Lately, I have been thinking a lot about the state of coaching, especially in endurance sports. It feels like coaches are everywhere.
Spend five minutes on social media, and you will see it. Someone posts, “I’m looking for a coach,” and within minutes, replies pile up in the comments. Some are thoughtful. Some are generic. Some feel like copy-and-paste pitches. It reminds me a little too much of ambulance-chasing attorneys handing out business cards at accident scenes. The need shows up, and suddenly a crowd appears.
That may sound harsh, but I think a lot of people see it too.
There is clearly no shortage of athletes looking for guidance. At the same time, there is no shortage of coaches looking for clients. That creates a strange dynamic. Coaching used to feel a bit more defined. Now it feels crowded, noisy, and in some cases diluted. It can seem like everyone who has finished an Ironman is now a coach, and every accomplished swimmer is offering some version of mentorship, consulting, or programming.
Maybe that is just the natural evolution of the industry. Experience has value. People want to share what they know. I understand that. But I also think it raises a real question about what coaching actually means now.
The Industry Is Expanding
The industry itself seems to be shifting in response.
I have noticed that Galloway now has a few head coaches in their program. That says something. It suggests growth, but it also suggests structure. It suggests that even established names are seeking ways to broaden their reach and develop a broader coaching model.
I have also noticed Matt Fitzgerald, the elite runner, triathlete, and author, has expanded into Hyrox. Again, that says something. It tells me that even recognized endurance voices are no longer staying in one lane. They are branching out, adapting, and looking at where the next opportunity might be.
None of this is random.
It feels like coaching is no longer just coaching. It is becoming ecosystems, platforms, specialties, sub-specialties, and expanded service lines. It is not enough to simply say, “I coach triathlon” or “I coach running.” More and more, coaches seem to be asking whether they need to evolve into something bigger, broader, or at least more flexible.
Who I Coach Best
That has made me reflect on my own practice and my own product offering. While I was swimming, I kept thinking about the kind of athlete who would do best with me. It is probably not the elite athlete or the polished, lifelong competitor. It is the person who may not be especially athletic yet, but has real drive. The person starting from scratch who wants a coach who understands their needs, their fears, and the reality of building fitness from the ground up. I am not an elite athlete or a professional, but I do know what I am talking about. More importantly, I know I can help someone get to the finish line of a half or full Ironman because I’ve done it dozens of times.
Why TriDot Has Worked for Me
About a year ago, I joined TriDot, and I am glad I did. It has been a good move for me, even if it has not led to a massive flood of new clients. What it has done is give me another way to coach, another way to connect, and another way to support athletes who are open to a different kind of training model.
Here is the link for TriDot, in case you want to check it out: https://app.tridot.com/onboard/sign-up/hilarytopper
Here is the link for RunDot: https://app.rundot.com/onboard/sign-up/hilarytopper
If you sign up, send me a message, and I’ll offer you two weeks of free coaching!
The Shift Toward AI in Coaching
I have especially appreciated seeing more people accept AI as part of training.
That matters.
For a while, AI in endurance coaching felt like something people viewed with suspicion. Some still do. But I think that is changing. More athletes are starting to understand that AI does not have to replace coaching. It can support coaching. It can sharpen decision-making. It can help personalize training in ways that would be hard to do manually at scale. Used well, it is not cold or disconnected. It is useful.
That has been my experience with TriDot.
I have liked working within that model, and I have also liked seeing the results. The athletes I coach through the platform have done very well, especially the ones who trust the process and follow the plan. That part still matters most. No tool, no platform, and no coach can overcome inconsistency. But when the athlete buys in, the results show up.
Balancing Structure and Independence
At the same time, I still have a part of me that wants to do my own thing sometimes. And honestly, I do.
I do not think that is a contradiction. I think it is the reality of coaching right now. Many of us are trying to balance structure with freedom, technology with instinct, and platform-based coaching with our own personal philosophy. We are trying to figure out how to stay true to what we do best while remaining relevant in a constantly changing market.
Do Coaches Need to Become Something Else?
That brings me back to the bigger question.
Do coaches need to morph into something else?
Do we need to become content creators, community builders, brand partners, strength specialists, Hyrox coaches, mindset mentors, and tech-savvy analysts all at once? Is that where this is headed? Or is the better answer simpler than that?
Maybe we do not need to reinvent who we are.
Maybe we just need to expand our product offerings.
Expanding Without Losing Your Identity
That might mean offering different levels of support. It might mean adding small-group coaching, AI-supported coaching, consult calls, race strategy sessions, swim analysis, or off-season planning. It might mean meeting athletes where they are without abandoning the core of what made us good coaches in the first place.
There is a difference between evolving and losing your identity.
That is the line I keep thinking about.
In a crowded coaching market, it is tempting to chase every trend and every new niche. It is tempting to believe that if you are not constantly reshaping yourself, you are falling behind. But I am not sure that is true. I think athletes still want clarity. They still want trust. They still want someone who knows what they are doing and can help guide them toward a goal.
That part has not changed.
The Real Question Moving Forward
So maybe the future is not about morphing into a completely different version of ourselves. Maybe it is about being honest about what we do well and then building around it. Expanding without drifting. Adapting without pretending. Using new tools without giving up the human side of coaching.
I do not have the final answer.
But I do know this: coaching is more crowded than ever, and the old model is no longer enough on its own. Something is changing. The only real question is whether we respond by becoming someone else or by becoming more useful as who we already are.
