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Meanwhile...Toughman now has 9 races?!?!?!
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So, there really is not much chatter about this series as triathlon seemed to become a Challenge/WTC face off...but Toughman seems to be pretty quietly building a pretty substantial brand.Kudos to them. Nice to see another player, and by all accounts, doing it right...under served markets, quality races, focus on the half distance. They get a little bigger and they can possible pop a "Double Toughman" and maybe finally challenge the WTC grip on that distance. Or...what if THEY merged with Challenge? Now THAT would be interesting.
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Re: Meanwhile...Toughman now has 9 races?!?!?! [sinkinswimmer] [ In reply to ]
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Where are their races concentrated? I've never heard of them out here on the West Coast.
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Re: Meanwhile...Toughman now has 9 races?!?!?! [sinkinswimmer] [ In reply to ]
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I heard dudes punch chicks at the Toughman
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Re: Meanwhile...Toughman now has 9 races?!?!?! [sinkinswimmer] [ In reply to ]
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Neat. I did not know that had many races - all 70.3 & Aquabike. The one in Indiana looks interesting and pretty close.
http://www.toughmantri.com/


Edit: They need to update their website with event info for each race - courses and other logistics.

Last edited by: johnnybefit: Oct 23, 14 18:06
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Re: Meanwhile...Toughman now has 9 races?!?!?! [johnnybefit] [ In reply to ]
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Johnny:

We'd enjoy the company in Indiana on May 30/31, 2015

Here is the link: Toughman Indiana Half/AQB, Sprint and Toughkids

The race page has a link to what ST folks said about our race in 2014.

Awesome course, great volunteers, awesome shirt/swag/finisher medal just 45-min east of Indy in beautiful Richmond, Indiana!

Thanks!

STIndiana
America Multi-Sport, Inc.
America's Half June 10, 2017
USAT RD Century Club
http://www.americamultisport.com
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Re: Meanwhile...Toughman now has 9 races?!?!?! [spool] [ In reply to ]
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They started in NY and like Rev 3 and Challenge are somewhat NE focused, but they do have races in Alabama, Wisonsin, Minnesota, Washington and Arizona. Here is their site: http://toughmantri.com/
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Re: Meanwhile...Toughman now has 9 races?!?!?! [Stindiana] [ In reply to ]
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Stindiana wrote:
Johnny:

We'd enjoy the company in Indiana on May 30/31, 2015

Here is the link: Toughman Indiana Half/AQB, Sprint and Toughkids

The race page has a link to what ST folks said about our race in 2014.

Awesome course, great volunteers, awesome shirt/swag/finisher medal just 45-min east of Indy in beautiful Richmond, Indiana!

Thanks!

Thanks for this Steve. I had a difficult time finding this.
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Re: Meanwhile...Toughman now has 9 races?!?!?! [sinkinswimmer] [ In reply to ]
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Looks like they came to an agreement with a local HIM in WI - formerly known as High Cliff - now Toughman WI. I agree with the poster that stated the website would benefit from an update, specifically linking each race - so participants can research route, lodging, results, etc. The main page doesn't show this, and I had to search to confirm the WI race was High Cliff. I suspect they are licensing these races, as the WI race isn't branded 100% toughman, e.g. same website - different title/header. As long as the fees stay the same, this is a good thing. It will be interesting to see if they gain traction with they "Toughman Championship" in Sept - maybe that is the carrot to get more FOP (but not KQ) participants, and raise the brand awareness overall.
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Re: Meanwhile...Toughman now has 9 races?!?!?! [whiteandy] [ In reply to ]
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It looks like Toughman FL was the Gator Half.

Janyne
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Re: Meanwhile...Toughman now has 9 races?!?!?! [whiteandy] [ In reply to ]
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What is the qualification process for the "championship" race? I can't find it clearly laid out anywhere on the site.
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Re: Meanwhile...Toughman now has 9 races?!?!?! [sinkinswimmer] [ In reply to ]
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As mentioned earlier, the Toughman website is terrible.

