This is the trend I’ve seen in Montana as well in the 10 years I’ve been racing. The biggest race used to sell out the ~450 slots in 15 minutes but has been running low 200’s the past couple years. A few races have folded and others are on the edge as they used to get 150+ and are now getting 50ish. The ones that offer a kids tri after the adults seem to do a bit better. Definitely sad to show up and see such small fields compared to what it used to be.

I’ve been meaning to crunch the numbers for each race and graph them out but haven’t go the chance.

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Matt

Agree here across the board in NorCal. Most notably World Toughtest is the latest.

My guess is people have 'been there done that' and only those who want to race every year are still out there. For me racing an IM a year eats up my 'hall pass' so I defiantly race less small races due to that.

In NC it seems that sprints are about the only thing you find now. Most of what used to be olympic races are now sprints.

I know one of the RD companies in NC saw an increase in their pool tris and a decrease in their OWS tri's for a few years. Net increase overall iirc

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Brian Stover USAT LII
Accelerate3 Coaching
Insta

Not in San Diego. We have a total of 7 triathlons from May to October:

SuperSeal in March (Olympic and Sprint)
Spring Sprint in May (International and Sprint)
San Diego International in June (International and Sprint)
Solana Beach Tri in July (Sprint)
Chula Vista Challenge in August (Half, International, and Sprint)
Rock the Bay sometime September
Mission Bay Tri at the end of September.

Challenge Family has also added a sprint race (together with their half distance) on March 10 down in Ensenada.

And also down in Ensenada there is a Draft Legal event (Oly and sprint) in August, by a local team called Tri-Jex.

On top of that I think UCSD puts together a Draft legal race in March.

So, plenty of short course races here in Sunny San Diego.

The problem is that a lot of people think triathlon is just Ironman, anything shorter isn’t worth doing.

I used to be able to do a sprint for $30.
Now it's $125.
And don't forget your license on top of that.
No thanks.

I can find a few with down numbers in So Cal. Down about 20% over 3 or 4 years ago but I also find many with steady numbers. Long Beach has the new Legacy triathlon which is committed to being held through 2028 Olympics and LA has the new Herbalife24 triathlon. I think the number of events is high enough to not be much of a concern. Down numbers means more parking on race morning is how I view it.

the problem is that a lot of RDs are afraid to do anything beyond what they've done previously.

hey, any quality RDs out there without a solid pathway forward? call me.

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Dan Empfield
aka Slowman

Interestingly enough I did 3 sprints in MT this past year and none required a USAT license. Granted that means USAT points for those who are into rankings

Cost was still nice for two of them - $40 and $65. Unfortunately the other is up to $100 this year (even though it has less giveaways/prizes/schwag and isn’t chip timed like the others) which has me thinking about skipping it. The north Idaho races I do usually run about $75

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Matt

This is especially noteworthy because here (MN) I can do a p/1/2/3 crit and a 3/4 crit for a total of $30 for multiple races. Running races are 20-40 bucks depending on race swag/organizers. I can do an omnium (road race, crit, TT) for $80, and the prizes are like 10 deep so I have always made $$.

Why are all the sprint triathlons over 100 bucks??!

no kidding... signed up for a sprint for $115 and that's with 20% off.. USTP events are not cheap... doing another small city one $65 and the series in my neck of the woods is about $75per when you pay in advance.

But where in Tennessee?

For the most part I'd say the Phoenix market is pretty strong. Or at least 4 Peaks Racing holds onto their core sprints and is trying to build their new Cactus Man property which is a cool local race, similar to the Lifetime Tri being in Tempe Town Lake, but the most races they do are road runs.

The Mesa Sprint is just getting bigger...but holy hell the RD had some massive safety flub ups when it came to placing volunteers on the bike course. I was pissed that day Sherpaing.

Tri-Family racing seems to have cut back on some sprints but now they're doing tree Olympics which I find pretty intense: Barlett Lake Fall and Spring, Lake Pleasant Tri Fall.

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Washed up footy player turned Triathlete.

Iowa's Pigman Sprint, running for 26 years every June, with course records by Tim DeBoom, Liz Downing, and David Thompson, used to sell out in January. Last year, it didn't sell out and had 289 finishers. In 2011, there were 648 finishers.

I'll put in a plug here: If you're in the Midwest, this is a well-produced, fun race on a nice course with a couple decent hills on the bike. There's prize money, so it attracts some pros, and random number drawings for some decent prizes, courtesy Gear West, for the age-groupers. https://pigmantri.com/

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Strava

The two soon-to-be-extinct sprint tris I mentioned above charge $40, plus license. In their cases, money isn't the issue. At one of them, in addition to a medal, the podium places also receive good prizes that are worth more than the entry fees. I hate to see them go.

Mid-Atlantic coast: June 1 - Oct 1, you can probably do a sprint every weekend, or more.

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no sponsors | no races | nothing to see here

Here in Southern California we have a pretty good selection of sprint races, virtually every weekend in the summer. And we have a lot all winter long too, few in pools, some out in La Quinta/Palm Springs area. In fact, I saw that you could sign up for the HITS sprint for $50 a couple weeks ago, but that has gone up a little since then, and that race is now in October. I will be up for it, just waiting to make sure they are still going to be around now that WTC has eaten their lunch at that venue..

Someone put up a San Diego list, then there is the LA Tri series at Bonelli park, going for 35 years now. There are several up in Ventura county, although we did lose the Santa Barbara tri because of road closures. And I believe the Catalina sprint that I started up in 1984 is still going in some format, and the Newport triathlon that was going in the late 70's too..And I think I just heard that someone is bringing back the LA tri that goes from Venice to downtown again, not sure why, but wish them luck with that nightmare course..

I've read several articles in the past couple of weeks, both local and national, regarding the trend where the large metro areas are healthy and growing in size and affluence, while the rest of the country seems to be trending in the opposite direction. Could the same trend be happening in triathlons, especially with local sprint tris?

Where in TN are you describing? If my guess is correct, the local sprint tri scene in metro Nashville would be doing well.

The sprint tri scene is doing well in Ohio, where we have three large metro areas that are relatively close to each other.

Definitely this. I'm in Jersey and there's a race every weekend somewhere. Not just the oft-talked about Delmo races, but lots of local races all over the place. They're good races, and I really enjoy doing them. Attendance has been pretty steady every year.

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I talk to myself because mine are the only answers I'll accept - George Carlin

Are the participation numbers in decline at all?

There also used to be sprints in Encinitas, Carlsbad, and Camp Pendleton 5-10yrs ago...

