Meet a new triathlon race company

Breakaway Athletic Events | www.BREAKAWAYATHLETICEVENTS.com

What led you to create Breakaway?
I’ve been a serial entrepreneur for nearly 15 years and a triathlete for ten. Throughout this time, I’ve completed multiple triathlons and run races including everything from a sprint to a full distance and 5k’s to a marathon – even some fun half-marathon trail races. I’ve been involved in the race world in a variety of roles, including as an athlete, a “pro” spectator (my wife gets much more credit there), a volunteer & as a staff member helping to organize and execute race days. There’s a high energy, such excitement and anticipation in the air and sense of accomplishment that comes with these races. But I felt there was a lack of multisport events in the northern Colorado area, specifically in and around Fort Collins. This realization, combined with my passion for these sports, led to the creation of Breakaway Athletic Events.

How is Breakaway different?
I think one characteristic that sets us apart is that we are athletes first. We’ve experienced race days, the adrenaline, the passion for and pursuit of a podium finish. I know what frustrates me on race morning and also what motivates me. Our goal is to use this insight and knowledge to enhance the overall athlete experience. We’re doing this by paying attention to the details and all the race aspects we’ve found bothersome over the years. For example, our events will be as eco-friendly as possible. This means occasionally ditching the traditional aid station model and having athletes focus on reusing their bike water bottles (vs hundreds of half used plastic water refill bottles). Another example, is that our athlete meals will be plant-based. Why? It’s super healthy, less harsh on the planet and much better in terms of food safety. In addition, our clearly marked and detailed course maps and layouts allow for awesome spectator fun and support for athletes as the athletes pass spectator areas multiple times throughout their race, not just once or twice all day. These are just a few of the many examples we are implementing. Our primary goals are strong community support through local businesses & sponsors and an awesome athlete experience with attention to race details, safety & spectator fun .

What specific races will you have?
We are working to shed the mold of traditional event creators by creating more unique races. We’re always working to create races that fill a space that might not have existed before. One example of this is our Epic Mini Triathlon in Fort Collins. We haven’t had any road triathlons in Fort Collins for years. This short distance race has a well laid out course, highly organized transition area & fun beginner-friendly pool swim. It’s intimate and inviting, something that can be tough to find at the larger scale events.

Our specific calendar is always available at breakawayathleticevents.com/races. But briefly, for 2019, we have seven events in the works including an off-road ride & run, the Epic Mini (mentioned above), and a great destination triathlon. We have also worked into the schedule a multisport race festival! It’s an awesome multi-race event happening at a great location. There will be music, a beer-garden and a youth series race as well so the whole family can get involved – ten races in total. We’ll announce more on new events as the details get confirmed. We’re excited about each and every one! 🙂

What is the multisport festival you mentioned above about?
The Boyd Lake Bash Multisport Festival takes place at a great venue and will include ten individual events all in one day. Sitting on the east side of Loveland and southeast of Fort Collins, this close-to-home multisport race event will have a festival feel that’s intimate, fun and mildly challenging. The course layouts make race morning packed with spectator cheering and multiple athlete flybys. Every race takes place within the park. This creates a safer and more exciting race for all of the athletes. We have a youth splash and dash series taking place that morning as well. Fun for the whole family! With ON-SITE camping options, make a weekend out of this event and plan some extra relaxation time.

Some race companies have a discounted entry or free entry program if you volunteer. Does Breakaway offer this as well?
Yes! Volunteers help make races happen. Not only can volunteers earn discounted race entry, they also get to experience a race event from a unique perspective and with much less pressure. This often leads to them having a great race of their own on that same course whenever they are ready to tackle it in future years to come.

What are the biggest challenges to organizing a new event especially in a new venue?
Any event, whether new or an annual recurrence, takes a lot of planning. I find the largest challenge to putting a new race event in place is navigating the permits process, as well as finding unique ways to promote the event on a large scale. Dreaming up a fast bike course or a wicked run challenge can be easy. But going through the permits process, which often requires a lot of paperwork and time spent waiting to hear back can be a challenge, though I do enjoy getting to connect with the local permitting agencies and area managers. After the hurdles of permitting and venue approval, it’s on to registration and thinking about ways to reach people who may be interested in our events. It’s all about getting the word out!

What do you think the future holds for Breakaway?
We’re excited for a strong first event season and plan on adding new races each year as we grow and connect with more athletes, staff & volunteers. We look forward to growing our audience and participant numbers, involving local businesses and getting youth involved in athletics and group physical activity. We hope to increase our contributions to local charity groups with each passing year and anticipate our events will help to promote our local parks and open spaces, as well.