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Re: Are local sprint triathlons dying, or is it just us? [The GMAN] [ In reply to ]
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The GMAN wrote:
ajthomas wrote:
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.

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.

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.
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Re: Are local sprint triathlons dying, or is it just us? [Mark Lemmon] [ In reply to ]
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Mark Lemmon wrote:

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.

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.
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Re: Are local sprint triathlons dying, or is it just us? [tri_yoda] [ In reply to ]
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tri_yoda wrote:
Mark Lemmon wrote:


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.


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.
Last edited by: Mark Lemmon: Dec 22, 18 15:53
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Re: Are local sprint triathlons dying, or is it just us? [FlashBazbo] [ In reply to ]
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FlashBazbo wrote:
Mark Lemmon wrote:


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


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.

Bike races aren't dying. Still lots of those around.
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Re: Are local sprint triathlons dying, or is it just us? [ironclm] [ In reply to ]
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ironclm wrote:
FlashBazbo wrote:
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.


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.

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.
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Re: Are local sprint triathlons dying, or is it just us? [Dean T] [ In reply to ]
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Dean T wrote:
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.

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.
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Re: Are local sprint triathlons dying, or is it just us? [rubik] [ In reply to ]
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What is this new race in Hendersonville?

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

clm
Nashville, TN
https://twitter.com/ironclm | http://ironclm.typepad.com
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Re: Are local sprint triathlons dying, or is it just us? [ironclm] [ In reply to ]
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ironclm wrote:
What is this new race in Hendersonville?

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

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.
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Re: Are local sprint triathlons dying, or is it just us? [helo guy] [ In reply to ]
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helo guy wrote:
Dean T wrote:
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.


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.

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

Athlinks / Strava
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Re: Are local sprint triathlons dying, or is it just us? [ajthomas] [ In reply to ]
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ajthomas wrote:
The GMAN wrote:

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.


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.

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.

Favorite Gear: Dimond | Cadex | Desoto Sport | Hoka One One
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Re: Are local sprint triathlons dying, or is it just us? [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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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.
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Re: Are local sprint triathlons dying, or is it just us? [Pun_Times] [ In reply to ]
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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.
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Re: Are local sprint triathlons dying, or is it just us? [FlashBazbo] [ In reply to ]
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There are plenty here in West Michigan. Well, at least for 3 months.
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Re: Are local sprint triathlons dying, or is it just us? [kornpett] [ In reply to ]
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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!
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