Nashville/Murfreesboro area. The city is BOOMING, but the sprint tris (and a lot of bike races / centuries / gran fondos) are dying. It may be that people have way too many other things to do.

Took the words out of my mouth. If i'm gonna spend $100+ on a race, I want to make it a big deal, where I prepare specifically for it and have some really fast competition on race day. There's 0 chance I'm gonna pay that much for a damn sprint that's over in an hour with 100 people in the field. That said, there's some sprints which can be as low as $50 if you sign up enough in advance in NC that I'd consider.

Personally though, not a fan of sprints because they don't suit me. Comparatively slow swimmer, super strong cyclist, decent runner with an embarrassingly low top end (think 5k pace barely faster than half marathon pace)... yeah I'm not gonna be competitive in a sprint unless the bike leg goes up and down a mountain. If I were better, I'd consider racing sprints, but still $100 for a half mile swim in a lake, out and back on a country road, and run around a parking lot isn't the best bang for your buck.

Dont know about Encinitas, but I believe there is still a race in Pendleton, and for sure the Carlsbad triathlon is still going;

http://www.carlsbadca.gov/.../races/triathlon.asp

That race has been around forever, won it a couple times as I recall too...One of the last of the surf swim races, those are as rare as a white rhino anymore...)-;

In MN you can find plenty of quality sprint tris for reasonable prices if you look:

Buffalo - $75
Lake Minnetonka - $73
Heart of the Lakes - $65
Brewhouse - $65
Green Lake - $59
Hopkins Royal - $65

Even Lifetime MPLS is $109 right now.

So most are less than $100 currently. If you wait to sign up on race day, the prices are higher.

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Ryan

There goes my theory. Maybe there are too many young people moving into Nashville? We have that in Columbus too, but there are still plenty of us old baby boomers who still want to race.

[quote stevendex
Why are all the sprint triathlons over 100 bucks??![/quote]


You should become an RD, put on a sprint tri and report back on your entry fees

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Brian Stover USAT LII
Accelerate3 Coaching
Insta

For my summer here in Australia there is a sprint triathlon within 20 miles of my house 3 out of 4 weekends.

3 half Ironmans

5 Olympics.

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Are u in West oz? Is it just me or even sprints are getting silly expensive

Agreed, and it's not just the race fees but equipment, apparel- everything!

I think many are racing less, particularly when it costs so much for the big events. I also think the $10,000 race bike trend has actually hurt the sport because it makes many feel like they cannot compete with an entry-level bike, wetsuit, etc. so they are opting out of racing.

In the mid-atlantic as others have mentioned there are plenty of race opportunities in the summer, but I do miss the days of the bare-bones sprints. I would love to see one in VA or NC- no shirt, no prizes, just race your friends and have a beer at the end! Or even better- how about a race where we all race on the same old-school equipment, Little 500-style? I for one would travel a good distance for that.

Some of this is unique to Middle TN. In the past decade, only a few bike shops have survived. Nearly 10 have shut down in various parts of the city. The same with races. There are several races that have gone away and the bigger ones don't draw near the crowd.

I do think IM Lou, IM Chat & Chat 70.3 killed a lot of the local scene. It doesn't explain it all but that crowd was a big chunk of the local market. I also think cost is a factor, as mentioned above. Lastly, with the exception of a few pockets of town, I don't find middle TN very supportive of local business.

Are other local races doing OK or is it a general decline in triathlon overall?

Local sprint tri participation around Houston has been dropping by about 20% each year since heyday back in 2012/2013 or so.

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

Trispoke, I think you're right that the IM races within easy driving range of Middle Tennessee have hurt the local races. It surprises me but, among the local athletes, there are quite a few IM and 70.3 racers who just aren't interested in shorter distances anymore -- even as a workout.

Here in Virginia Kinetic Multisports has 13 races all have a sprints most have Olympic, two 70.3s and one Gran Fondo. Four of the races are within the 757 area code so I am happy.

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All I Wanted Was A Pepsi, Just One Pepsi

Team Zoot, Team Zoot Mid-Atlantic

Joe at Above the Fold has added races this past year, including sprints. And I know quite a few people here that were doing tris when I moved here in 2012 but now are not.

As for bike racing, there are only a few race directors. Thankfully Michael and Jess took over the weekly crit series, but lost the stadium parking lot as a venue and have to deal with the fairgrounds for the track. When Tim Hall moved to NC, that was a loss to the local racing scene. And a couple of venues have been lost due to the pain of getting permits and/or the RDs being burned out. Plus, as someone who moved from NorCal to Middle TN, I've lost my love of bike racing. It's not so fun when you're a female and there is just one race for women - all Cats and all ages, and no velodrome.

That said, I hear through the grapevine that there is going to be at least one new gravel race in 2019. Looking forward to that.

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clm
Nashville, TN
https://twitter.com/ironclm | http://ironclm.typepad.com

I dunno, Raleigh has lost it's 1/2 IM. It didn't hold the Falls Lake Road Race or the NC State road race out by Jordan Lake this year. Only the Chapel Hill RR.

They also lost the "Tour de Cure" diabetes fondo from Cary to Pinehurst the year before.

I'm seeing more folks in the "club" and go-ride go-run and have a beer after kind of scene. Enough commitment and fitness to be doing something, but not enough to do a tri or a bike race.

I think in the bike race gig the barrier to entry at even the lowest level is too high a commitment for many people. I'm a Cat5 schmuck, but I can drop the entire A/A+ group on the hammer ride. That's good for mid-pack in a 3/4/5 race.

I know for sure, didn't know the guy at the time, but one of our group-ride guys got dropped at the race I did.

In a way, formalized club membership and events in the UK mirror what I wish we had here. But in the US we are so non-committal these days that doesn't work well. Nobody is in Rotary, Lions, Masons, etc.......as much any longer.

Over there the clubs run their own routine TT's and events. Hill climbs, oh hill climbs. Just time some guys up a a few minute climb once a week or month for fun.

I feel like the US is so consumerism based also that everyone expects a participation medal, swag, and a big group hug of participates around them.

Hence, why fund raiser walks and 5k's and 1/2 marathons are so popular. Break 3 1/2 hours for a 1/2 marathon and get a medal, tee shirt, and a beer. Enter a sprint tri and get a free gel, get your ass kicked, and go home empty handed. Enter a bike race and get nothing, get dropped on the 2nd hill/roller, ride back to the car in shame alone.

When you look at it that way with today's culture of "look at me" on Twitter/IG/FB, you can see why people don't "race" as much.

Bookend that with rising competitive barriers to entry in athletics among those who DO participate, and you've got a recipe for fewer people entering.

