Kids, parents, and families, all win when youth cross the finish line! 

Parents give lifelong tools to their kids by involvement in this tough sport.

Businesses can establish lifelong customer loyalty benefitting bike brands, race directors, and all companies with long-term vision.

Triathlon is a physically challenging sport.  Putting kids into this mix is not the first thing most parents would consider.  There are many benefits when kids can combine the fun they have with their stand-alone swim, bike and run activities into a single event.  Three certain lifelong benefits that kids get from racing at an early age include:

·      All important self-confidence,

·      Winning and success require hard work

·      Habits and skills for a healthy lifestyle 

The benefits to businesses involved in this expensive sport are also clear and might have a longer pay-off. A few of many concepts relevant here are:

·      Brand building

·      Customer loyalty

·      Family Purchase

Done right, there are only winners for the families and kids that race, and companies that have a considered strategy for the youth and family market. 

Because kids are our future and should always come first, let’s start there...

SELF CONFIDENCE

This trait is so valuable for a child to have through adolescence.  Kids don’t need to finish a race on the podium to get a sense of self-confidence. Just finishing a race and then having the chance to tell adults including their teachers about it (who are typically pretty impressed!), and then explain what they accomplished to their friends is a huge emotional boost.  It is a tool in their arsenal of emotional strength for them use as they progress through tween/teen years.  It is during these years where self-esteem comes under attack with a troubling combo of peer pressure, cliquey kids and natural hormonal shifts.  

As parents, when our child seems down, it’s pretty cool to be able to refer their focus back to the all-star job they did finishing a great race.  Their stepping-up to meet a difficult challenge is an example of what they’ll need to do with many issues they’ll face as teens. Moreover, as parents we’re offering an organic compliment and not a heartfelt (yet hollow compliment) to make them feel better.  And yes, they feel the difference. Watch them think back while they recall their swim start in the ocean, strong run at the finish line, and tell you about the race overall, and how good the strawberries tasted at the finish line.  Watch them smile.

ABOVE: Grace (10) gets marked before her first ever race, brother Ethan (11) learns the hard way that a triathlon wetsuit zips in the back...oops! Far right, finisher medals for both. Santa Barbara Sprint Triathlon.

HARD WORK WINS:  NOBODY IS ENTITLED TO A “W”

As adults we know that in life, hard work is required to be successful and get ahead.  There are no shortcuts.  The same holds true in triathlon.  After my son finished his first race at age 11, he was not even close to the podium in the kids division.  He noticed.  Questions followed, discussions ensued. I could feel that initially, the words “that’s not fair” were lurking just beneath the surface.  What an opportunity to let him know that he is not entitled to win a race…or anything for that matter.  Winning takes hard work, commitment and consistency.  In racing and in life, success is earned through hard work and it takes time to get there. “No son, you didn’t win today but let me ask you a question: Did you train hard for this race? Well, do you want to do things differently next time?”

HEALTHY LIFESTYLE SKILLS (FOR LIFE!)

As we age, many times we will move in and out of periods of activity.  Work, life and injury can many times get in the way.  However, over time, we do settle in to an average amount of exercise per week and it will be higher if an active lifestyle is a known and familiar concept.  When our kids grow up with an active lifestyle to include swimming, biking and running, it is so much easier to rekindle, rather than learn from scratch, sport specific skills.  Our time spent fostering kids skills in these 3 sports provide lifelong ability in sport with clear health benefits to them.  Ever tried convincing a 40 year old to do a triathlon?  “I would but I don’t swim…I’m not a good bike rider…” Sure, it can be learned! But it’s always easier (and more fun!) to do so at a young age.

The importance of exercise is underscored especially as our kids face an uphill battle when it comes to the food choices presented to them.  Informed parents will put healthy food in the home however it may be against the wishes of many kids.  Our kids have been so accustomed to all products having so much sugar (check out sugar content for breakfast staple orange juice!), that foods with no sugar taste “horrible!” In this context, we have a society in America that is laden with childhood obesity providing a streamlined path to Type 2 diabetes.  Perhaps one of the most sobering statements regarding the severity of the childhood obesity epidemic came from former Surgeon General Richard Carmona, who characterized the threat as follows:

“Because of the increasing rates of obesity, unhealthy eating habits and physical inactivity, we may see the first generation that will be less healthy and have a shorter life expectancy than their parents."

That is both scary and sad.

The low quality foods offered in our supermarkets and the challenges it poses to eating well is not my focus today but they’re important in the context of the challenges our kids face and why exercise is a fundamental pillar for their longevity.

BUSINESS, BRAND AWARENESS AND CUSTOMER LOYALTY

Perhaps ironically, those same food company strategies mentioned above targeting kids and getting their loyalty from a young age works for most industries to include fitness. Consumer products and food industry spend hundreds of millions of dollars each year in an attempt to capture kids interests and loyalty at an early age.  The lifetime value of that customer helps gives their business an edge in these dynamic and competitive times. The loyalty that the customer shows appears not only in repeat business but also in positive word-of-mouth and real world testimonials.  In an age where consumers are increasingly skeptical of advertising, it’s these authentic stories of positive brand experiences that solidify a brand’s presence and longevity in the marketplace.

Race directors and bike companies that have courageous long-term strategies, and invest today for a brighter future, will be clear beneficiaries on race day and beyond.  Do you remember your first bike?  That answer is yes to include color and brand too.  That brand awareness and loyalty will serve the bottom line over the long term as this generation of kids upgrades their bike and then, god willing, buys bikes and triathlon equipment for their kids too.  I love seeing partnerships between race organizers and local bike shops.  I don’t see as much of it between branded races and bike manufacturers however where there could be some nice long-term synergies and marketing content developed jointly.  While discounts funded by the manufacturer for kids bikes starting a racing career might impact product margins in the short term, the long term benefit for the sport, brand awareness and the health of our kids might just outweigh that.

On the event side, do you remember your first race?  The nervousness at the start and the elation at the finish...of course we remember.  And there are some great memories to be created for our youth on true family friendly and kid friendly courses. Two such events in Southern California are the Desert Triathlon outside of Palm Springs where in 2016 the kids podium medals were a clear priority with kids being introduced as “the future of our sport!”  And also, my favorite family event, the Santa Barbara Triathlon with a Parents and Kids Race that includes a calm ocean swim, flat bike and run offers the perfect introduction to the sport.   Starting kids with the best possible first experience in the sport sets them up with much better odds for continued and perhaps lifelong participation.  Moreover getting the entire family and mom involved is a big win for companies that are able to properly target their offering to families.

I’d love to hear from businesses in the sport about their efforts to bring kids into racing so that the best practices can be shared with other interested businesses.  Everybody wins here, and especially our kids.

Live, love and happy racing!

About the author:  David Hutchin is a marketing professional in Los Angeles offering marketing consulting services to the business and sports community.  David, his wife Julia and two kids race regularly.