Triathlon season is here! (Part 2 of 2)

The Wally Man Triathlon: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Before the Wally Man triathlon, the race directors had only participated in races of various types. From a racer’s point of view, it is clear that there’s lots of organizing and coordinating to be done. Things such as road closures; water stops; staging area; lifeguarding; pre and post race festivities; awards; timing services, etc. With their racing experience, the trio thought they were well equipped to start an event of their own. However, as Matt, Jarrett and Jesse discovered, there are many behind-the-scenes things that need to be organized, including sponsorships; township permitting; volunteer coordination; numerous meetings; USAT certifications; course permitting/marking; marketing; community outreach; website and graphic design, and more! They would never admit to biting off more than they could chew, but here are a few of their trials and tribulations: 

One weekend this past spring, after the very snowy and long winter we had, Jarrett headed out on foot to preview the bike course (he ran all 13 miles) that they had set earlier in the year via Google Maps. To his surprise, he found the roads to be in horrible condition; the plows and other forms of snow removal had left the roads full of potholes. With Jarrett’s optimistic and creative personality, he just saw a few more obstacles to overcome…no big deal. Jesse, the realist, recognized the gravity of the situation when he bottomed out in Matt’s VW Jetta. Needless to say, they rerouted the bike route and it now goes down the runway of a local airport. Pretty sweet!

This past winter, all 3 boys headed down to Florida for a course to gain certification as official USAT race directors. Obviously, they passed. They showed up as newbies, not sure what to expect. For starters, they were the only people there who didn’t have a race series. For many people this would have been extremely intimidating, but they just thought everyone else was foolish for starting with a race before learning the basics!

2014 Paupack Plunge!

Another challenge they faced was getting permitting and permission from the townships and surrounding areas. In such a small, tight-knit community, it can be hard to overcome communication barriers. Furthermore, many people had no concept of what a triathlon was or the scope of the community, athletes and people involved in one. There was even one specific township that flat out told the boys it was not going to happen and that they shouldn’t even bother trying. Too late. Jarrett had already skipped a ski trip out west to attend the town hall meeting and Matt had left work early in order to make the meeting; everything was set in motion and there was no turning back. Sitting in the parking lot of the town meeting, Jarrett confessed to Matt, “Hey man, before we go in there, I have to tell you something.” Matt raised his eyebrows awaiting Jarrett’s response, “I talked to the secretary this morning to try to get on the agenda, but she told me the board had already made their decision and it would be a waste of everyone’s time.” Jarrett knew he could have saved Matt a 6 hour round trip if he just told him earlier in the day and Matt knew could have easily gotten mad at Jarrett for withholding this information until after he had made the trip up. Ultimately, they both knew that walking into the town meeting together was their only shot of achieving their dream. So for the next 5 minutes, they discussed and adjusted their presentation for the board. Needless to say, there is a triathlon happening on June 14 on Lake Wallenpaupack.

Although I aim to entertain with stories about roadblocks the trio have encountered, they will be quick to tell you that the very same people who may have initially doubted their ability to pull off an event of this scope are the ones who made it work. The race directors at the USAT course, who could have been intimidating, have been nothing supportive and helpful through the whole process. The townships that challenged the boys on approvals only challenged them to make a better event and have been key supporters in the community ever since. They could not have done it without the external support.

Celebrating after completing their USAT course!

Evolve Sports, LLC didn’t even exist 'til late fall of 2013. As a new multi-sport company, they worked hard to get their name out. They didn’t have a large budget (or any at all), or any full time staff/support. My brother lives in Delaware; Jarrett lives in Pennsylvania, and Jesse lives in North Carolina. Jesse has taken over the role of graphic designer, helping design the website and promos. Jarrett describes himself as the voice of the business, dealing with triathlon clubs and sponsors; he works with partnering businesses and does most of the social media outreach. Matt has been working with and building relationships with the townships, going to meetings, and working with committees to get necessary approvals.

Thank you to all the mentors and people they met along the way, who shared their knowledge and experience with the boys. They look forward to putting on their first event. After having dealt with lots of speed bumps along the way, they are confident in their ability to put on a fun, safe, family friendly and competitive event, which will hopefully be the first of many!

Many thanks to my brother, Matt, and race directors, Jarrett and Jesse, for sharing their experience!