Over the past few years the Austin scene has been dying off as well. I think 3 or 4 races have been canned since 2014 with another one dropping the Olympic distance option and 70.3 moved to Waco. Probably also doesn't help that CapTex had weather issues 3 years in a row in '14, '15, and '16. Reaffirming what everyone else has said, it seems like everyone either just wants to do an IM/70.3 or they spend so much goddamn money on those races that there isn't a budget left for local stuff.

Dan, didn't you post an article here a few years ago about IM/WTC having a large hand in the killing off the local race scene in most cities or something like that?

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Robert Dao
ATC Racing - Austin, TX
Gold's Gym Triathlon Coach
@speedao1
@daotraining

Dan can you expand on your comments ?

Yeah, but the list used to be more that that. Buffalo was not held this past year due to low registration numbers. First time it wasn't run since it was founded over 15 years ago. Some races have disappeared like Minneman (my first ever which had a sprint and olympic). Attendance dropped way off after they switched main sponsors (was Optum and went to something else then gone quickly after that). Heck, even Minnetonka used to sell out well in advance of the race for a number of years and the last few they are starting to see a decline in participation (still popular and good numbers but not sold out anymore).

I still participate in a local short TT series (TNT in Medina) and that has seen declines too. When I first started typically a night was maybe 50-60 riders and the busy nights were close to 80-90 or so. This past season on average we saw 30-40 riders and I think the biggest turnout was still shy of 60 riders (last race of the season is a BBQ, awards, and raffle prizes from sponsors so usually the best turnouts). Used to be 33/66 or maybe 25/75 split for purre bikers/Tri riders (my guesstimate...not confirmed). Now it is more of a 50/50 split but the number of pure riders has stayed the same it seems (again my guesstimate).

There's still a lot of races in the Twin Cities area and neighboring Wisconsin but I've even noticed a decline despite not racing for the last few years (due to life and being a family man).

The problem is everywhere. A big issue is that many MDot folks only have their focus on that MDot and bypass all local races. I have had endless heated discussions with folks about this.

But also, there are too many races, as there are too many bike brands, too many wheel companies, too many wetsuit brands, apparel brands, triathlon coaches, triathlon media etc

I think you may be on to something with the demographic issue. Triathlon at the local level is, statistically, a sport for people 45 to 60 years of age. I've seen fields with three times as many 45-49 age groupers as 20-24, 25-29, 30-34, 35-39 COMBINED. More 65-69 than 20-24 & 25-29 combined. The Boomers were the first generation to extend athletic performance beyond the age of 40. It appears that the successive generations, by and large, aren't interested.

I did not pull all of the races. And yes, I agree there were other races in the past. But there are also new races too. I won't disagree some good races have been lost, and that we have lost races from the peak. My only point was that in the general MN scene, there are multiple options for a sprint tri that are not over $100. I will say that MN has a pretty solid tri scene; good variety of races spread out across the summer season. You want low cost, there are options in the $50-$60 range. You want the big time show, we have a LIfetime race. Sprint all the way up through half iron for distance. We also have a few pretty decent duathlons available too.

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Ryan

There are plenty of races here in CO but in my town, Highlands Ranch (population 100,00) there used to be a sprint triathlon series in the summer. 3 races- June, July, August. Gradually reduced the number down to one and 2015 was the last race.

There is still a seemingly thriving run series but no triathlons.

There is also a 4 race Mtn Bike Series that costs only $100 for the series. Raced that in 2017 and had a blast. Beers and burgers after every race.

Judging by the people I see running and riding around town and the number of IM stickers on cars it seems there should be enough athletes to sustain a series. For whatever reason the numbers dwindled and they are gone. I personally know a few IM athletes (some KQers and AG contenders and some barely making cutoffs) that never raced any local races.

I loved being able to ride 2-3 miles to a race and be home by 10:00 am.

I agree with others about price and demographics being issues. The individual races were close to $100 if I recall. Also in its last year in 2015, I came in 13/140 OA at age 45. Of the 12 ahead of me, 2 were late 30s, the rest were 40 or older. The winner, a former pro was 49.

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Formerly DrD

Thanks for this. I didn't know about some of these. Buffalo is more than $75 though. I was going to sign up this week but my checkout for USAT fee and processing fees was well over $100. Even signing up early. Maple Grove tri is actually cheaper than the graniteman series.

In the gulf south, if a race is well run, it is typically well supported.

I stopped doing a race after they ran out of food 2 years in a row and the RDs were overheard floating about how much they saved/made by cutting back. And then didn’t give any thanks to my friends that volunteered kayak support.

i guess i look at races like i look at restaurants. some are around for a thousand years. but in socal, here, you see chefs opening restaurants, they're wildly successful, but in 10 years they're gone and onto something else. when it comes to entertainment and disposable dollars, there is some ratio of variety/newness juxtaposed with familiarity/predictability that seems to be the secret sauce.

i find that race directors are much more likely to offer the same experience year over year, but at a higher cost. the cost is the only thing that changes. what is the likely result?

i met derek bouchard-hall at interbike this year. impressive guy. he was CEO of USA cycling at that moment, but shortly thereafter announced his resignation. i told him at interbike that road cycling was dead in the US, and that the organization needed to find some way to embrace gravel. he disagreed that road cycling is dead. but i don't see how it isn't. gravel racing is brand spanking new, and yet a small gravel race in california (where we have no gravel) is the same size as a big road race. if you look at the gravel calendar in california, it's spacious. we have very little of a calendar. yet you go to a good gravel race and there's 1,200 or 1,400 athletes in it. i think there's a truth there, staring you in the face. but RDs don't like truth. they prefer their own mythology.

RDs don't like change. but their customers like change. delmo puts on a new race, just for women, pool swim, swim first, sells it out in year-1. 1,350. goes off without a hitch. what's delmo's magic? there is no magic. i promise you, delmo can tell you stories of his flops. his same careful attention goes into every race, but some flop. some go. just like restaurants.

what RDs need to do is take calculated risks, in my opinion. RDs can lay some of that risk on me. i'll take some of it. but RDs are, in our sport, as a group, risk averse, badly capitalized, and i therefore find them - again, as a group - a bad fit for my ambitions. which is odd. the occasional RD, yes. good fit. but i've reached the unfortunate conclusion that, in the main, i'm going to have to bring new partners for my ambitions in from outside the sport.

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Dan Empfield
aka Slowman

Well, yes USAT sponsored races require a USAT license. If you do not have one, that is an added cost. Then, choose those races that are not USAT races and save the license fee (Green Lake, and a couple others are not USAT sponsored). Many of those are not USAT races. It just takes a touch of effort to look around.

