Triathlon Market Trends and Demographics

Great data on triathletes and the sport of triathlon, from USA Triathlon. Among other things,

"Triathlon participation in the United States is at an all-time high, following unprecedented growth over the past 10 years. USA Triathlon can easily track the surge through its membership numbers, which surpassed 115,000 annual members in early 2009. To put that into perspective, annual membership hovered between 15,000 and 21,000 from 1993 to 2000."

Meanwhile, the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association (SGMA) reports that 921,000 Americans participated in at least one triathlon in 2006, and that number climbed to 1.1 million in 2007. The number of so-called "core participants" (those competing in two or more events) increased to 746,000 in 2007, an increase of 35.6 percent over 2006.

And, download an executive summary of USAT's "The Mind of the Triathlete" market research report, here. The study grouped participants into seven distinct segments according to similarities in their demographics, psychographics and involvement in the sport.

"On average, triathletes are from high socio-economic backgrounds with median incomes of $126,000, however, their motivators and mindset are different, creating a significant opportunity for the triathlon community to serve them better and in more targeted ways. Unlike many consumers, they are spending cautiously but on average intend to spend as much in 2009 as they did in 2008. In fact, 45 percent would rather spend discretionary income on triathlon with three of seven segments exceeding 65 percent and one nearly 80 percent."

"In general,

• Older athletes do more races.
• 95% participate for the personal challenge.
• 87% participate to stay in shape.
• On average, they participated in 4.2 triathlons during the previous 12 months.
• 86% plan to do longer races in the future.
• Sprint triathlon remains the most popular, with those events attracting participation of more than three quarters of respondents."

Good stuff. I guess it's true. Life really IS a tri. Gee, where have I heard that before?