We launched closed beta in November with a small list — most of them friends-of-friends. The plan was to validate the AI coach. What we got instead was a flood of feedback about something completely unrelated: race-day mode.
Turns out runners spend more cognitive energy on race-morning logistics than on the race itself. Bag drop, transport, start corral, fuel timing, gear-check, weather adjustments — the mental tax is enormous, and existing tools force you to bounce between five apps.
Race-day mode became the surprise hit. Coach is still there — and growing — but the lesson was clear: solve the noise of race week first, and the deeper coaching work earns its right to be heard.