Independent Races and The Challenges We Face

Great interview. We looked into putting together a race in our town and quickly realized the logistics of running an event are huge. Thanks for putting the effort in.

Thank you for mentioning the interview. I listened to it and found it very interesting. I was shocked that 75 percent of people in races only do one triathlon. I wonder if that's more true in the younger ages as most of the women in my age group always seem to be talking about their most recent race or the next race, all in the same season. I have appreciated and will continue to appreciate those, such as yourself, who put on the races as it is a huge undertaking, but without local races to aim for, I'm not sure I'd ever have tried or continued with triathlons.

I have run in events put on by MSC, Element Racing, and the Subaru series including the Muskoka 70.3. They all have their unique flavour but I always liked the MSC races because of their fantastic locations up in the "near north". The events put on by MSC were always first class. I might have to check out the new Georgina event as its almost in my back yard.

Thank you for that positive feedback Dave! We have always had the philosophy that we need to treat our customers extremely well, listen to their suggestions and put on the safest and best logistical races possible. Maybe that formula is working.

Don't forget Barrelman also has Swim/Bike, Bike Run/Run and Relays....Why not join us on September 20th

It does seem crazy that the majority of people just do one triathlon... but then again it also seems crazy to me that people sign up to do an Ironman having never done a triathlon before. The two phenomenon are related, as mentioned in the interview the "bucket-lister"/"one-and-done" attitude seems prevalent. For whatever reason the long-distance events with a big brand name (and price tag) attached to them attract people to the sport, even though that's probably the exact wrong introduction for newcomers - the training takes its toll and the race is depleting, so it's no wonder people quit the sport after one IM when they haven't really built up to it over the years and love the sport for what it is. These people are great for putting their barely used gear up for sale on kijiji or trirudy though.

I race in the Somersault series doing sprint and olympic distance. The shorter distance is more conducive to a reasonable training schedule and competing in multiple events over the summer. It's also nice to be a part of the tri-community and see the same folks out at each of the races. Somersault also does the "Champion's Challenge" in which you accumulate points over the season and the top point getters in each age group get awards at the end of the season, so that also encourages people to do multiple events.

For what it's worth, I really like the low-key local series. Haven't done an MSC race but might get to one next season. I don't really find the prospect of spending over $1000 and racing against 2000 other people all that attractive, so for the foreseeable to future I see myself continuing to support the local races. We're really lucky in Ontario to have MSC/Subaru/Somersault as well as the plethora of independent local tris. I know that stats of late can seem discouraging but the degree to which these races are so open and supporting of newcomers is what will grow the sport.