What if this is the new normal (to use a currently overused phrase)? Where do tri race orgs go from here with an ongoing volunteer problem?

I think all tri race orgs in North America not named Ironman need to game plan for this exact scenario. It would be foolhardy to not plan as such, IMO.

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my question is... where is the pizza?

some events reward volunteers with pizza :)

others like cal tri to VoGo deal. volunteer one race, get one free. Some volunteer task are truly more draining than the persons normal work

While I don't agree with the 1:1 ratio as that's not sustainable long term, I do wish more organizers did this. I commend the NYC marathon for having that be apart of the 7+1 program for non-qualified entry.

But I think coming up with a system where your "paid" like $10-$15/hour but instead of cash your given a discount on an entry you'd actually open up the sport quite a bit. Let's be honest sure a bike is expensive but it's easy enough to get a cheap used now a days. And often around here, sprint Tris start at $100 which often would be more than a cheap used mountain bike off of a marketplace.

If given the option to volunteer for a race and in return get a discount/free entry, we could open the sport to a wider financial range. Every race I know always has volunteer options for before race day so the ability to volunteer and race for the same event is possible.

These are the solutions that are needed to keep the sport sustainable.

I like this idea.

I know for IMC in Penticton it always sold out so the only way to get a guaranteed entry was to volunteer on race day and they let you register after the race for the event the following year. I know a few people who did that and I always thought it was a good way to get volunteers.

Some years ago a local cycling race promoter worked out an arrangement with a charity that runs a halfway house for men suffering various issues leading to homelessness. In return for a fairly large pool of workers, he made a donation to the charity, fed the men breakfast and lunch, and gave them all a pretty cool T-shirt. By all accounts, it worked out well and the 'volunteers' were far more motivated than one might have assumed.

A local race director in Ohio grew a large racing team over a couple of decades in which race discounts were a perk of joining the team. Volunteering at events was a requirement of joining the team and the RD based the discount amount provided the next year on the amount of volunteering done by the team member at the RD's events. I was a member of the team for nearly all of its existence and in the early days there were would be more than a dozen team members who were participants in the race tearing down after a race, helping pre-race, etc. There was also a requirement to volunteer at a race organized by the RD at which you were not a participant.

The RD was still dependent on volunteers from outside the team to work aid stations, registration, etc. I think an RD may be able to get by with less volunteers needed at aid stations, registration, etc. if the participants are willing to register for events in which they know they will need to carry their own fuel, self body mark, bring their own post-race food, etc.

When I started doing Tri, thirty years ago, there was a very limited number of races and only a few IMs in North America and few around the world. Triathlon was a relatively new and exiting event. Now there are hundreds of races vying with hundreds of other events, athletic and otherwise. Along with a plethora of new sports (gravel, adventure etc etc). All based on a business model that requires volunteers if the entry fee isn't going to be stratospheric.

It's no longer novel, it's lost it's appeal to the people who volunteered. Sometimes it's just poor relations with the organizer. I have volunteered a few times, but I'm aging out of the ability to stand for seven or eight hours on a hot or wet day starting before dawn. High schools and church groups are bombarded with calls for volunteers in so many areas that a sports event is no longer a big draw. The model for some events may have to change. Smaller venues, lap races, stadium events. Bigger is not always better.

For years I have promoted a favourite race in Montreal (the Esprit) because it takes place in a closed venue, multi lap spectator friendly facility. It's a race even my wife is prepared to sit through. It's a model for the future where a much smaller volunteer (possibly paid) force is needed. I notice there was a couple of stadium based events on the Pro tour last year. Just as much fun.

It's too bad that this event has been cancelled. The courses are pretty much in my backyard and it's actually a nice area.

I agree with what you have to say--our culture and interests evolve, and volunteerism is on the wane, unless it's for some sort of one-time spectacular event. The problem with declining volunteerism isn't specific to triathlon or even to sports, and it can be challenging for event promoters even to get *participants* to commit in advance that they will attend.


I think that we're seeing a situation in which a small participant base (triathlon just isn't that big of a sport) might have outsized expectations for the events that want to attend without adjusting their expectations for the cost for their participation or the nature of their experience. I feel bad for race promoters, even more so now than in the depths of the pandemic. I don't see how participant expectations can be reconciled with the economics of event production when the pool of uncompensated labor continues to decrease.


Multi lap courses are a good start for cost containment. Volunteerism is an important component of our broader social contract, but I'd be hesitant these days to build a business model that's heavily reliant on uncompensated labor for long terms sustainability. Ultimately, participants who want a concierge experience will end up having to pay concierge prices.

Sorry to hear of it PtavaTri. So it wasn't Eric? He's a good man, worked very well and very fairly with us across the years, same venue at Quassy, much respect there.
I always marveled at those who could work from a distance and get the job done. Way easier when you're "on the ground" and asking (if not begging), for help. I'll spare the details, but please know, we RD's put ourselves out there for you all. And there are very few unpaid volunteers anymore, been that way for years now. Still, you need to secure enough help, and it's not easy. Cheers to those of you that understand, and it's a fair trade off for the vols. Even those that will race, they'll figure out ways to contribute pre event; Had a guy who's racing manage getting cold beer for post race needs, and that needed to be done, among other items he'll handle.

i liked the gary p input too, though may not be quite as applicable to an Olympic:
I agree. Events that bring "cache" to a location (i.e Ironman-branded events) and smaller events that cater primarily to competitors from the local community will continue to attract volunteers. But its really is going to be harder for the mid-tier "traveling circus" event promoters to continue to provide a competitive value proposition. Competitors' expectations of the "event experience" are greater than ever. Meanwhile, local Police & Fire Departments are understaffed and budget constrained, and thus less able/willing to allocate resources to these types of events. Post-COVID, the general public is less willing to volunteer to stand out in the sun all day to help a bunch of out-of-town strangers fulfill their "epic life" desires, even if it means putting a few bucks in the till of their preferred community organization.

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http://www.PatGriskusTri.com USAT Certified Race Director
2024 Races: USAT State of CT Age Group Championship/State of CT HS Champs/ CT Club Championship - Sat June 15th (Oly/Du/Sprint) Hopkins Vineyard Tri at Lake Waramaug Saturday July 13th http://www.HopkinsVineyardTri.com

For folks looking for alternative local race options: Harvest Tri, Patriot Half, Pat Griskus, White Mountains, Bare Hill, etc.