Also, how is Buffalo well over $100? How much is a single day USAT license now? With the $6.31 online reg fee, Buffalo is $81.31 to sign up for today with a USAT license (I view the USAT license as a separate transaction). So, to be well over $100, the USAT license would have to be north of $20 (I am asking about one day, as if you are buying the annual it is a bit disingenuous to consider this as a one race cost)? You seem to be a little dramatic about prices. I am not saying $82 is cheap, but it is not over $100, and definitely not way over $100. If all you want to do is bitch and complain, feel free but at least be honest when you do so. Race Directors shouldn't have to deal with bad press from folks like you openly lying about the cost of their races, because $81.31 is actually well under $100 in my book.

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Ryan

By and large a gravel race is still going to be a "participation" event more so than a USAC licensed even of any kind. If USAC has a gravel race, it's not going to automatically mirror the participation numbers of the unaffiliated events.

A USAC gravel race isn't going to have a local BBQ buffet and hand out beer tickets afterwards and possibly have a local band playing.

Also, the formalized competitive organizations attract competitive athletes trying to get their points and move up.

That barrier of entry, competitively, can be rough in road race. There is no such barrier in non-sanctioned gravel racing. Show up and register by age group and have at it.

But, I admit you're right. RR is losing participants and races. Gravel is gaining participants and unaffiliated races/events. I fear if too much gets affiliated, you may lose some of the magic/mojo.

Happening here in Kansas as well.
Couple local events died off for various reasons. Some got bought and the new owner jacked up the prices and drove it into the ground.
Another series died off because the RD tried to mail it in and just have the event. No frills. Suspect support.

Unless you have the capitol to put on a good event year after year, it's becoming harder for the local events to stay afloat.
The races that people come away feeling like they were appreciated as a customer are the ones that survive and the RD's and race owners don't all seem to get that.
If they come in looking for a windfall of cash, putting on triathlons is the wrong biz. You can make money, but you need to keep your customers happy.

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Ryan
http://www.SetThePaceTriathlon.com
http://www.TriathlonTrainingDaddy.com
I got plans - https://www.trainingpeaks.com/...dotcom#trainingplans

I find that the individual local race may have fewer numbers. But out here in these parts, there's a large number of local and near-local races that are available over a short period of time. That means the finite number of triathletes have more options per person, someone's going to suffer. Triathlon is stealing from its own. Also, the sport isn't doing enough to attract the next generation. Its archaic rules (no music, phones, groups, cold medicine) coupled with the cost of entry doesn't encourage the average 20-something to get involved. That group of people is far more interested in having an event that is more fun, than competitive. And triathlon is ignoring their needs.

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

I agree it was a great race, but they created their own demise IMO when they discontinued the 1/2 IM. To my knowledge the athletes you mentioned and many other pros did the 1/2. There's no way I'd travel that far for a race that short.

Yeah they need some marijuana edibles included in the free post race food.

Here in Madison, WI the short races seem to do very well, and are going strong. Race Day Events does a series of 7 races from June until Sept in the area and does quite well with options for both sprint and only at some venues. The entire series costs less than $300, so is a real bargain. Many of the local pros even join in and there is usually beer and a good feed afterwards. That said, I think we are the exception but are lucky to have a very large and active tri scene.

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Gary Geiger
http://www.geigerphoto.com Professional photographer

TEAM KiWAMi NORTH AMERICA http://www.kiwamitri.com, Rudy Project http://www.rudyprojectusa.com, GU https://guenergy.com/shop/ ; Salming World Ambassador; https://www.shopsalming.com

Most the tri's you mentioned are nearing the $200 barrier. The courses not set up for bike racing but rather swim,bike, jog your... So quality of competition diminished. Except for super seal and the UCSD tri

It's hard to find a 5K run for just $30 these days. Some of the low-end productions charge that amount, but the larger ones with more SWAG cost up to $50. But I completely agree that $125 is too much for a sprint.

Meanwhile, the sprint triathlon scene in Tampa Bay is alive and well. I registered for the Crystal River sprint triathlon three-race series for $180 on a Black Friday special. $60 a race is more than reasonable for a sprint tri.

Challenge baja sprint was only $102 to reg including the $5 Mexico tri fee and the online charge. The sprint is closer to OLY distance with a 44k bike ride. The koz events are still about a $100 for the sprint and you can reg by mail to avoid the active fee. Agree with you that a middle age male with later wave start is gonna have a lot of bike traffic at those events. Tritonman is the best AG men start right behind the collegiate women......need I say more. You reg for that the week of the event without any penalty so u know the weather and your fitness to race without dropping money way in advance

We have quite a few in the Louisville area.

Entry level bikes are $2500 now. That's a lot to just even try a triathlon.

I live in CT and we've got enough sprint's within 2 hours drive that people could race nearly every week or so. There arent as many olympic's and we lost a local 70.3 a few years ago, but can definitely say that if you want to race, they're often enough.

they arent always cheap though, its going to cost about $100 for a sprint and many of them are even 2 loops on the bike.

My 1'st new car had a sticker price 18k and my last new car was 51k.

My 1'st house was $400k, sold it 4 years later for 600k.

My 1'st semester of tuition was $625. Some friends are spending $30k a semester for their kids

Things get more expensive.....

And you all wonder why people under 30 are not rushing into the sport....

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I wrote this, you should read it:
https://www.slowtwitch.com/...n_Swimming_6700.html

Thing is, most of those things you mentioned can't happen for safety reasons. Groups on open road courses? Nope. Music? It's more and more allowed on the run, but a definite no on the bike. Also as a one of those 20 somethings, who knows a lot of other 20 something triathletes, i think you have no idea what will attract people to races

Well why don't you enlighten us?

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clm
Nashville, TN
https://twitter.com/ironclm | http://ironclm.typepad.com

Having just turned 30 this year, I think I can speak to some of the aging 20-something crowd. At least those in and around Central Indiana. I recently moved to Denver, so I can't speak to this market.

When I look at the events that my peers are paying to participate in, I notice some key differences. Mostly these are Tough Mudder/Spartan races and running-specific events:
- Competing/completing in a group is totally acceptable
- Group training is not only feasible, but preferred, and can be organized with fewer logistical concerns
- Themed events (Turkey Trot, Reindeer Relay, Strength in our Streets, etc.) are not only popular, they are the norm
- BEER and LIVE MUSIC at the event - before, during and after. This seems to be a factor that could easily be remedied, yet remains suspiciously absent.

