These 4 USA Triathlon Clubs Show Why You Should Join a Tri Club

Location: Austin, Texas 

Learn more: austintriclub.org 

How they got started: Back in the day, there used to be an Austin Tri Club, but it splintered off in different directions with different coach-led local teams. And then when a new couple moved to the town from DC, they looked around and wanted to know why there wasn’t a social club for everyone. 

So the nonprofit was started in 2017, bylaws were written up, board members can’t benefit from being on the board (ie. no board members who also sell triathlon services), and they started putting on weekly workouts and social events and partnering with local races and clubs to get the word out.

Now, there are about 320 active members who come to group rides and runs, monthly social events, and, of course, cheer each other on at races around Texas. 

What they do: “It’s more of a social sports club that puts an emphasis on giving back to the community,” said board president Stewart Mickler. 

Austin is a town that has a lot of training and running groups, and a lot of very fast serious training and run groups. So for the Tri Club, the focus isn’t on competing with other groups, but on grassroots volunteering and having fun. They worked with the Special Olympics of Texas, said Mickler, to put on an aquathlon for those athletes, and they did an underpants run fundraiser for the Ironman Foundation. 

There’s also a bimonthly social event that moves around town and has prizes — like a Christmas-themes Pub Run — and a monthly tailgate at the Circuit of the Americas, where they get to ride their bikes on the track. But the main thing is that you can be as serious or not serious as you want, and coached by whoever you want, and you’ll still find some training buddies you can link up with in the club. 

“It’s such a big group, everyone can find somebody,” said Mickler. 

Location: Los Angeles, California 

Learn more: latriclub.com 

How they got started: There used to be a store in L.A. called Tri Zombies and they had a discount club that would attract 20-30 people for monthly events. But then Paul Hekimian reached out to the store owner and said he wanted to really grow it. 

He recruited a pro triathlete friend to help him get speakers, created a community, and did lots of giveaways for products and services. Eventually, the club spun off from the store and in its first year it grew to 800 members. “I knew we were onto something,” said Hekimian. 

Twenty-five years later, there are still people who have been coming to L.A. Tri Club events for over two decades — especially the social events with prizes. 

What they do: Unlike a lot of tri clubs, which are operated as nonprofits with a rotating board of directors that changes every year, the L.A. Tri Club runs as a business with Hekimian as the owner and president. It’s a set-up, he says, provides some continuity year-to-year and resources to invest back in the club. 

The approximately 500 members get free or discounted access to a range of performance coaching and services, like on-demand and live virtual cycling workouts, Masters swimming and video analysis, and an extremely popular open water swim in Santa Monica that also attracts plenty of non-members and helps introduce them to the ocean. 

Within that large a group — L.A. is a big place after all — there are also a number of targeted programs within the club. Like the youth teen team during the summer, which is free for kids and provides free coaching and entries to a couple targeted races. Or, the club’s women’s program that has weekly group calls with their coach and a weekly workout. 

And this year, they’ll also be organizing groups to train for and target two key California races; the Legacy Triathlon and the resurrected Wildflower Triathlon. 

Location: Virtual 

Learn more: fastchix.org 

How they got started: Ten years ago, Col. Yvonne Spencer got together a small group of primarily Black women doing triathlon “for us to have a space,” she said. They wanted somewhere they could connect with other people going through the same things — talk about how to train during menopause or what to wear under their tri kits with other women.  

“So many women want to be a part of some community, but they just haven’t found their people yet.” Spencer wanted to help them find their people. 

At first it was just small groups meeting up and discussions in a Facebook group. In 2018, about 40 of them went to their first race together. And it grew from there, “because people interact with other Fast Chix [at races or events] and they like the energy we bring,” she said. 

What they do: Now, Fast Chix has grown to about 1,800 women online — with larger pockets on the East Coast, where Spencer is based now in Virginia, but there are women in Canada, California, Florida. 

That’s why they’ll do a big group trip — this year, back to Costa Rica — and a few larger race meet-ups for everyone to target. To mark the 10th anniversary in 2025, they celebrated with a gala in January and a cycling trip in the spring. Joining the nonprofit club is free, and there are some women who are part of Fast Chix and also part of other training squads. Mostly, though, it’s about connecting women from all over and supporting each other in a non-intimidating way: having fun at the start line, staying to cheer until the very end.  

Because sometimes they’ll also be the last athletes crossing the finish line, said Spencer, and that’s part of what they’re all about. You don’t have to be fast to be a part of Fast Chix. “It’s a mindset, not a pace,” she said. 

Location: Rochester, New York 

Learn more: rochesterareatriathletes.com 

How they got started: Actually one of the oldest clubs on the East Coast, RATs (as they refer to themselves) got started when a few early triathlon adopters moved to Rochester from San Diego over 40 years ago.

There were membership ebbs and flows over the years, and when COVID hit club numbers were pretty low. But some new energy restarted group workouts and refocused on making the sport accessible. “Ninety-five percent of the people are there to have fun,” said club president Michael Smith. 

They started bringing a tent to their key weekly run-bike-run workout (so other athletes would see them and come say hi) and doing outreach to new triathletes. And it slowly worked. “Six became 12, 12 became 24, and now we’re 350,” he said. 

What they do: With the winter months, the group gears up for the cold upstate New York weather with an indoor training program: 20 weeks of spin, swim, and strength workouts — with 50-60 people doing an indoor tri at the local college. Nothing like other triathletes to get you up and out the door at 5 a.m. in December. 

Then, in the summer they start their weekly bricks (R-B-R) and open water swims. They do a Sunday Sprint, like a simulated triathlon for people to get their feet wet, and clinics. And the group targets their local and regional races (Rochester Triathlon, Musselman 70.3) for training rides, volunteering, and of course racing. 

They also have a code of conduct that’s strictly enforced — because if you’re repping RATs, then you better be treating everyone with respect, helping each other out, and welcoming in newbies. 

“If you’re going to join a club, make sure it’s a welcoming one,” said Smith. This is supposed to be fun! 

Of course, lurking near someone wearing a triathlon swim cap at the pool and then asking them who they train with is always an option. Or, checking out the coolest-looking groups at your next local race.

But if you don’t feel up for that, start by logging into your USA Triathlon member hub (member.usatriathlon.org) and clicking on ‘Find a Club.’ 

Putting in your zip code will give you a list of some of the USAT-certified triathlon clubs in your region with contact info. Just reach out to them, try a workout, and see which club is the best fit for you.