Rick Prince: Raising the Standard Through Education

Rick Prince is the founder of United Endurance Sports Coaching Academy and a respected voice in science-based fitness education. With a background in kinesiology and decades of industry experience, he has built a global platform centered on credibility, community, and long-term impact. Known for prioritizing education over hype, Prince continues to shape the future of endurance and fitness coaching through thoughtful leadership and uncompromising standards.

The Long View

It took nearly five decades for Rick Prince to fully appreciate a truth that now anchors both his life and leadership: success is rarely about speed, and almost always about who you choose to build with along the way. In an industry often driven by spectacle, shortcuts, and surface-level credibility, Prince has quietly chosen a different path, one defined by education, patience, and standards that endure. From the gym floors of New York City to founding a global leader in science-based endurance education, his career has been less about chasing momentum and more about earning trust, one decision at a time.

Built on Discipline, Education, and Experience

Rick Prince’s professional philosophy was shaped long before entrepreneurship entered the picture. A graduate of Springfield College with a bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology and Exercise Science, Prince was immersed early in the mechanics of human performance, movement, and physiology. As a collegiate athlete involved in track and field and cross country, he learned firsthand that meaningful progress is cumulative and rarely linear.

His early career unfolded in the demanding environment of New York City’s fitness scene, including time at the Reebok Sports Club, where expectations were high and credibility was earned daily. These formative years instilled a respect for preparation, professionalism, and continuous learning. They also exposed Prince to a recurring gap within the industry: too often, performance was celebrated while education was treated as secondary.

That tension stayed with him as he advanced into leadership roles at Plus One Holdings, overseeing training and operations for elite corporate fitness environments tied to Goldman Sachs and Barclays Capital. Managing people, systems, and standards at scale sharpened his operational mindset and reinforced a belief that long-term success depends on clarity, consistency, and accountability.

Founding UESCA and Choosing Substance Over Noise

In 2014, Prince founded United Endurance Sports Coaching Academy with a clear and uncompromising vision. UESCA would not be another certification mill. It would be built on science, evidence, and respect for the coaching profession. Over time, that commitment positioned UESCA as a global leader in endurance sports education, offering certifications across cycling, running, triathlon, ultrarunning, and nutrition.

What distinguishes Prince’s leadership is not just what he built, but how he built it. UESCA grew steadily, anchored by contributors who valued education over hype and by a community of coaches committed to raising their own standards. Recognition followed, including industry validation that named UESCA’s running coach certification among the most comprehensive in the market.

Prince’s voice during this period became increasingly clear and public. In a post reflecting on the year ahead, he shared, “While it may have taken me 50 years to fully appreciate it, I now realize that who you surround yourself with is everything.” That sentiment captures both his leadership maturity and his refusal to measure success purely by scale or speed.

Equally defining was his willingness to speak out when industry trends conflicted with his values. Prince openly criticized fitness marketing that prioritized entertainment over education, emphasizing that “there is zero correlation between being able to complete an insanely hard workout and being a great trainer.” Instead, he argued, great coaching is grounded in professionalism, empathy, and the ability to educate and motivate individuals, not perform for an audience.

Community, Resilience, and Honest Leadership

As UESCA expanded, Prince remained focused on cultivating community rather than competition. Conferences, expos, partnerships, and charitable initiatives became extensions of the brand’s mission. Whether supporting nonprofit organizations or offering education access to underserved communities, Prince reinforced the idea that leadership carries responsibility beyond revenue.

His transparency during moments of difficulty further defined his credibility. When ThryvHive, a business and website solution developed over several years, ultimately did not succeed, Prince shared the experience openly. Rather than framing it as failure, he framed it as learning. In a reflection that resonated widely, he noted that business, like endurance sport, is shaped by struggle and adaptation. The key, he emphasized, is understanding when to push forward and when to step back.

“There is no such thing as failure,” he wrote. “If you allow it, every failure presents an opportunity to learn from it and come back stronger.” That mindset, grounded in realism rather than optimism alone, has become central to his leadership identity.

Vision for the Future: Expanding the Standard

Today, Rick Prince is once again building for the long term. In addition to leading UESCA, he is developing a new fitness education company set to launch in mid-2026, where he will serve as founder and president. The goal is not expansion for its own sake, but disruption rooted in quality. His aspiration is for the new company to become the global leader in fitness and strength and conditioning education, mirroring the credibility UESCA has established in endurance sports.

The vision extends beyond digital platforms. Prince aims to create brands with meaningful offline presence, where education, connection, and community intersect in real-world settings. It is a continuation of the same philosophy that has guided his career from the beginning: build slowly, build honestly, and build with people who care about doing the work the right way.

Looking ahead, Prince remains inspired and grateful, not just for growth, but for the people who make it possible. “I’m constantly inspired by our contributors, our colleagues, and our community,” he has shared, underscoring once again that leadership, in his view, is never a solo endeavor.

Editorial Note

Rick Prince’s journey offers a quiet but powerful counterpoint to an industry often captivated by speed and spectacle. His career demonstrates that credibility is built through consistency, education, and the courage to uphold standards even when they are unpopular. For leaders, coaches, and entrepreneurs alike, his story is a reminder that playing the long game is not about waiting. It is about making deliberate choices that compound over time.

As Prince continues to shape the future of fitness and endurance education, his work invites a simple but enduring question: What would our industries look like if more leaders chose substance over noise, and progress over shortcuts?