According to the USAT Annual Adult Membership for the period ending December 31, 2015, the number of members stood at 116,110. Out of that number, 1.5% identified as Multi Racial; 1.1% identified as Other; 2.1% identified as Asian; 3.2% identified as Hispanic; 88.2% identified as Caucasian/White; and a staggering .5% identified as African American. *https://www.teamusa.org/usa-triathlon/about/multisport/demographics
I see 3 main reasons for this low number.
- Financial: Triathlon is not a "cheap" sport. When you have factored in the registration fee, USAT membership, a bike, helmet. wetsuit, running shoes, tri suit, training, travel, and this is just the minimum, you are looking at close to $1,000 vs doing a local marathon which would be considerably less since you do not need the extra gear for the bike or the swim. There are ways around this, but this does deter a lot of people.
- Skills and Knowledge: Everyone just about knows how to run or can race walk, but not everyone knows how to swim or actually ride a bike. Even though swimming is a life skill, you would be surprised at how many adults do not know how to swim or ride a bike. Some of it is due to fear-maybe a family member or a friend nearly drowned. Maybe family members had instilled a fear of the water that they never tried to do it. Maybe it is a hair issue. In the case of the bike, maybe the person never had a bike before.
- Stereotypes: Triathlon is a "white" sport. No sport is a race or ethnic group. It is all about changing the perception of the sport. It is a swim, a bike and a run. The more of us who are present at races, the more of us who make it a point to bring someone on the journey, the more of us who decide to become coaches, the more we move that number to .5%
