Is this new triathlon series showing the way for how to run a challenger sport?
Oct 31, 2024
auto_awesome
Sam Renouf, CEO of the Professional Triathletes Organisation, is leading the charge to mainstream triathlon. He discusses how a cohesive season narrative and consistent athlete participation can elevate the sport's prestige. Technological advancements and iconic locations are also highlighted as crucial factors for increasing audience engagement. Renouf emphasizes the community spirit in triathlons and the sport's potential for mass participation, alongside the challenges of securing sponsorship in an increasingly competitive landscape.
The Professional Triathletes Organization is crucial for consolidating triathlon's fragmented audience to enhance commercial opportunities and engagement.
Implementing multi-sport festivals allows triathlon to tap into the popularity of individual sports, attracting diverse audiences and increasing event participation.
Deep dives
The Commercial Viability of Triathlon
Triathlon has a valuable demographic, but its fragmented audience hampers commercial potential due to limited media coverage and content. The aim is to consolidate this audience into a singular platform that can offer better engagement and involvement from sponsors and fans alike. The establishment of the Professional Triathletes Organization (PTO) was a key move in addressing these gaps, focusing on creating a cohesive narrative around the sport. The Collins Cup and the subsequent PTO Tour were initiatives designed to bring prestige and structure to triathlon competitions, thereby enhancing their commercial appeal.
Creating a Season-Long Narrative
The success of triathlon as a professional sport hinges on developing a season-long narrative that keeps audiences engaged throughout the year. Unlike traditional sports with regular seasons, triathlon previously suffered from a lack of continuous coverage, making it difficult for fans to stay invested. The introduction of the T100 aimed to address this by establishing a series of events that would offer compelling storylines, much like major leagues in other sports. This strategic shift has begun to attract not only viewers but also investment from broadcast partners, emphasizing the importance of consistent narratives for fan engagement.
Expanding Participation Through Multi-Sport Festivals
To broaden the appeal of triathlon, the PTO has shifted towards organizing multi-sport festivals, integrating running, swimming, and cycling events. This strategy recognizes that swimming, cycling, and running, while niche as a triathlon, are incredibly popular globally with over 900 million participants. Events that include standalone runs, duathlons, and themed races like music runs are designed to attract larger crowds and therefore enhance both participant and spectator engagement. By creating an inclusive environment and engaging different sports interests, the PTO hopes to transform triathlon into a major draw that can support and sustain larger scale events.
An invitation to the T100 Triathlon World Tour stop-off in Ibiza was a bit too good to turn down, so SportsPro packed its bag and hopped on a plane. From on the ground in Ibiza Town, Tom Bassam brings you interviews with PTO CEO Sam Renouf and others to find out how this venture-backed new-ish sports property is doing things a little bit differently in a bid to take triathlon mainstream.
Get the Snipd podcast app
Unlock the knowledge in podcasts with the podcast player of the future.
AI-powered podcast player
Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features
Discover highlights
Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode
Save any moment
Hear something you like? Tap your headphones to save it with AI-generated key takeaways
Share & Export
Send highlights to Twitter, WhatsApp or export them to Notion, Readwise & more
AI-powered podcast player
Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features
Discover highlights
Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode