Tri hosting a Tri-athlon

Several years back, someone in my neighborhood organized a friendly sprint distance triathlon.  Their objective was to make it challenging yet accessible to everyone.   Even I sign up despite the fact I swim so slow you can use a calendar to time me. “Lets, see, Mr. French entered the pool at 8:00 on Saturday, and completed his first lap by 5 pm on Sunday.”

After completing the 1^st tri, my kids asked if they could do it next year.  As the minimum age was 18, I suggested to the organizers that should add a kid’s race.  Their reply was “That’s a great idea, you should do that!”  And just like that, I ended up organizing our 1^st neighborhoods kid’s triathlon 3 years ago.   Despite all the work that goes into it, it is totally worth it seeing how proud the kids are when they finish.  It gives them such a sense of accomplishment.  To that end, my number one goal is to make it fun.  Everything else, with exception of safety, comes second to that.   

If you read my blog, you know I like lists (it is easy way to get out of writing too).   Below are a few of the lessons I have learned in hosting this event. 

1.       Keep the race entry fees as low as possible – ours is $25 per racer.  This covers t-shirts, medals, and post-race food.   

2.       Don’t be shy about asking the parents as to volunteer.  Any race is only as good as the people that put it on.  I have found guilt works too.

3.       Speaking of volunteers, put smart people in charge of each venue (e.g. cooking, bike marshals, and check-in).  This lets me focus on the big picture and troubleshoot any unplanned issues.  Look for the parent who excels at organizes bake sales to head up food.  Find the weekend warrior bike rider to marshal the bike leg.  Tap into the local youth swim team for timers.   Nothing makes you look good more than surrounding yourself with smart people.

4.       There are no DQs, with possible exception of unsportsmanlike behavior.   Unlike ‘professional’ races, I don’t disqualify kids if they hang on the land lines, or get excited and run in the transition area or have a parent pace them.

5.       Seek local sponsorship.  I get the race bibs donated from a local running shop.  A local bike store volunteers their mechanics to be onsite for tune ups and repairs.   Parents who own small businesses (e.g. real estate) are also a great source to money donations.  Just be sure to give thanks and call attention to your sponsors in exchange for their support

6.       Thank everyone multiple times, especially the sponsor.  But also thank the volunteers, the parents, and of course, the racers themselves.   I get the credit, but everyone else does all the work.

7.       Make a big deal of out of it, because it is.  We tell the kids to keep their ‘Tri Tats’ (aka racing numbers) as long as they can.   Seeing them wear their racing shirts to school makes me smile too.

8.       Ask for suggestions.  It is a lot to organizes, so don’t be shy about asking for suggestions on how to improve it for the next year

9.       Advertise early and often.  It is a little easy after 3 years, but it is not easy to get the word out.  I use flyers at the local pools, place blurbs in local email newsletters, ping people on social media, set up and set up a facebook page.  

Smile – the enthusiasm the kids, and their parents bring to this event will make even the most jaded of people remember why they started racing.