General Discussion Triathlon Talk » Decrease in short distance tri's!!??!! Rss Feed  
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2014-07-08 5:21 PM

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Elite
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Puyallup, WA
Subject: Decrease in short distance tri's!!??!!
I have a bit of an "in" in short distance race organizing. It sounds like numbers are dropping and organizers are getting away from the tri scene. It breaks my heart!
Dave & I have discussed some, but how do you get more people interested?
Costs keep going up and numbers down. (I know that paying for police can be one of the highest expenses! And their predetermined rate goes up every year, I believe.)
Adventure races and long distances are the "thing"...is there a way to save it a bit?!?!


2014-07-10 5:32 PM
in reply to: 0

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Extreme Veteran
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Subject: RE: Decrease in short distance tri's!!??!!
I don't think it really deals with numbers as most short races around here seem pretty full. The problem is with the cost of permits. In talking with one race director, he put on a Sprint race last year and there were 300+ people. At the end of it all the fees and government requirements, he walked away with very little money in pocket which didn't come close to paying for the time that was put into the event.

The population here is very high and cities don't like the inconvenience of shutting down major roadways. It is sad and unfortunate.

In order to make races successful, they need to happen in smaller towns that aren't as highly affected by road closures and will accommodate athletes.

King County is a horrible place to run a race from an RD's perspective...but that is the area with the population that wants a race. It is a sad Catch-22.

Edited by lifejustice 2014-07-10 5:33 PM
2014-07-14 12:10 PM
in reply to: lifejustice

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Pro
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Bellingham, WA
Subject: RE: Decrease in short distance tri's!!??!!

We did Clear Lake this weekend and the numbers did seem down a little.  But, what really struck me was how many kids participated in the event.  There were about 40 which seemed to me to be a lot for an event this size.  My son did his first tri and had so much fun.  We are looking for the next and I saw that Lake Tye in August has a kids event which they say sold out last year at 100 kids.  There are other good local tri's that do not have a kids race and I'm wondering if they shouldn't look at adding one.  Not only does it help to defray costs of the race but it introduces and preps the next generations in the sport. 

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General Discussion Triathlon Talk » Decrease in short distance tri's!!??!! Rss Feed