Great point Barrie. The exposure for Triathlon was great. Even getting Afternoon race coverage on TV at one point.

I also noticed that Bryers Vanilla ice cream has the Hyvee Triathlon logo on it for several years, all year round. I think it was only in Hyvee stores. But to leverage a national brand like that I think is impressive.

I think from a marketing standpoint is raised brand image for the store regionally, promoted the message of health, fitness and paired with services they offer in their stores such as catering, dietitian services. Our store even has it's own gourmet chef and some special programs like putting together premade "Make-at-home" meals.

You pay a premium for groceries at their store over Walmart, but it's a dramatically more positive shopping experience. Most notable, their employees act as they they want to be working there, and are genuinely helpful... not like it's a forced labor camp at Wallyworld.

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TrainingBible Coaching
http://www.trainingbible.com

Triathlon not dead in Des Moines:

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/...des-moines/23183423/

From Article:
"Hy-Vee Inc. announced Tuesday it is discontinuing the Hy-Vee Triathlon, an annual event that draws thousands of runners, bikers and swimmers and millions of dollars to the city year year.
But don't write the obituary on the triathlon just yet.
Premier Event Management, the company that produced the Hy-Vee Triathlon, said it plans to keep the event going, starting this summer"

I'm sure that will be a nice local race, it won't come close to what Hy-Vee once was.

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I *heart* weak, dumb ass people...

How would have thunk that paying $500,000 to professional triathletes was not a sustainable business model. I'm shocked!

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Favorite Gear: Dimond | Cadex | Desoto Sport | Hoka One One

Agree 100%, but now Challenge can try it out with the oil sheiks. HyVee lasted a few years, will the oil money dry up sooner?

Sometimes it's more about the "support" a race has internally than the money. The charity stops at some point.

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I *heart* weak, dumb ass people...

It was relatively sustainable when it was treated like the spectacle it could have been via television and in-person spectators. Paying $500k for something that I have to follow by texting friends who happen to be there...yea that isn't sustainable.

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IG: idking90

The exposure for Triathlon was great. Even getting Afternoon race coverage on TV at one point.

Founding ITU President, Les McDonald was fond of saying, "We have to do something really audacious, for them to take notice", and he was right.

Since Les first shared this with me back in the early 90's the world has become exponentially noisier and harder to make head-way in. That was pre-internet. Looking back, it's almost anarchic in it's simplicity.


NOW, to get noticed you have to really go over the top AND be prepared to hang in there for the long haul.


Hy-Vee did that. Most sponsorships of this magnitude work on roughly 5 year cycles. It's rare that they go on longer than this. Thus, everything does come to an end, and if you don't have another sponsor to step in at that level, it is more or less game-over.

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Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

I'm not exactly sure what a regional grocery store chain got out of providing a massive pay day to global athletes (from a marketing standpoint vs. the exposure GoPro gets for example).

TBH- I didn't know that Hy-Vee was the name of a grocery chain. I never questioned it's significance past the idea that it was just the name of a race series.

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Take a short break from ST and read my blog:
http://tri-banter.blogspot.com/

They'll be easily spending that amount in marketing and advertising budget to support their upcoming new stores in Minnesota.....maybe a major Minnesota sports team sponsor like they do in Kansas City (Chiefs and Royals). As mentioned in my earlier comment, they appear to be shifting money to another geographic area as part of their overall business strategy. I'd be curious to know though all the factors and all the entities in the decision process. I'm sure it something to do when the former CEO (an avid cyclist and participant) retired. But this will cost the city of Des Moines, especially restaurant and hotel businesses a LOT of money and I'd be real curious what went on behind the scenes. The recent letter was pretty much your typical "corporate speak" notice, and you would have also thought they would have been prepared to have the "new" HyVee triathlon website up by now. As a company, they seem to be doing very well financially and I'm sure a lot of local business leaders and residents are disappointed with this decision. Hopefully, Premier will find some other sponsors to support it going forward including a pro race and good prizes for the amateurs. It was a tough trip for me from the east coast but the event was worth it.

Some please help us understand the ownership of the race -HV assuming- but who was hired to operate it from year one to 2014? PE in the beginning and then WTC/5150...where did it end up at in the last years. Just curious...

Thanks

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STIndiana
America Multi-Sport, Inc.
America's Half June 10, 2017
USAT RD Century Club
http://www.americamultisport.com