And, although this is less common, speaks to my sensibilities as a millennial: Subscription-based pricing. If I were to offer a plan where for $50/month all year ($600), or a $400 one-time fee, you would get a guaranteed entry into all races a race company puts on, I would bet there would be success. Even if you limit it to a specific race category (i.e., all triathlons [could be further broken up by distance], all running events [again, broken up by distance if necessary], all cycling events [you get the idea]), you overcome the issue of under-capitalization, and you don't tie your budget to an imaginary or projected number of participants. Day-of participants and standard signups remain possible, but you're less reliant on that income.

Not everyone who signs up will race all the events they're able, but those who do are (in my mind) also more likely to bring a friend along on the day-of. If I know I can walk up on the morning of a race and have a guaranteed entry, I'll drag my buddy along and get him to join in. Perhaps this is an oversimplification, but I tend to consume by subscription more and more. Why should racing be any different?

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Brenden Macy
Sports & Entertainment Attorney
I am Drive. I am Grit. I am Determination.

EVERYTIME I talk to someone new and they ask what my hobbies are and I reply: Triathlon. The immediate response is, "Oh so you do Ironmans!" and then I proceed to explain I do sprints and oly's and then have to get into the distances and most have never even heard of them. That doesn't help new comers get into triathlon when they do not know what they are but know the "impossible" races and they "would never do them".

Also - bloody expensive for a tri. 7 sprints equal one full Ironman. $100 bucks or so is the norm around here in Florida ($75-$120) but can find some more or less depending.

There is TONS of them in Florida though. They definitely are not going away.

In Australia, number seem to ebb and flow for the sport and certain races. IMWA in December was down this year, but that was because of a swim cancellation last year (sharks). So there can be any number of reasons. The Tough Mudder style races really took off in Australia, but quickly died. I think they're more of a novelty race, do it once off kind of thing. Triathlon will always be there as one of the main go to sports for anyone wanting to challenge themselves from an endurance perspective. I don't really see things like Crossfit challenging Triathlon. It seems big in the US, no idea of it's popularity in Australia, but don't hear any mention of it on Facebook now compared to 2 years ago. I think the future of triathlon is safe and secure, but perhaps better marketing for the sport and certain races would help.



I agree. You don't want the alcohol to be the main focus of the event, but stick on a BBQ and beer tent for afterwards, rather than just have everyone wonder off after the race. Most of us have given up our Friday/sat night to race Sunday, so good to unwind and shoot the shit post race.

I'll agree with this.

There are a ton of people who want to "look like" they're getting into shape for these Savage races/Color Runs/etc.

They want to show up, walk a cross a finish line, and get their medal/t-shirt. None of it requires an ounce of preparation or actual training, and few of them are timed outside of the top 10 finishers.

Now that I'm getting back into racing, I'm noticing this more. Everyone gets a trophy, no one actually races.

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__________________________________________________
Kotter
Getting back into the game...
Slower than you.

I was about to register for Buffalo; it was $97. Then I realized it was on Sunday so I didn't register. Why is it on a Sunday instead of Saturday?

So, you are including the price of a single day USAT license in the cost and it still is not well above $100 as you initially stated. So, what was your goal in lying that the sprint races were much more than $100?

Sunday vs Saturday? No clue, ask the race director.

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Ryan

Unfortunately, you have to take the exercise part out of it. Or at least the training leading up to the event. TBH i think there was such a drive for athletic excellence from a super young age that a lot of people finished high school and/or college and wanted nothing more to do with sports. I saw it a lot with the people i swam with, and later as a coach as well.

I'm 27 and my wife is 26. If our similarly-aged friends happen to do an event, it's a one time thing or once/year thing. It's not a lifestyle, like triathlon, or road cycling. The popular sporting events for our friends involve an easy entry and a low fitness bar to participate, and they're not usually solo activities. Example: Last year my sister had never run before, did a 12 week phone app plan, ran a 2:14 half marathon, and hasn't run since.

Triathlon requires a lot of training and a long open water swim, plus a lot of expensive gear. You race solo. Most of your training is solo.

Road cycling requires a high level of specific fitness in order to not get immediately dropped from your first race. I'd venture a guess that more people get dropped from their first cat 4/5 race and never do a race again then race for a second time.

I'm kind of with you on everything but the beer...immediately following my first Olympic the beer tasted like Urine...and it was one I liked. 4 Peaks Kilt Lifter...now...let's talk about crappy post race food. Not sure if it changed this year as I was injured, but Tempe Lifetime usually has a crappy rated Italian restaurant serve what can best be described as "Army Noodles and Ketchup"...how about a no. Volunteers got Chipotle Burritos...trust me...your racers would rather have Chipotle catering.

A lot of freakin people that do triathlon in Phoenix also race in the two Ragnar relays we have here...the road one is a bad date for me this year because it's the week after the Phoenix Marathon.

Tough Mudder and Spartan race are both at the point where they have professional circuits coupled with their amateur race, so there's really no novelty at this point. These races sell out. Now...I'm kind of over the obstacle course BS after my previous life.

Music on the bike and run...that's definitely not something stopping races or the sport from growing.

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Washed up footy player turned Triathlete.

Another thing to blame on you damned Millenials...

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__________________________________________________
Kotter
Getting back into the game...
Slower than you.

You do recognize a crit is less than a 1 mile course to set and control and you can run multiple races (collect fees multiple times) in one day. I have never gotten any swag at a crit, they don't give out finishers medals, AG awards and you are lucky if then even provide water. In short, it shouldn't cost more than $30 because they are not providing a whole lot and their costs are usually low (unless they are trying to use a busy downtown area and are paying huge policing costs, which doesn't happen without large sponsorship.

Contrast that with lifeguards, buoys, at least 10-15 miles of course to control, T-shirts, lots of awards, people expect snacks after, chip timing for a sprint tri. It is amazing that anyone can put on a sprint for even $50-60. The $30 sprint tri is kind of a straw man, except for a few almost no frills races more than 10 years ago, $30 is a fairy tale. I would say $50 is about as cheap as you will find any local race.

In my area you used to be able to get $30-35 sprint Tri signups. Key was one or two particular race event entities offered a 50% off Black Friday early signup special. At that time their early registration fees were around $60-75 or so per Sprint or Duathlon race before the 1/2 off deal. One year I ended up signing up for 3 of their events for less than $100 total including processing fees from Active (shortly before they started really gouging people and only charge $5 per transaction iirc). Signed up a for a 4th race that year but it at an early bird fee but that came up to $65 or $70 total including processing fees (race day price on that one was $75 or so + processing fees). 4 races under $200 was a pretty good racing year.

I miss those days. The following year they realized how much $ they were losing operating on a loss a couple of years in a row because more than half was from Black Friday discounted signups. They capped the discount for Black Friday at $10 or 15 off the "race day signup" price. I know this because they specifically stated the reason for the Black Friday discount change in a mass email to any previous participants who've partaken in such a discount before.

