Triathlon gives people the chance to be part of something that becomes a lifestyle
Triathlon – combining running, cycling and swimming events – is the fastest-growing sport in the UK
their membership, if they take part in other activities offered within the club.” Not only that, but members of in-club
clubs also take part in social activities, building a sense of community and buy- in and further boosting retention. “Triathlon gives people the chance to
be part of something, which then be- comes their lifestyle. This can only be a good thing for club operators,” says Ju- lian Nagi, the British Triathlon Federation Level 3 coach who heads up the in-club triathlon club at The Park Club, part of The Hogarth Group. “Our triathlon set-up helps with club loyalty. There’s no ques- tion that it keeps members coming back for more, renewing their membership fees each year and passing on positive word-of-mouth recommendations.”
Training and events Andrew Taylor is sports manager at DLL Hampton. His club offers a weekly swim- ming session, plus another session in the week that covers either running or cycling on a fortnightly rotation. There is no additional charge to members. “We see the triathlon club as another benefit to DLL members who are looking for more intensive group training,” Taylor says. “As we do not charge, we receive no direct extra revenue. However, we believe that the extra sense of achieve- ment will encourage participants to keep their membership.”
Issue 1 2012 © cybertrek 2012 British Triathlon is keen to work with any venue
wishing to run multi-sport activities. We’re happy to help any club operator generate a triathlon club
Taylor believes the main considerations
for operators wanting to set up an in- club triathlon group are time, space and credible trainers. “As long as you have cy- cles or Spin bikes and treadmills, you can do this,” he says. “I’d advise operators to look at peak and off-peak membership and consider whether to offer sessions for both. We have no specific zones as we do the training at a time that won’t affect other gym users. Outdoor sessions can also be done if the trainer and mem- bers are happy to do so. “Having a pool is a big help, although
you can just offer training for run and bike. Staff don’t need to have specialist training for run and bike, although it helps if they have some experience, as members will have more belief in the trainer.”
“Not all clubs will have a pool,” agrees
Nagi. “They could offer specific running or Spinning sessions, or recruit triathlon coaches to organise outdoor group bike and run sessions. Duathlon (run/bike/run) is a good way to encourage people to try multi-sport. Some may then want to move onto triathlon.” As Barfield suggests, facilities can also
offer triathlon events themselves or in partnership with local triathlon clubs, providing an opportunity to drive reve- nue as well as retention. “The multi-sport nature of triathlon lends itself to many opportunities: a dry triathlon challenge in the gym, an aquathlon (swim/run), a full triathlon or any combination of the three sports,” says Barfield. “British Tri- athlon is keen to work with any venue
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