B_Doughtie wrote:
Those are good people that want to help grow the sport, and there are tons of local RD’s with the same goal and motives. They just want to provide races. But they are getting pinched at every corner too. So yes there is a cost factor but there is also a cost realization that I think really is hurting grass root attempts. No longer can you just get by on bare bones etc. Everything is CYA, permitted out for everything etc.
We’ve got something that is just getting started, and it looks interesting. I cannot vouch for the accuracy of my assumptions, but I’ve been watching this unfold on Facebook, and may try it this summer. A local tri group is starting to hold “mock tris” of various distances, as training races… very much like club cycling used to be. They meet out at a state park, in a designated swimming cove. They ride and run on park roads with little too traffic. As far as I know, there is no costs involved, other than the $5 day pass, to get into the park. There are no results, awards, or support. I’m sure some club members bring stuff like coolers and snacks, and I have seen some photos with bike racks, for practicing transition. Everyone is self supported and self timed. They do of course request helmets, and folks to use a orange tow buoy during the swim, for safety. They held a couple in 2021, and it was a hit, and they held them every month last summer. I remember thinking how crazy… to hold those… without just making it an official race. I thought to myself I wasn’t all that interested in “mock” anything. Well, this thread has me rethinking that, and I’m understanding why they don’t want to organize an official race, and would rather just go out and have fun training together. I just might have to go check it out this year.
Athlinks / Strava