Pink? Maybe. Maybe not. You decide.
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Re: Meanwhile...Toughman now has 9 races?!?!?! [whiteandy] [ In reply to ]
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Same company from Wisconsin that had High Cliff had the now Toughman MN (Chisago Lakes Tri). So it seems like Toughman has been branding/buying existing races much like Ironman/WTC has.

Ryan
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Re: Meanwhile...Toughman now has 9 races?!?!?! [ryans] [ In reply to ]
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It looks to me like 'licensing', as opposed to 'buying'. In that - TM is offering some sort of incentive for these RDs to brand/align themselves with TM. If TM was purchasing - I would expect the old websites to not get updated - AND the TM website to be more fully baked. As I stated, I hope this doesn't add a 'tax' on participants, in the form of TM 'branded' tshirts, medals, signage, etc - but that is likely what is happening.
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Re: Meanwhile...Toughman now has 9 races?!?!?! [sinkinswimmer] [ In reply to ]
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Competition is great, especially in a field like triathlon where it seems every race organizer is backed by a profit seeking entity (unlike marathons, which mostly are handled by non-profits).

Toughman needs to work out the kinks. The Westchester race this year made a mockery of competitive integrity with a huge percentage of the competitors cutting buoys on the swim course.

More triathlons, the better.
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Re: Meanwhile...Toughman now has 9 races?!?!?! [whiteandy] [ In reply to ]
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whiteandy wrote:
It looks to me like 'licensing', as opposed to 'buying'. In that - TM is offering some sort of incentive for these RDs to brand/align themselves with TM. If TM was purchasing - I would expect the old websites to not get updated - AND the TM website to be more fully baked. As I stated, I hope this doesn't add a 'tax' on participants, in the form of TM 'branded' tshirts, medals, signage, etc - but that is likely what is happening.

I think this is correct. The long standing RD here in Alabama launched a 1/2 this summer and it was a Toughman. Most people probably just thought that's what they decided to call it because it was a 1/2 and in mid-August, which is/was brutally tough. All they really knew though was that it was a new 1/2 distance triathlon being put on by the same RD group doing a bunch of the other sprints and oly's in the region.
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Re: Meanwhile...Toughman now has 9 races?!?!?! [sinkinswimmer] [ In reply to ]
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Disclaimer: I'm a Toughman ambassador. I was presented the opportunity and eagerly accepted it because I like what Toughman is about.

From my perspective, Toughman gives us, as consumers, choice. Dan had put out a thought-provoking article back in April about the state of triathlon:

http://www.slowtwitch.com/Features/State_of_Tri_4285.html


When you look at the triathlon event market as a whole here in the U.S., you've got the 800 pound gorilla still trying to grow in a market that appears to be flattening. There are a lot of great independent events out there that are struggling to keep their share of that market. We've also seen Challenge come in (which I think is a good thing - more choice), but then have watched Rev3 go away. We also have HITS and then a bunch of long-standing events throughout the country from Setup and many other regional companies. As consumers, we still have choices. We need those choices.


In essence, Toughman is providing a means to keep events going, that may otherwise struggle on their own. I think Toughman provides a couple of things to make those existing events better - 1) they have an age-group championship that actually pays cash, providing an incentive for some, and 2) Toughman provides a network of Race Directors/race teams. They leverage the experience of the local race teams to put on the event with the quality it has had in the past - that's essentially the minimum standard. They raise that minimum by adding those local race teams to a collective, allowing them to work together, get ideas from each other, etc. In essence, they can learn from one another, while not necessarily competing directly with each other. Richard Izzo can also provide feedback based on what he sees and envisions, and the standards are raised across all events.


As you said, Toughman is another player, and doing it right. They are working to build the brand using existing quality events focused on the half triathlon distance. I think this cooperation of events is key to their survival and a sign of things to come. It's not unlike what Ironman has done to be the success they are - they also used local talent to expand the brand. The big difference I see is that this is not a "big" corporation of shareholders looking for their return on investment. Personally, I feel whenever shareholders and equity groups start becoming an integral part of the equation, the focus is lost. We forget about the thing that made us special to make money, and only focus on making money. Right or wrong, that's my perception of where Ironman/WTC is today. I have a hard time supporting that.