So...I look at two races locally. 4 Peaks Racing tends to promote relatively inexpensive races and they're well attended.

Merrill Ranch Sprint-Early Registration $69
Tri 4 the Cure-Early Registration $85

Previously Tri 4 the Cure went through a different race promoter...it was $100 at the early registration point. When I look at price points I'm looking for the starting point at around $65 and the early registration window going to at least 6 weeks before the race which both of those do. What's the difference? Permits? Maybe when it was in Scottsdale, but 4 Peaks has moved the location to Anthem and it's a similar race to their reverse sprint, and that one is $69 next Summer. Also...Tri 4 the Cure until this year was women only...so that actually goes against what some folks are saying about the success of women's only races. For an Olympic race, 4 Peaks promotes the Cactus Man and it's $90 early registration. Now being an Olympic the early registration window doesn't go nearly as close to the race, but I've put it in my race and training plan.

Tri Family Racing seems to have reduced the amount of 2019 races they're doing by far or they're just only publishing the ones that are ready to go...however they're now promoting 3 Olympic races

Bartlett Lake Spring and Fall are both $150, Lake Pleasant is $135. So in the Phoenix area we have 5 Olympic Distance races available, which is more than there were three years ago when I first started triathlon and was just doing Sprints off a MTB.

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Washed up footy player turned Triathlete.

Earlier in this thread it was said that triathlon was a sport for older people. At 61 I fit that bill. I have also been competing in endurance sports without a break since I was a kid (I did my first triathlon in 1980). The boomers who loved to compete when they were young, who wanted to push themselves and test their fitness against themselves and others are still out there today. So I can't help but notice how low the bar has fallen in today's generation (while recognizing that there are still young athletes pursuing excellence). That's their prerogative, of course, but I would rather see triathlon retrench further if the only alternative was some watered-down, group training activity disguised as a race.

Yes, you're the exception. Do you think IMWI has helped keep the Madison area tri community healthy or if it's because a very healthy tri community is a good place for IMWI? Chicken or egg?

I would estimate 1/2 to 2/3 of the events in northern Illinois (and Janesville and Beloit) have disappeared in the last 5 years. It was over-saturated 8-10 years ago, but pretty stark now.

I think it's a really healthy community here anyway as shown by the tons of cyclists, runners, skiers, year round no matter the weather. Often these local sprint/oly races even sell out a while before the race, which is surprising given the number of them around. I also think the IMWI and 70.3 races thrived as a result of the existing interest in tri as opposed to this races fueling interest.

Having lived in your area previously, I am really shocked at how many races have died there and also the Lake Geneva races, which were always hugely popular. I know the old Rockford tri, Janesville, Crystal Lake and a bunch of others no longer are around.

I do feel very fortunate that there are so many choices, and at prices that allows one to race often, no matter the budget. The Race Day Events average out around $40 or so and besides the food, beer, medals, shirts, there usually is a $20 gift certificate to the Trek Store as well. Quite a bargain and real incentive to enter to keep them around.

I think the beer thing is just an N=1. I've had good experiences with beer post-race (15-30 minutes or more after the finish), even beer that I wouldn't ordinarily drink. BUT, the point remains: this is a relatively easy thing to do, especially for local RDs with the ever-growing number of local breweries. You can get a pretty good cover band for <$1,000, and if you book them well in advance and for multiple gigs, maybe even cheaper.

I think the overarching theme is this: RDs need to start thinking like startups. How do I attract people, make it easy for them to buy into and enjoy my product, and maximize capitalization at the front end in order to provide a high quality experience when the time comes to perform?

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Brenden Macy
Sports & Entertainment Attorney
I am Drive. I am Grit. I am Determination.

Well written. It's a topic for another thread, but I would love to share ideas on this. Last year we re-introduced a local race in a beautiful setting and the pricing was 50 for the sprint and 75 for the olympic with $2,000 set aside in prize money. We spent a decent chunk on advertising, emailed every running and bike store we could find emails for within ~75 miles, emailed past participants (hundreds of people) a couple times, and I reached out to a handful of northern IL area slowtwitchers who probably would have easily taken one of those $500/300/200 checks and been home for lunch. 4.5 weeks out we had ~40 people signed up. It was absolutely embarrassing. Registration had been open 8 months. We had 90+ paid members in our tri club at the time. All our permits and insurance were due the next week. We canceled, gave the sponsors back their money and tried not to think of all the money we already spent. That really, really sucked.

I used a lot of the opinions seen in threads like this when thinking about the venue, costs and swag. It made me think that what many want is to be able to sign up last minute or just *think* they will sign up but then make excuses because they are busy or haven't trained as much as they think they should have. We said refunds were at the discretion of the race director instead of the typical 'no refunds' message, but maybe some still read it that way. There was no way we were committing to thousands of dollars of costs when we were 1/3 of the way of getting the participants we needed just to break even.

Back to brmacy's statement. I'm curious what makes something "easy" to buy into. Our club is really close with a local crossfit gym and talking about some sort of mixed event instead of a triathlon this year. The preliminary description and thoughts make it sound really, really similar to a crossfit event anyhow. Maybe we're just not very relevant in our geographical area anymore? I agree that we need to stop trying to pick more fruit from the same tree, but start growing more trees. I look forward to the discussion on practices to grow.

Who is starting the separate thread? "Attributes for a successful local race" We are starting/reintroducing a race here also. I'm determined to make it work!

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David
* Ironman for Life! (Blog) * IM Everyday Hero Video * Daggett Shuler Law *
Disclaimer: I have personal and professional relationships with many athletes, vendors, and organizations in the triathlon world.

On the other hand races here have the beer garden. So you have folks on 3' wide bike section with beach cruiser zig zagging. I think the focus should be more on reaching standards/times. Tough mudder is a joke you can just skip obstacles and do burpees. This is not racing. This is not the challenge if who is fittest anymore

Sure, I get your point. But, Tough Mudders have more spontaneous participation for that exact reason: the low threshold of completion. Times and standards are only important to those of us who will race regardless of the amenities. The larger question is whether that is attractive to the casual observer/spontaneous participant. The answer is a clear and resounding "NO!"

That said, I think there could be a place for time and standards to come into play while still encouraging casual participation. It's simply borrowing a concept from ultra racing: Finish faster than XX:XX:XX, get [fill in the blank]. An extra beer ticket, a different color T-shirt, discounted entry to another event, a pair of socks... you get the idea. Look at events that are growing (Spartan/Tough Mudder, ultras, trail races, gravel, etc.) and borrow what's working for them.

