For BIESTMILCH it’s time for a change

You may have realized during the last weeks that we have been discretely picking up the topic of the new triathlon format »Super League Triathlon«.
Peculiar? In somehow maybe.
In this paragraph I want to give you a few reasons why we did this step. Since BIESTMILCH and its team have been venturing out into the world of triathlon in 2001, the sport has changed conspicuously. The pioneer times are definitely over. WTC, IRONMAN respectively became part and parcel of one of the worlds biggest event and media companies, the Chinese Wanda Group.
The triathlon corporate world expands on high speed. IRONMAN is growing fast as a corporate. The myth of IRONMAN Hawaii, which for many people became identical with triathlon as the hardest endurance sport ever makes thousands to participate or bowing in awe to those doing it. With time the myth got scratches on the surface, especially for those who dare to take a closer look. The development on the side of Challenge series is very similar, only the looks are different, it’s more about the US style to execute things vs the European way.

For a small company like BIESTMILCH it became more and more difficult over the years to get into a fruitful and feasible partnership. What we put in never came out. The world of huge corporate companies don’t leave space for small innovative companies. The pricing policies are not made for small businesses to keep pace.
As the sport grows rapidly the number of races increases in a way that even the media lose track. The exposure and attention you get as a sponsor of an event and as a sponsor of an athlete is minimal or null.
IRONMAN and Challenge earn their money mainly through participation fees and not by sponsors they acquire due to their media presence. Pro athletes as a source of making money are of minor importance for the event organizers. This is all good for some of the big players everybody knows, whose advertising is all about brand awareness. It is not made for us.

Therefore we had to make a decision, either leave the sport or find another partner. Since I am very close friends with Chris McCormack, who is the inventor and cofounder of this new format, we got the chance to be part of the inaugural event on Hamilton Island. Super League triathlon is different. This triathlon model resembles the ATP tour in tennis or the in Germany very popular format of biathlon. It is designed to reach a larger audience by creating triathlete role models, presenting an exciting competition on various TV channels.
It is a risky enterprise, because nobody knows whether the format is going to be accepted. But for BIESTMILCH it is a big and fair chance, and by the way, we have never been afraid to take risks.