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Club Looking To Become North County Triathlon Hub

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By Eric Horchy | The Suncoast News

Published: July 5, 2008

PALM HARBOR North Pinellas endurance athletes seeking training assistance and a little like-minded camaraderie can now have a local answer to their needs with the recent emergence of the Palm Harbor Tri-Warriors triathlon club.

Beginning informally last year, PHTW is now officially sanctioned by the Colorado Springs-based USA Triathlon sanctioning group.

PHTW seeks to help "multisport athletes reach their goals by providing group training sessions, sponsorship benefits, and education through a fun and supportive environment," according to its Web site, www.phtriwarriors.com.

The club is also a not-for-profit organization that is active in volunteer work and fund raising for charitablecauses, said the PHTW secretary, Leslie Hugh.

"We're a social group to encourage anyone that wants to participate or learn more about triathlons," Hugh said while describing the club's attributes.

The club's membership is not limited to triathletes. "We have marathoners, swimmers, duathletes, cyclists, and we're all different levels from beginners to Ironmen," Hugh said.

PHTW meets 7:30 p.m. on the fourth Wednesday of each month at the Greater Palm Harbor Branch YMCA, 1600 16th St. The group regularly invites guest speakers - ranging from nutritionists to bicycle maintenance professionals to chiropractors - to educate those interested in the sport.

"It's a little bit of everything - education, training and fun," said Hugh. "We just want to make it fun for the people who join."

With the Suncoast becoming a hot bed for multisport athletes over the past two decades, Hugh said, the group's goal is to become North County's triathlon club "so we can support athletes in our area that need a place to train and have partners to train with."

The nearest club before the PHTW formed has been the St. Pete Mad Dogs, Hugh said. Mad Dogs is the largest triathlon group in the nation, he noted.

Still in its infancy, PHTW is in an expansion stage. It has 17 official, card-holding members and 32 total interested online members listed on the group's original Web site, http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/phtriwarriors.

Anyone is invited to attend meetings, and membership dues are $35 per year.

The next event the Tri-Warriors are in preparation for is the July 13 Morton Plant Mease Triathlon, at Sand Key.

For more information go to www.phtriwarriors.com,> or call 727-480-3334.

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