This isn't rocket science, just good business sense unobstructed by purist values.

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Brenden Macy
Sports & Entertainment Attorney
I am Drive. I am Grit. I am Determination.

I think that may be best suited to a ranking poll. Leave out the stuff that the ST crowd fights over and ask the general public: What are the top 5 things that would convince you to do a triathlon? I think it's a safe assumption that the answers from a group of non-triathletes would be very different from what the ST crowd would say.

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Brenden Macy
Sports & Entertainment Attorney
I am Drive. I am Grit. I am Determination.

Yes. Thank you.

We asked somewhat of the opposite question. While it hurt me deep inside, I was surprised how many felt the bike was preventing them from being interested in triathlon/multisport. Eliminating the bike and throwing in some other 'stuff' like obstacles/workouts/movements would cut logistics and costs down a TON as well and lower the barrier of entry for race directors or potential race directors. No bike could possibly eliminate a transition area.

But then what separates that from obstacle course racing? A run or two and a few laps in a pool or swimming across a pond/lake instead of a wall climb and crawling under barbed wire seems like OCR instead of a almost-triathlon.

Others have reacted to this stance, and I agree. Local running and tri races here in central Illinois use very good direct marketing email campaigns (they could use social media more effectively) that are engaging and informative. Makes a huge difference for many of us planning a race calendar many months out.

Coverage of issues like environment, timing technology, course design, local tourism, swag, public lands, and politics are part of these campaigns and read like local versions of a good tri magazine.

2 cents.

Andrew Moss

I did a small local sprint and was asked my age as my leg was being marked. I was in the 55-59 group and the girl marking my leg stated that there were a lot of people in that group. I thought she was making sort of a joke, thinking that this small race, at a college, would have mostly younger participants. Couldn't believe that she was right, and my age group was the largest, plus a good amount in older groups. That's when I realized that the triathlon wasn't going to be a growth sport anymore.

I'm old and turning into a curmudgeon. NOW GET OFF MY LAWN!

Traffic killed those races - the roads got so busy it was no longer safe to ride.
The race organization changed in 2014, and the new RD didn't set up any bike course marshals. I saw a couple of bike/car close calls in my two laps of the course, so I'm sure there were more. Even with marshals the HR roads and drivers are bad enough to make it dangerous on any given Saturday.

I miss the races from Aurora Reservoir, great swimming and running around the res. But some grouches living down the road resented bikers on their road, and got it closed to racing. Another bike/car problem, really.

Gravel tris make a lot of sense to me. It seems the most expensive part of a road tri must be getting the road permits, police, safety for the bikes, etc. Putting it on gravel away from cars is a win-win..

I don’t disagree with your traffic comment in general but the first wave went off at 6:00. I was done before 7:10. I don’t recall it being an issue with cars that early.

I wasn’t a big fan of the turnover in race direction.

I do very little road riding anymore. Mostly Mtn bike and gravel.

I would seriously consider a gravel tri if it was close to home.

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Formerly DrD

You forgot Semper Tri on pendleton, and Carlsbad.

This is what limits me. I used to do 10+ sprints a season. Now just 2 or 3, and those are typically smaller ones with less expensive entries.

All the koz events in San Diego are 100+ unless you sign up way early. Some even then. That's my breakover point... a 70 minute event isn't worth that much.

In the UK I've noticed the dearth of Olympic Distance races; you know, the one where you are expected to be a 'rounded' triathlete and penalised for paying lip service to swimming! There are still plenty of Sprints, Halves and a reasonable sprinkling of Full Dist events. But Olympics are where the black hole exists.

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29 years and counting

Hi Brenden,

I think you are correct. For "Non-triathletes," what they may look for is a cool medal, nice shirt, finisher photos, instant results with tv and results kiosk...in short, things that can be used to capitalize on via social media.

When that is combined with requirements of a tri, such as safety, well marked course, traffic control, organized race, awards, food, volunteers, the event becomes, much like any other business proposition, an exercise in service provision and cost management.

We put on 2 sprint tris a year that get 120-150 athletes and have been able to eke out a bit of profit of $2000 an event. It is a lot of work for that kind of return but it is fun. I have to keep focused on the fact that I'm on the get rich slow program!

Thanks!

Mark

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Fast-Finishes.com
Triathlon and Running Race Timing
Athletic Event Management

There is the race and there is the experience. You used to be able to just sell the race because Triathlon was new and cool and the race was the experience.

Not any more.

Put an optional 50 foot slip and slide at the finish line.
Live music
Beer tent on the run
Alternative finish line where you can take pictures with your kids/friends

I don’t know. 100 different things one could do. Create a theme, create an experience.

I did our areas first tri in 1983. I did that tri every year until it folded in 1989. Tris were a lot more popular, bigger, and many more of them in the 80's, than now. In the early to mid 80's there were several big events, and smaller events put on by every Y, several bike stores, the local university, and the local swim club. There were more tris than 5K's. I got to see the death of them. They pretty much didn't exist in the 90's. Then we got a new local race in 2002, with the completely new crowd, and it's slowly built back up to 3 local tris now. But just a shadow of what it used to be.

Our local early tris were all over the map, with race distances determined by lake and park and venue sizes. They were a blast. They weren't regulated by a book full of rules, and there wasn't some stupid insurance you had to buy. Your signature on the race entry form was good enough. Mass swim starts. Drafting on the bike (drafting is part of bike racing!), and who cared if your wife handed you a water bottle on the run, or you wore your speedo the whole race, and ran toppless. Then something called Trifed emerged on the scene. In one season $20 races were $50, and you had to buy a membership to an insurance company. Then to make it even worse, they tried to standardize all the distances to the races we had come to love. Then to make it even worse, they imposed a ton of new rules... and for a couple years even tried to regulate bike technology. But for those of us who loved to race hard, the real killer was the suddenly idiotic and absurd new drafting rules. It may be the norm now. But take a bunch of guys who had been drafting as part of their races for the last 5 years, and start penalizing them for it. It did not go over well, and most of the locals just quit the whole ruined overpriced over regulates rule infested fiasco that Trifed turned our beloved sport into. Between 1987 and 1989, all but one of our local races folded. And attendance for that one dropped from several hundred, to lucky to see 50 folks sign up. From someone who loves the sport, saw it explode, and then die: Trifed (Now USAT) in general, and drafting rules specifically, killed the sport, almost before it got off the ground. And it's never been the same.