If you get a chance to do a Toughman event, you really should give them a chance. While you're there, look up Rich and chat with him - he's a heck of a nice guy, and I think you'll quickly see how passionate he is about the sport, the people who work hard to provide us with events, and the people who participate. He's got the experience as a competitor, volunteer, and Race Director. He really cares about triathlon, and uniting these events under the Toughman banner is his way of helping to support our sport.


He loves this sport as much as I do, and if I can help spread the word that there are great alternatives out there, I am glad to help out.

Travis Rassat
Vector Cycle Works
Noblesville, IN
BikeFit Instructor | FMS | F.I.S.T. | IBFI
Toughman Triathlon Series Ambassador
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Re: Meanwhile...Toughman now has 9 races?!?!?! [mplamour] [ In reply to ]
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Here is some info on the qualification process:

http://toughmantri.com/event_toughman.shtml

Age Group Qualifying slots for TOUGHMAN Championship Half NY
19 and under-2
20-24-3
25-29-3
30-34-10
35-39-10
40-44-10
45-49-10
50-54-10
55-59-5
60-64-5
65-69-5
70+-2
male and female

So, pretty straightforward, as far as qualifying slots go. No rolldown or anything like that.

Travis Rassat
Vector Cycle Works
Noblesville, IN
BikeFit Instructor | FMS | F.I.S.T. | IBFI
Toughman Triathlon Series Ambassador
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Re: Meanwhile...Toughman now has 9 races?!?!?! [japarker24] [ In reply to ]
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Richard and I had talked about this a couple of weeks ago - being able to see course maps and stuff like that is obviously important. The website just got a bit better:

http://www.toughmantri.com/event_races.shtml


Now you can get an information link to each event, along with the registration link.


I just also noticed a mention of Toughman New Mexico on that page...

Edit: Fixed the link and my bad spelling...

Travis Rassat
Vector Cycle Works
Noblesville, IN
BikeFit Instructor | FMS | F.I.S.T. | IBFI
Toughman Triathlon Series Ambassador
Last edited by: Travis R: Oct 28, 14 6:47
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Re: Meanwhile...Toughman now has 9 races?!?!?! [Travis R] [ In reply to ]
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Very nice. Thanks for updating. The New Mexico race could be awesome!
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Re: Meanwhile...Toughman now has 9 races?!?!?! [japarker24] [ In reply to ]
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forget HOW to qualify, I would settle for information on where and when somewhere on the website

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Re: Meanwhile...Toughman now has 9 races?!?!?! [sinkinswimmer] [ In reply to ]
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I did the Toughman Washington State race before it became Toughman. Absolutely flat bike course (50' elevation gain) and 3 miles of running on the beach (Packed sand).

It was an amazing experience.
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Re: Meanwhile...Toughman now has 9 races?!?!?! [sinkinswimmer] [ In reply to ]
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I raced Toughman Tupper Lake (NY) this summer. This was my first year at that race, and all indications from the ST forum is that the race was always great (even before the Toughman affiliation). The race was still great this year. It was very well run, and I have no complaints. All good.
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Re: Meanwhile...Toughman now has 9 races?!?!?! [trislayer] [ In reply to ]
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I'm interested to hear about the New Mexico event as well, anybody have any info on where it may be?
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Re: Meanwhile...Toughman now has 9 races?!?!?! [Travis R] [ In reply to ]
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Here is what they are doing that is really good for the sport long term. And a lot of fun to watch.

http://www.toughkidstri.com/
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Re: Meanwhile...Toughman now has 9 races?!?!?! [BKyle] [ In reply to ]
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Got a little bit more info on the New Mexico race: It is in Cochiti Lake, NM. Note that this is actually replacing Toughman Arizona. The race is being put on by the same team as Arizona, just a different venue.

Travis Rassat
Vector Cycle Works
Noblesville, IN
BikeFit Instructor | FMS | F.I.S.T. | IBFI
Toughman Triathlon Series Ambassador
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