I could not agree more with your writers on the subject of the gentrification of triathlon and its loss of a sense of adventure. I remember seeing video of Dave Scott's first win in 1980. As I recall, he basically jogged up to five or six guys at the side of the road and stopped—and that was the finish line. Not everyone needs lights, crowds and finishing chutes. The most profound aspect of completing a challenging race for most people comes from the simple, personal satisfaction of accomplishing their goal.

Last fall, I ran a point-to-point marathon on my own. With some bottle drops, a cell phone and three family members at the finish line, it was a tremendous experience. I cannot think of a single advantage a commercial race might have presented to me, except that I probably wouldn't have had to jump those two fences at the surprise construction site.
-Geordie McConnell, Director, Ottawa Triathlon Club

I couldn't agree more with the point of view that triathlons have become Starbucks races. Carlson's quote, "Triathlon must be a welcoming sport—not a group of great races that need the obsessive drive of Ivy League college applicants and the Internet skills of a renegade hacker to get in,” was spot-on.

I am now in my fourth year of triathlon and am simply getting tired of people being there to show off how much money they have. I’m also sick of people cherry-picking races based on the competition so they can feed their egos and feel good about themselves for coming in first in a local, low-key race. That's another problem all itself—last year The Wall Street Journal had an article about people who choose races based on the competition so that they'll place and can have bragging rights (wouldn't it be cheaper for them to see a psychologist for their ego issues?). Therefore, even the smaller, sprint-style races that are meant for beginners and supposed to be “relaxed” are usurped by the people who enter knowing the ex-pros won't be there and they can squash out the newbies. Hmph.

My favorite times were before I purchased my Cervélo P2 (which I feel I EARNED and worked my non-profit butt off for). I rode my Trek OCLV road bike that probably dated back to 2000 and I’d just zip past these guys that had dropped thousands of dollars on their bikes. And the woman who gave my bike a “look” last year like, “oh yeah, right"? I passed her during the race as well.

Still, I digress a bit. I would love to see a “fun tri”—one that involves rafts and big wheels and potato sacks or something. I wonder if I, too, will eventually be priced out of racing. I work for a non-profit. I buy my own training books and work hard to build on the potential I know I have. I had to save for a while to buy that Cervélo. It’s been just in the last three years, though, that I've seen prices go up, races being sold out earlier and earlier (which, again, for those of us who have to plan out when we're going to purchase our races after saving for X number of months … Kind of wrecks that idea and my credit card takes another hit) and the overall attitude of triathletes becoming more and more elitist instead of more welcoming.

Triathlon is an amazing sport. I try to share it with everybody, but people seem so intimidated. They say things like “I could never do that” or "I wouldn't know where to start.” I was lucky enough to join with a club that had great support. But what about the people who are motivated enough to stick their toes in on their own? Who do they turn to? As Henderson said, the folks who have the nerve to bring a hybrid out there are to be admired.

Whenever I get into the transition zone on race morning, I instantly begin to freeze up. I think, "Look at those bikes...those helmets...awww crap," and my dreams of placing begin to be dashed. Then I remember how it's all just a show and I have to ignore it and just go HAVE FUN.

That's why we do it, right? Because it's fun. Because it's rewarding, no matter where you end up in the results.

I just hope that this strategic plan will include these concerns and help steer triathlon into a direction that will make it accessible to anybody who wants to give the sport a shot.

Thank you for the well-written article. I apologize for my long e-mail, but I really felt like you brought a voice to the observations I began to make last year.
-Sarah Trejo, Santa Rosa, CA

The biggest problem facing triathlon is, by far, the cost.

I, like most people, got interested in trying triathlon as a youth, watching these insane people finish this cool race in Hawaii. A dozen years later, I find out there are races that only take one to two hours to complete and BANG! I'm hooked.

Having a household income of just under $40K and three amazing kids, for the last three years I’ve had to budget year-round just for the entry fee to two sprint tris and a few running races. I have basically decided that my “love” for the sport is just going to have to be fleshed out in my training; I’ll have my own little one-man races at different times of the year to see how I progress. I just can't justify $80 to $125 dollars each race when I am already strapped buying running shoes, energy drinks, tri shorts and the other “necessities” of swim/bike/run. The good news is that the only person who can beat me in these “races” is myself, so either way... I get first and second.
-Josh M. Bray, via e-mail