Privacy Statement — Running Coach Ireland
Effective date: 06/07/2026
At Running Coach Ireland, your privacy matters to us. This Privacy Statement explains how we collect, use, store and protect your personal information when you use our website, submit forms, enquire about coaching, or become a coaching client.
We aim to handle your data transparently, securely and in line with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and applicable Irish data protection law.
Who We Are
Running Coach Ireland is a coaching service operated from Ireland.
The business is solely operated by René Borg in Ireland. We also work with coach Eoin Flynn, who resides in Gran Canaria, Spain.
Website: www.runningcoach.ie
Email: support@runningcoachireland.zendesk.com
Phone: +353 89 251 1879
For the purposes of GDPR, Running Coach Ireland is the data controller for the personal data we collect directly from you.
What Personal Data We Collect
We may collect and process the following types of personal data:
Contact and account details
This may include your name, email address, phone number, address if provided, emergency contact details if relevant, and account or platform details needed to deliver coaching.
Coaching and performance information
Because coaching is individualised, we may collect information such as your training history, race goals, availability, training preferences, race results, workout feedback, TrainingPeaks data, Garmin or other device data, pace, heart rate, power, RPE, test results, RABIT test data, threshold estimates, injury notes, illness notes, fatigue, sleep, soreness, stress, motivation and other information you choose to share with us.
Some of this information may be considered health or special-category data under GDPR. We only use this type of information where it is necessary to provide coaching and where we have your explicit consent or another appropriate lawful basis.
Forms and communications
We may collect information you submit through onboarding forms, athlete questionnaires, weekly check-ins, key workout check-ins, RABIT test forms, email, Zendesk support tickets, WhatsApp messages, TrainingPeaks comments, call notes or other coaching communications.
Payment and billing information
Payments may be processed through third-party providers such as Stripe, PayPal or similar services. We do not store full card details ourselves. We may retain invoices, transaction records and payment status information for accounting, tax and business administration purposes.
Website and analytics data
When you use our website, we may collect limited technical data such as IP address, browser type, device type, pages visited, referral source and usage patterns. This may be collected through cookies or analytics tools, depending on your cookie choices.
How We Use Your Data
We use your personal data to:
Provide individualised running coaching.
Create and adjust training plans.
Analyse test results, training data and athlete feedback.
Set training zones and workout guidance.
Monitor progress, fatigue, readiness and injury risk.
Communicate with you about your coaching.
Respond to enquiries and support requests.
Schedule calls or consultations.
Process payments and manage subscriptions.
Keep appropriate business and accounting records.
Improve our coaching systems, website and services.
Send relevant updates or content you have requested.
Comply with legal, tax, accounting or regulatory obligations.
We do not sell your personal data.
Lawful Bases for Processing
Depending on the context, we process your data under one or more of the following lawful bases:
Contract: where processing is necessary to provide coaching services or respond to your request before entering a coaching relationship.
Explicit consent: where we process health, fitness, injury, illness or other special-category information for coaching purposes.
Legal obligation: where we must retain or process information for accounting, tax or legal compliance.
Legitimate interests: where we process data for normal business administration, service improvement, support records, internal quality control or communication, provided your rights and freedoms are not overridden.
Consent: where required for marketing communications, optional cookies, analytics cookies or similar technologies.
You may withdraw consent at any time. Withdrawing consent does not affect processing that has already taken place lawfully.
Health and Fitness Data
Running coaching often requires us to process information about your health, fitness, training, recovery, injury history, illness, stress, sleep, fatigue and performance.
We use this information only for coaching-related purposes, such as planning training, adjusting load, interpreting test results, supporting safe progression and helping you prepare for events.
You should not use Running Coach Ireland as a substitute for medical advice. Where symptoms, injury, illness or health concerns require medical assessment, we may recommend that you consult a doctor, physiotherapist or other qualified healthcare professional.
Third-Party Services We Use
To operate our coaching service, we may use trusted third-party platforms. These may include:
TrainingPeaks for training plans, workout delivery and training data review.
Garmin Connect or other device platforms where you choose to connect or share data.