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Athlinks / Strava

Aaron, what's your thoughts on the Houston area scene right now? I'm very analytical about things, like you are, and knowing you've won lots of races around here I'd like to hear your thoughts. When I go out to spectate what were once huge races like Towne Lake, Bridgeland, Kemah, CB&I... I sort of cringe at how low the participation amounts are compared to 5 years ago.

The WTC races hum along just fine around here but boy are the sprints and olympics struggling.

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

The race has been the experience for me since I've been in HS. If young adults are burned out on competition (other than e-sports) by their mid 20s that's on their parents and it is sad. I doubt burnout is the reason the majority of millennials who could be doing triathlons aren't participating. Just because the race is the experience for me doesn't me that I when I was younger and just starting to do tris that I didn't want to do the big races that had the beer, the live music, the cool swag, the fancy set-up. It just wasn't the main thing.

So I'm as old school as you can get, but I did the Divvy division (the docked rental bike) at the Chicago tri a couple of years ago. It was a lot of fun. The undocked Lime bicycles are now available in many cities. I'd suggest RDs work a deal with Lime to have bikes at their tris so that someone can show up without a bicycle and do a tri.

Of course, Lime also rents electric scooters, which seem to be more popular than the Lime bicycles among young people where I live. If most young people choose an e-scooter over pedaling a bike for their short trips, I really don't think there's much hope for triathlon attracting many young people going forward.

It’s sad, don’t you think? I don’t know what happened but I hope the new owners didn’t they could put it on autopilot and pocket $100k per year.

And we could make quite of the things they have cut over the years. T-shirts are rinkydink, no swag bag, no carpet, no prize purse, no hoopla. With Tru-Tri closing down I doubt they will have a title sponsor next year.

Oh and Kemah should be in April.

I’ve barely been on the bike since Tri Andy’s (which is done after 23 years). I’m not doing an IM next year and I cannot find a compelling reason to keep up bike fitness. So I am running two marathons instead. And I am a way better triathlete than runner.

Very innovative concept, might be interesting if everyone had to use a docked rental bike, and just make it a run bike event or something. Obviously most of us here have our own bikes, but it would be fun to race on a levelized playing field, especially if it was a way to just get a lot more people in the race. Maybe the rental bike company would sponsor it just to get their name out there.

I assume that most of us in the tri community, including RDs, remember that is fun to try to ride fast on any bicycle, including a clunky, heavy city bike, and that we would encourage newcomers to the sport to do a tri using a rental bike. If there was a tri in my area where everyone had to use a rental bike, I'd be there. Beer, live music and slip and slide finish lines may attract some folks to triathlons, but what keeps people in a sport is the thrill of competition, however you define that.

Bike races aren't dying. Still lots of those around.

There's a new sprint in Hendersonville this year.

As for bike racing, it's more or less the same as it's been in the past, maybe slightly less. But one race leaves, seems there's another one that arises.There are races in Jackson, Sparta, Cookeville, Knoxville area, Oak Ridge, lots in and around Nashville, Lewisburg, and Chattanooga. Also crit series in Knoxville, Memphis, and Nashville (12 race series).

The fairgrounds are a vastly superior place to have a crit series than a parking lot. I don't think you'll hear hardly anyone say otherwise.

I would say I am ant-draft, but for this: I run into so much cheating in the races I do that I would much rather do a draft legal event (which is not really my preference) than do a non-draft legal event where the rules are not enforced.

Or to put it another way, I would rather not have to chose between cheating or having to race with a massive disadvantage.

What is this new race in Hendersonville?

And the fairgrounds would be fun if they would do fixed gear/track bike races.

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clm
Nashville, TN
https://twitter.com/ironclm | http://ironclm.typepad.com

Old Hickory Lake Triathlon on June 30.

Eh, I don't know about a fixed gear/track race being more fun, but have never done one, either. I'm quite partial to my gears and brakes, though.

Could be a bit red hook-esque on the 180 course.

Man can I agree with that! I've done both. In the beginning of the sport, it wasn't an issue. Those who wanted to draft did, namely the hotshots up front trying to place. Those that didn't want to, or couldn't, didn't. Those that didn't, didn't care if you did. And those that did, didn't care if you didn't. I and many others, left the sport, because racing with drafting rules just wasn't the same. The strategy, the excitement, slower swimmers forming to catch the leaders, and the faster runners desperately trying to hang on to a pace group etc, etc... that was all gone. I took a 28 year break from the sport, and came back, as a competitive local age grouper. I recently did Waco, as my first "modern" IM branded national caliber race. I followed the rules. And I have to tell you it SUCKS ass riding my heart out, and getting my doors blown off by pace lines going 5-10 mph faster than my top speed. Knowing I could latch on. But not wanting to cheat. So I didn't. But so many did, it was crazy. They need to drop the silly drafting rule, and let it go back to being a non issue. Or... invent timing chips with proximity recorders, and DQ a few hundred or more cheaters from these big races

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Athlinks / Strava

It really is sad. Look at Towne Lake this year. There were only like 600 people combined for both the sprint and oly. Hell, the M40-44 AG alone used to have 200 participants for the sprint and oly. Bridgeland used to have like 1500+ and they only had 600 this year. Kemah is just a shit show. Yes, it should be back in April and they've been very unlucky with Mother Nature. That said, April is probably a tough month given the two WTC races are in April.

I think you hit the nail on the head regarding the former Onurmark races. Aaron P. was heads and shoulders a better RD than whoever is running it now. They were also very disingenuous when it came to the first year they "rescheduled" Kemah for October. They claim that construction issues caught them by surprise, which called for them to postpone the race from April to October. Which was a complete lie. TXDOT had filed documents months in advance stating that construction on SH-146 would begin in November of the prior year. It took me two minutes to find the public documents after they sent out the bullshit email about the delay. Yet it was somehow a surprise to them that their bike course was under construction. They had no problem collecting registrations for a race they knew wasn't going to take place when planned. Fucking shady.

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

I'm with Dan on this one. The triathlon landscape may need to go through a "soft reboot." It could be related to ALL the factors everyone mentioned combined.

I got into triathlon in 2006 simply because, it was something else besides a running race I could try competing in and there was something exciting about it.

13 years later things are a lot different.

No the problem is the cost of production, the litany of regulatory requirements and the over proliferation of events thru 2015. Add to that the every place you turn there is an Ironman or an Ironman 70.3, well it's hard to make a living at triathlon race production. Today's competitors want more then just a race and a t-shirt and those costs play into the production equation. There's also the peripheral issue, other types of events, like mud runs, etc. that now compete with Triathlon.

There are plenty here in West Michigan. Well, at least for 3 months.

I miss the Pigman half Ironman. My wife and I would make the drive up to Cedar Rapids from Kansas City every summer. I hope it returns again!