ANAHEIM, CA (BRAIN)—A new trade association has formed to represent the triathlon industry.
Triathlon America became official last week after nearly a year in the works. Its 17-person board of directors includes representation from Competitor Group, Inc., publisher of Triathlete and Inside Triathlon, the World Triathlon Corporation, owner of the Ironman races and 70.3 races and publisher of Lava Magazine, as well as other race directors and triathlon product suppliers like Orbea, TYR and Sports Multiplied, LLC.
The membership organization will advocate for the interests of triathlon businesses, provide educational and informative programs and encourage increased participation in the sport.
That could include taking on issues like working with triathlon's rule-making organizations to make sure triathlon equipment meets regulations while it’s still in the concept stage rather than post-production, said Dan Empfield, owner of Slowtwitch.com and a Triathlon America board member.
“Triathlon has just now gotten to the point where we’ve had a couple fracases with wetsuits and apparel and stuff like that. One of the things this group will do is preempt problems by having a strong group of manufacturers,” Empfield said.
Another possible topic of discussion could be looking at adding a demo component to the expo portion of triathlon events.
Empfield said the group initially came together at a meeting of two dozen triathlon industry minds last December in New York City. Executives from Ironman, USA Triathlon, Life Time Fitness, Active.com, Tri-California and Competitor Group were present and the discussion eventually led to what the group could do to further the sport.
Triathlon America's first initiative is an annual conference for industry leaders scheduled for Feb. 27 to March 1 in La Jolla, CA. The conference will feature outstanding speakers, informative breakout sessions and networking opportunities. Highlighting the conference will be the Triathlon America Awards, a banquet program to recognize prominent achievements in triathlon including top athletes, new products, event innovations and extraordinary writing and photography.
More information on Triathlon America is available at www.triathlon-america.com.
—Nicole Formosa
nformosa@bicycleretailer.com