Jotform or similar tools for questionnaires, onboarding forms and check-ins.
Zendesk for support emails and client communication.
Notion Calendar, Calendly or similar scheduling tools for booking calls.
Stripe, PayPal or similar providers for payments.
Google Workspace, Microsoft, email providers or cloud storage tools for administration.
Website hosting, security and backup providers.
Analytics tools such as Google Analytics, where used and where consent is required.
AI-assisted tools may be used to support internal drafting, summarising, training analysis, report preparation or administrative workflows.
These providers process data either on our behalf or as independent controllers, depending on the service. We only use providers where we consider there to be appropriate safeguards for data protection and security.
Use of AI-Assisted Tools
Running Coach Ireland may use AI-assisted tools to help with coaching administration, report drafting, training summaries, RABIT report preparation, email drafting, data organisation or internal quality control.
Where AI tools are used, they are used to support the coach, not to replace the coach. Coaching decisions are reviewed by a human coach. We do not rely on solely automated decision-making to make significant decisions about your training.
We aim to limit the personal data shared with AI-assisted tools to what is necessary for the relevant coaching or administrative task.
International Data Transfers
Some third-party services we use may store or process data outside Ireland or the European Economic Area.
Where this happens, we rely on appropriate safeguards such as adequacy decisions, Standard Contractual Clauses, data processing agreements or other lawful transfer mechanisms required under GDPR.
Because our coach Eoin Flynn resides in Gran Canaria, Spain, some coaching-related information may be accessed from Spain. Spain is within the European Union and is subject to GDPR.
How We Protect Your Data
We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data. These may include:
Password-protected systems.
Access controls.
Secure third-party platforms.
HTTPS website encryption.
Secure payment gateways.
Limited access to client information.
Use of trusted processors.
Internal procedures for handling client data.
No system is completely risk-free, but we take reasonable steps to protect your information from unauthorised access, loss, misuse or disclosure.
How Long We Keep Your Data
We retain personal data only for as long as needed for the purposes for which it was collected, including coaching delivery, business administration, legal compliance, accounting and dispute resolution.
In general:
Active client records are kept while you are a coaching client.
Coaching, training and communication records may be retained for a reasonable period after coaching ends so we can provide continuity if you return, respond to queries, manage records and maintain professional standards.
Financial and transaction records may be retained for the period required by Irish tax and accounting law.
Marketing data is retained until you unsubscribe or withdraw consent.
Website analytics data is retained according to the settings of the relevant analytics provider.
You may request deletion of your data, subject to legal, accounting or legitimate business retention requirements.
Marketing Communications
We may send you coaching updates, newsletters, offers or educational content where you have opted in or where we are otherwise permitted to do so.
You can unsubscribe at any time by using the unsubscribe link in the message or by contacting us at support@runningcoachireland.zendesk.com.
Cookies and Analytics
Our website may use cookies or similar technologies to make the site work, improve performance, understand website usage and support marketing or analytics.
Essential cookies may be used because they are necessary for the website to function.
Non-essential cookies, including analytics or marketing cookies, will only be used where required consent has been obtained.
You can manage cookie preferences through your browser settings or any cookie banner provided on our website.
Your Rights Under GDPR
You have the right to:
Access the personal data we hold about you.
Ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
Request deletion of your data.
Request restriction of processing.
Object to certain types of processing.
Request data portability where applicable.
Withdraw consent at any time where processing is based on consent.
Lodge a complaint with the Irish Data Protection Commission.
To exercise your rights, contact us at:
support@runningcoachireland.zendesk.com
We may need to verify your identity before responding to certain requests.
Children’s Data
Our coaching services are generally intended for adults. Where we coach minors, we require appropriate parental or guardian involvement and consent.
Changes to This Privacy Statement
We may update this Privacy Statement from time to time to reflect changes in our services, systems, legal obligations or data protection practices.
Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated effective date.
Contact Us
If you have any questions about this Privacy Statement or how your data is handled, please contact:
Running Coach Ireland
Email: support@runningcoachireland.zendesk.com
Phone: +353 89 251 1879
Website: www.runningcoach.ie