We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Alfonzo Gonzalez Jr. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Alfonzo below.

Alfonzo , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Alright, so we’d love to hear about how you got your first client or customer. What’s the story?

I decided to take a break from volunteer coaching with Luke’s Locker after a few years. That summer, I was contacted by three of my former runners from the Luke’s Locker Marathon Program. They invited me to a restaurant to discuss if I would be interested in coaching them to qualify for the Boston Marathon. It was such a compliment that they wanted me to be their coach!
The first year one runner was injured during training, the second and third runners ran the 2016 Chicago Marathon. The second runner did qualify for the Boston Marathon, but there was not enough cushion-time for them to be accepted entry into the race. The third runner missed the qualifying time by less than a minute. I remember thinking “I let them down,” and wondered what I could have done differently in their training plan. They reached out to me once they recovered from their races and asked if I would be willing to help them again. It turned out, they had a personal best time in their races! I sat down, reviewed the previous training plan, made some changes, and focused more on speed workouts and long runs. In 2017, they returned to race the Chicago Marathon. The night before the race, they communicated and said they were nervous. I remember telling both of them that they were much stronger this time. After all the hard work and following the new training plan, they qualified for the 2019 Boston Marathon.
When Boston arrived, all three of us ran it that year. It was a very memorable moment! Word spread that I helped my runners with meeting their goals. Before I knew it, I received referrals and had other people contacting me about coaching. I never thought it would grow to what my coaching has become today!

Alfonzo , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am a passionate runner and have been part of this sport since 2009. Train Pegasus was established in 2019 originally for my athletes that I coached. However, my vision was for all runners to be part of this group whether the goal is training for races, wanting to socialize, or for enjoyment. This group is special because we are inclusive and welcoming. There are all runners at different levels who join. Over time, Train Pegasus has become a brand that runners seek out for coaching and individualized training plans. It has been exciting to see the growth and support across the community.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

Although we have a strong online and social media presence, referrals have been the best form of gaining new clients. I have grown from coaching runners only in Dallas, to expanding across North America including Canada and Mexico.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

Train Pegasus started an instagram page to share the success of our runners. We post pictures of their commitment when they show up to runs and are consistent with their workouts. When runners have a race or a personal best time, we enjoy shining the spotlight on them and all of their progress.
The advice I have for someone just starting out is the importance of sharing/posting the success of your audience, no matter how big or small it may seem. Staying consistent and sharing weekly on social media will grow your platform.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.trainpegasus.com
• Instagram: @trainpegasus

Image Credits

Houston Marathon & Boston Marathon