2018 USA Triathlon Age Group National Championships
More than 5,400 triathletes traveled to Cleveland to swim, bike and run their way to victory during USA Triathlon Age Group National Championships on Aug. 11-12, 2018 at Cleveland Metropark Edgewater Park.
This two-day event featured a Saturday Olympic-distance triathlon, for which athletes qualified, consisting of three components; 1,500-meter swim, 40-kilometer bike and a 10-kilometer run. The championship race was followed by a Sunday sprint duathlon that was open to public competitors, featuring a 750-meter swim, 20-kilometer bikeand5-kilometer run.
Registered triathletes, representing all 50 states including Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico, and 18 countries including Brazil, Romaniaandthe United Kingdom, brought an additional 10,000 out-of-town spectators to support the competition. These attendees provided over 3,200 hotel room nights to Northeast Ohio.
Overview of Services
In conjunction with USA Triathlon Age Group National Championships, Greater Cleveland Sports Commission provided the following areas of service and support:
- Community Programming
- Marketing Support
- Collateral Development
- Social Media Support
- Earned Media/Public Relations Strategy
- Graphic Design
- Event Operations
- Partners/Lead Development
- Budget Management
- Vendor Sales
- Hotel/Housing Coordination
- Volunteer Recruitment/Training/Deployment
- Facility Recommendations
- Transportation Plans
- Special Event Creation/Execution
- Event Set Up/Tear Down Staffing
- Permitting
- Insurance Coverage
Pole Banners
Window Clings
On-site Activation Events
Visitor Experience
A Community Feel
Cleveland has a unique ability to take events and make them feel like a part of our Northeast Ohio community. 2018 USA triathlon Age Group National Championships was no exception. In order to promote that community feel, we created window clings for local restaurants and businesses to welcome triathletes to the city. Additionally, we provided these businesses with one-sheeters outfitted with information on the event so that their staff knew what to expect and to welcome competitors. Finally, we ensured that city signage promoting the event was present, such as pole banners, located around Downtown Cleveland.
Volunteers
Volunteer Shifts
Volunteer Hours
A Helping Hand
In order to host an event of this size and scope, volunteers were needed to execute all logistics. In total, 335 people volunteered for 470 shifts over the course of three days. Volunteers donated 2,166 hours for the following roles and responsibilities: Packet Pick-up Assistants, Bag Check Assistants, Bike Check-In/Check-Out, Bike Course Support, Venue Support, Run Course Support, Swim Course SupportandTransition Assistance.
Combining A Brand
To provide a larger promotional footprint to USA Triathlon Age Group National Championships, Greater Cleveland Sports Commission promoted USATAGNC at community events in the months leading up to the championship.
In addition to local promotion, GCSC cross-promoted the event with our inaugural Sunset Sprint 5K on the Friday before the Olympic-distance championship. Our team also supported the event through a 10x10 on-site activation space during the USAT expo including showcasing USATAGNC logo in conjunction with GCSC’s logo in the transition areas and the fly-over at Cleveland Metroparks Edgewater Park.
Earned Media Audience
Publicity Value
Triathletes
Earned Media
To further event awareness of the championship, local media were pitched encouraging stories of triathletes in efforts to garner interviews. In total, 14 press releases were sent out and 17 outlets (print, radio and television) received media drops specific to USATAGNC.
Through these efforts, Channel 3-WKYC produced their morning show live from Cleveland Metroparks Edgewater Park, Fox 8 featured the Championship during their morning show and Cleveland's The Plain Dealer displayed USATAGNC as their cover story.
Overall, earned media accounted for 63 clips, an audience of 12.4 million people which equated to $294.7 thousand in publicity value.
A Strong Social Presence
GCSC is committed to engaging its social followers in order to raise awareness and increase attendance for its hosted events. By working closely with USA Triathlon to promote the Age Group National Championships, social media promotional efforts both leading up to and during the event yielded impressive results.
Posts utilized action shots of triathletes to engage followers and increase visibility with likes and shares. Total impressions across Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter platforms amounted to 218,642 impressions. Additionally, Twitter far surpassed other social channels in both event promotion and during the Championship.
A Community Impact
USA TRIATHLON: TRI FOR CHANGE
GCSC’s Youth Education through Sports (YES) program, presented by University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital and The Sherwin-Williams Company, hosted USA Triathlon’s Tri For Change on Saturday, Aug. 11, 2018 at Edgewater Park.
This eight-week training program featured 15 City of Cleveland Recreation Center youth who learned the basics of swimming, biking and running.
Youth participating in the program competed in a mini-triathlon consisting of a 200-meter swim, 1.15-mile bike and .5-mile run. Upon completion, youth received a new bicycle, helmet, safety lock, USA Triathlon gear including swim gear, sports clothing, shoes and a USA Triathlon youth annual membership to continue their triathlon journey.
Counties Represented
States Represented
Economic Impact
The support that GCSC provided was one of, if not the best, that we have ever experienced. The team effort working toward a world-class event was evident. [They] rolled out the red carpet for us throughout the [entire process].
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