So I am flying to Tucson next week to talk to some people about a job. What is the tri scene out there like?
Looking on good info on tri clubs, masters swim programs, etc. Thanks.
Lots of info if you search.
Masters - Ford masters aquatics is the big program, but I’m not super fond of the coach or his style. I’ve been a few times in the evening and the coaches had zero control over their lanes. As a former swim coach, I was rather unimpressed at best.
There are at least 4 other triathletes in town. Maybe 5. Lots of little groups, nothing too cohesive but you can probably find people to train with if you want. In general compared to lots of other places it’s not as fast overall. The strongest mens AGs are the 35-45ers. Relatively little depth at most races. There are a fair bit of races though. racing starts in late feb and runs through early Nov. makes for a long year of racing, but you can race 15+ tris and never leave the state.
There is a large group ride on Saturday and other group rides just about every day of the week. But be warned, the roads suck, Pima county and AZDOT have less money to fix the roads then you will find on the street while you are here. The roads get crappier and crappier every day for the most part. There is some decent mtn biking as well.
Lots of trails to run
it’s f*cking hot in the summer. Unless you are moving from death valley be prepared to fry your balls off. And learn to get up early in the summer. Very, very early. I’d suggest a start time of no later then 5:30am. But it’s not the heat as much as the intensity of the sun. Think summer sun on the east coast and that is how intense our winter sunshine is.
tri clubs - They all suck, well with one exception. Tucson tri girls rock. If you’re a dude you’re SOL about joining. I tried & was refused. Why can’t we all just get along?
cost of living is reasonable. Buying though will cost you more per sq foot then say most of NC, SC, GA.
Tucson, well AZ in general, is laid back compared to back east. If back east you’re in a jacket and tie, here it’s just a tie. If it’s just a tie there, then no tie here for the most part ymmv. I deal with high earning white collar professionals and it’s not unusual on Fridays in the summer to see jeans or shorts, sandals and polo’s or t shirts in places you wouldn’t think you would see that.
it’s hot and f*ck that dry heat shit. Anyone saying that obviously has no clue what the hell they are talking about. I’ve got 2 words for your car. Limo tint.
Great info, thanks!
But… can you please expand a bit more on how hot it is?
Well… it is 80 right now, which is pretty nice 
Why don’t you give me a call or just drop by the TriSports Retail Store. As the new Tucson Training Destination Specialist, it’s my job to help endurance athletes learn their way around town. I have a pretty extensive database of ride, run and swim options. TriSports.com , 4495 S. Coach Dr., Tucson, AZ 85714 - 520-884-8743 ext 13
Yeah, I know it’s a tough job…but somebody’s got to do it. 
G
You’re getting married you don’t need balls anymore;-)
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Just b/c I’m leaving Indy doesn’t mean you have to as well! Good luck brother…
The tri club scene is growing and improving. It’s not good now but there are plans to make it good. You might just be coming at the right time! That said, I run a club and training team and we can get you hooked into the local scene. See my website for more info on the club. DD pretty much hit everything. It’s a great place to train (even in the summer…you just have to go early).
PM if you need a realtor, my wife (and pro cyclist) is a real estate agent in town and can guide you based on good training locations, pools, etc. This is the time to buy, and as a buyer a realtor is free.
Nice cool temps of 36 degrees are calling you in Winston-Salem. No limo tint needed.
I don’t know about the tri scene, but AZ is an awesome place to live. I was there in college and had a blast. So much outdoors stuff to do. Have fun!
Tucson is a wonderful small town. I’ve had a home there for about 10 yrs, but live in SoCal. We lived in Tucson for a year last year to give it a try full-time and loved it, but work commitments brought us back to our home in SoCal. Ford Aquatics is a solid swim program, Jim Stites is a great coach. Excellent riding, good trails for running. The summer is brutally hot, but it’s nice early in the a.m. It’s also nice to sit outside at 9pm and relax in the warm air. We’ll move back the first chance we get.
Actually even the experts can’t predict whether is a good time to buy real estate or not AND nothing is ever free in life. It is not uncommon in many cities in the US to use a buyer agent such as redfin and get a portion of the buyer’s agent fee back in the form of a rebate. I’m not sure about local AZ deals but when I lived in Chicago you could get up to 3/4 of the buyer agent commission back as a rebate. @500,000 that is $11,250 back.
Herbert there isn’t a week I don’t consider moving back to the southern Va to Raleigh NC area. my mom said you guys were getting snow flurries yesterday. I’m jealous.
If you are in Indy, maybe you should contact Spencer Roberts. I can give you his contact info. He did the Tucson - Indy - Tucson thing a bit ago.
There’s also the Tricats triathletes in town, will possibly be a member of them next year.
Not so here.
Thanks for all of the good info. I am going to be out there at the end of this week to check things out. Looking forward to it.
In AZ sellers pay both agents commission. I just bought.
I’m sure it exists… Buy side agents in a market like this are extremely competitive. Even if redfin (only in Phoenix Area for AZ - just checked) doesn’t exist you would be nuts not to negotiate a rebate with your buy side agent of at least 50% of the commission. There are enough agents willing to have a golden-ticket buyer and if you are not willing to give up some of the commission someone else surely will.
Yes the seller actually pays the dollars and your buyer’s agent got something like 3% but you missed out. If you go thru something like Redfin your buyers agent will then give you 50% of that 3% back. So if you paid $250,000 for a house then you would have got $3500 back. Redfin doesn’t exist in Tucson market (just checked) - they are up in Phoenix though. The point is that buyer’s have been golden tickets for quite some time now, and there are enough people trying to collect a paycheck that they are willing to give you a rebate. Of course they will not offer it up, but if you are savvy you should be able to negotiate something. Water over the dam at this point, but hopefully the info helps someone in the future.