From the CEO
Why Tri?
By Rob Urbach
There are many reasons why people “tri.” Some have benefited from using the sport for transformational change. We hear about members who have achieved sobriety or those who have been able to eliminate medication for adult-onset diabetes. There are also folks who have vastly improved their self-image through triathlon.
Some tri as a part of a fitness-enthusiast lifestyle. Maybe you ski, do yoga or CrossFit and pepper in a few triathlons as part of a broad fitness repertoire. For many others the sport is a social driver — you tagged along with a friend to a triathlon club happy hour, found yourself at the club’s track workout, and before long you were setting up your transition area at the local sprint. Sometimes the social aspect of the sport becomes romantic — the Tri Club of San Diego claims to boast 15 marriages spawned from its members.
Still for others, we tri to stoke the competitive fire. And for these uber-competitive folks, this issue of the magazine, the Rankings Issue, will be devoured.
While different factors may have driven us to tri, we share the memory of a first race. Do you remember yours? We all share this experience, the zest for the multisport lifestyle and a spirit of collegiality not shared with our single-sport brethren. This culture is just not the same in those single-sport communities.
For example, it’s inevitable that when I walk through the airport sporting USA Triathlon apparel, I get the “Are you a triathlete?” question from a fellow member. As soon as I answer, I have an instant friend.
While we are all members of the same tribe, there is much intra-tribal variety. Accordingly, at USA Triathlon we strive to provide choice and convenience in the form of 4,000 sanctioned events across all distances and a variety of formats — such as duathlon, aquathlon, aquabike and off-road events. It is a goal that during the season, members should have as many opportunities as possible to drive to a race the morning of the event. As our lives grow increasingly full and complex, enabling convenient racing is a good thing.
In addition to convenience, we believe that customization and consideration are key value drivers. We are striving to customize our offerings to each and every member as individuals. Have you signed on to our new website lately? Check out the personalized message waiting for you on the home page. Have you received a notice from us congratulating you on qualifying for the USA Triathlon Olympic-Distance National Championship? We will be rolling out more of these types of personalized communications to provide you with individually relevant information and offerings to enable your multisport lifestyle.
We are certainly in a consideration economy as there is massive information available online to influence consumer behaviors. How many of you will spend more time reading product reviews for triathlon equipment than you would shopping for a new car? You are the new expert. At USA Triathlon, we have a new race-review system that will not only enable you to make more informed choices but also serve the raise the race production bar.
We also are expanding member recognition programs. Turn to page 84 to read about the USA Triathlon Age Group Athletes of the Year. In addition, we rolled out two new programs — the Century Club and the Member of the Month. Visit
usatriathlon.org/memberrecognition for more details.
Lastly, I am very excited about this year’s inductees to the USA Triathlon Hall of Fame — Ironman legends Mark Allen, Scott Molina and Scott Tinley; age-grouper Ethel Autorino; plus contributors Bob Babbitt and Sally Edwards. There will be special evening to recognize this year’s class in San Diego on May 10. Visit
usatriathlon.org/halloffame for the most up-to-date information on the induction ceremony.
22 USA TRIATHLON SPRING 2012
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