can now grow their participant volume for 5K events via the API with the Garmin Connect user base. Garmin Coach offers users the option of choosing training programs, and when working towards a 5K, the option to choose a race listed on Active.com in their area. Garmin Coach guides new participants who may not know the 5K landscape yet through the training process by providing:
- Three training goals: run a 5K, run/walk a 5K or run a 5K with a pace goal
- Options to select fitness level, workout days, desired completion date and an Active event
- Choice of one of three coaches to guide the experience:
- Jeff Galloway (runDisney Coach) and pioneer of the run/walk training method, who has trained over 20,000 runners and walkers
- Greg McMillan, coach and physiologist whose success stories include over 4,000 Boston Marathon qualifiers and 10 national champions
- Amy Parkerson-Mitchell, physical therapist and running expert with a focus on running through injury, who also coaches the Roadrunners of Kansas City
Once a plan is created, runners can view videos and running tips from the coaches, as well as in-depth articles about nutrition, running form and more in Garmin Connect. Garmin Coach is available to Garmin customers with a Vívoactive 3, Vívoactive 3 Music, Forerunner 645, Forerunner 645 Music, Forerunner 935, Fēnix 5 series or Fēnix 5 Plus series devices.
The training plan automatically syncs with a compatible Garmin watch, and the step-by-step workouts adapt based on the user’s performance. Once users add their fitness level, workout days and desired completion date, results are analyzed to determine areas for improvement.
