PacePal is an AI race-day coach for runners, creating a simple race-day plan so runners never have to guess how to run their best. The app handles tricky details like hills and weather to ensure hard work in training leads to personal best times. PacePal's mission is to give every runner a racing plan — because every runner has a training plan, and now they can have a racing plan too. The app features pacing plans (step-by-step game plan for race day), course analysis (elevation-aware pacing adjustments to tackle hills), race catalog (find and sign up for races directly from the platform), personalized profile (pacing style, strengths, and personal race preferences), and race reminders (notifications when sign-ups open). The founder is Justin R. Choi, with personal bests including 18:57 5km, 1:28:25 half marathon, and 3:13:56 marathon, plus 1x UTMB finisher and 8x ultra finisher.
PacePal develops the PacePal iOS app for runners to plan and execute race strategies. The iOS engineering team builds and maintains features for race plan creation (step-by-step pacing strategy based on distance, target time, course elevation, and weather), course analysis (elevation map display, grade-adjusted pace calculations), real-time race execution (audio or haptic feedback during race to keep on pace, kilometer-by-kilometer split targets), race catalog browsing (search and filter races, direct sign-up integration), personalized runner profile (pacing style, strengths, preferences — e.g., strong on hills, flats, or better at even pacing), push notifications for race sign-up reminders and race day countdowns, offline mode (download race plan before race for use without internet during race), data visualization (elevation profiles, pace charts, split tables), HealthKit integration (sync runs, heart rate, pace from Apple Watch), Apple Watch companion app (on-wrist pace guidance during race), and race result logging (record finishing time, compare to target, track personal records).
Mobile development in this context focuses on mapping and elevation data (MapKit, Core Location for GPS course analysis, elevation profiles rom GPX files or route APIs), grade-adjusted pace calculations (mathematical modeling for elevation impact on pace — frontend display of AI/backend), real-time pace guidance (audio feedback using AVFoundation for spoken pace alerts, haptic feedback using UIKit), offline-first architecture (download race plan before race for areas without cellular connectivity), Apple Watch integration (WatchConnectivity for syncing race plan to watch, on-wrist pace guidance, haptic feedback on watch), HealthKit integration (reading running workouts, heart rate, distance, pace; writing race results), push notifications for race sign-up reminders, race day countdown, and weather updates (pre-race), data visualization (Swift Charts for elevation profiles, pace charts, split tables), store locator for race expos or packet pickup (MapKit), and accessibility features (VoiceOver for navigation, large text for on-course glanceability).
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These roles focus on building the PacePal iOS app that gives runners a racing plan to complement their training plan. Engineers work on course analysis with elevation data from MapKit and GPX files, grade-adjusted pace calculations (mathematical modeling of how elevation impacts pace), real-time pace guidance during races using audio feedback (AVFoundation) and haptic feedback (UIKit), Apple Watch companion app with on-wrist pace guidance and haptic feedback, offline-first architecture so runners can download their race plan before heading to remote race venues without cellular coverage, HealthKit integration to sync training runs, heart rate, and pace and to log race results for personal records, race catalog browsing with direct sign-up integration, personalized runner profiles that learn pacing style (hills, flats, even pacing), push notifications for race sign-up reminders and race day countdowns, data visualization of elevation profiles and pace charts with Swift Charts, and accessibility features to ensure all runners can benefit from a race-day plan — all while serving runners from 5km to ultra-marathon distances (founder Justin R. Choi is a UTMB finisher and 8x ultra finisher with PBs of 18:57 5km, 1:28:25 half marathon, 3:13:56 marathon). PacePal's Product Engineer Intern (iOS/Mobile) role focuses on building the actual iPhone app runners use to view and execute their race strategies, transforming design mockups into a fully functional iOS application with Swift and SwiftUI, optimizing performance for smooth scrolling and fast data loading. The app is coming soon on the App Store.
