USA Triathlon hopes to make the sport more affordable to help grow participation ratesgetty images
After years of "explosive growth" in the U.S., triathlon participation has "entered a steep decline, its appeal diminished among younger people," according to Danielle Allentuck of the N.Y. TIMES. Sources said that part of the reason for the decline is the "increasing sophistication of equipment had driven up costs." Today, the "largest age group of triathletes is 45-49," and the '18 membership in USA Triathlon had dropped about 25% over five years. Participation in the sport, which emerged in the late '70s, "took off" after its Olympic debut at the '00 Sydney Games. Membership in USA Triathlon grew from 21,341 in '01 to 174,787 in '13, then declined to 130,470 by the start of this year. An emphasis on "making races less intensely competitive and generally more fun has become a priority for many in the triathlon business." To attract younger participants, USA Triathlon is "aiming to make the experience more affordable." USA Triathlon coach Thom Richmond said, "It’s quite the financial challenge. It’s why a lot of older people or more wealthy people can afford it." Allentuck noted in '16, the "average income of a triathlete was over $100,000 a year." Despite the "decline in participation, there does not appear to have been a significant reduction in the number of races." USA Triathlon said that it had sanctioned 4,275 in '18 versus 4,327 in '13, but the organizers of some events have "opted to work apart from the national governing body" (N.Y. TIMES, 7/28).
USA TRIATHLON RESPONDS: USA Triathlon issued a statement to THE DAILY responding to the N.Y. Times article. The statement reads, "The sport is, in fact, enjoying the greatest percentage-wise increase in participation and membership since 2012. Year-over-year USA Triathlon annual membership registration has increased in seven out of the past eight months, and shows an average monthly increase of nearly five percent (4.8%) over January-June 2019. Also, one-day memberships have increased 8.5% so far this year. These metrics will only rise as USA Triathlon continues to receive post-dated registrations from sanctioned races held in the first half of the year. Also, triathlon’s overall demographic is not getting older: 35-39 is still the largest age group when combining annual and one-day members, which is our definitive formula for accurately measuring across the entire sport. It is also noteworthy that 10-14 is the second-largest age group among all annual members, representing a strong youth pipeline" (THE DAILY).
COMIC BOOK HERO: The WALL STREET JOURNAL's Rachel Bachman noted Wanda Sports Group, the company that owns the Ironman Triathlon series, "pays royalties" to Walt Disney-owned Marvel for the use of the Ironman brand. Ironman CEO Andrew Messick said that the agreement "goes back decades and ensures that each entity stays in its lane." He declined to say how much the royalty is but said it is "not material to the business" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 7/28).
