Glenn Humphrey, Commercial Insurance Risk Advisor for Insurance Office of America (IOA), was brought on to the USA Triathlon account not just for his understanding of the insurance marketplace, but also because of his ties to the sport.

Humphrey has been participating in multisport for 31 years, starting at the age of 17. As an active USA Triathlon member, he understands what race directors, coaches and athletes deal with, which transfers to a more successful partnership when helping those in the triathlon community with their insurance needs.

What keeps Humphrey coming back to the sport year after year is the community. In 1989, he qualified for the USA Triathlon Age Group National Championships in Hilton Head, South Carolina. At the time, his inspiration was Mike Pigg, one of the most dominant professional triathletes of the era, who was also competing at the event that weekend. At the awards ceremony, Humphrey saw Pigg walking away from the stage and sprinted down the aisle to meet him.

“I shook his hand, introduced myself and told him how much of an inspiration he is to me,” said Humphrey, an up and coming age grouper at the time with aspirations of someday turning pro. He asked his idol for advice.

Pigg shared some words of wisdom and then he took the award certificate he was just given and wrote, “Hello Glenn, maybe someday you can be in this position, or better yet just have goals and dreams. Mike Pigg, Pigg Power.”

Humphrey attributes the accessibility of Pigg as a turning point in his training, keeping him engaged in the sport rather than fizzling out. This story, along with countless others, have inspired Humphrey to continue to improve, stay engaged, and to give back to the community that has supported him.

Throughout his training, Humphrey has remained motivated by other people and athletes in the sport. There is a sense of commonality among everyone that drives him to do better. He believes that “there is an internal fire to be better today than you were yesterday. To go out of your comfort level and do something that maybe you wouldn't have otherwise done. And I think the community itself can be very helpful in creating that,” he said.

His closest training partners in Maryland help facilitate this by frequently meeting up for impromptu trail runs or morning swims, inviting whoever would like to join.

“It is that sense of an inviting community, that is one of the most intriguing and interesting components keeping me engaged,” Humphrey said.

Over the years, Humphrey has mixed up his routine to stay passionate and avoid burn out. In some years, this meant mixing up the types of races he was competing in to include relay triathlons with friends, cyclocross and trail running. In years where he doesn’t race as much, his favorite thing to do is volunteer at local races, whether it be handing out water, paddle-boarding in the swim, or helping people fix their bikes. He just wants to help others in the multisport community.

“It's something else that keeps me going. While I love triathlon, I can't race all year, every year, year after year or I would burn out, so I mix it up,” he said.

So what is Humphrey’s #PowerWithin?

“My #PowerWithin and what keeps me motivated to continue in this multisport journey is the sense of accomplishment, confidence and community that are readily available when you become an active member and or participant in the sport of triathlon,” he said.

Humphrey tries to instill this in others by being an active member of the community and supporting USA Triathlon through the partnership with IOA.

Insurance Office of America: Giving Back to the Community

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