The latest in our series of ‘inside the news’ video interviews, saw endurance.biz speak with Thom Richmond, founder at Cal Tri Events. The discussion explored the planned expansion of the event brand in 2021 and 2022 – with the launch of Cal Tri’s new Grand Prix USA national US race series.
Thom mentioned that the expansion has been funded organically. The series is looking to be in 17 markets in the US in 2021 – with 12,000 athletes. Then in 2022, the aim is around 20,000 participating athletes.
Projections on athlete numbers have been cautious, with Thom mentioning that “there’s no reason to overestimate.”
Thom talked through the coordination required to expand a race series, the need for a ‘good recipe’, and for effective coordination with partners on the ground.
Elaborating on Cal Tri’s mantra of ‘safe, affordable and accessible’, Thom mentioned how Cal Tri Events has operated a rolling swim start for a number of years. He stressed the need for safety in the water. A 25:1 athlete to lifeguard ratio helps to maximise the number of eyes on athletes during this crucial part of a triathlon.
Thom also talked through the pricing of Cal Tri’s Sprint (US$60), Olympic (US$75) & 70.3 distance (US$100) events. Younger athletes, aged 7 to 22, receive a 50% discount on these event price points.
A commitment to affordable pricing has led the way in helping the series to become accessible to broader parts of an event’s local target community. This has translated into an average age of 32 for Cal Tri athletes – compared to a mid-40 year old average for typical triathlon events.
Turning to the future of endurance sport, Thom simply said for event organisers that they should “Do the right thing, and everything else works out.”
