The Women's Triathlon Club, based in Chico, California, has for hundreds of women of all ages and abilities, first-timers and seasoned athletes alike been the first step on an exciting new fitness journey.
The club provides a supportive, motivating and non-intimidating environment for women interested in learning and improving their swimming, biking, and running and a flexible training schedule that allows all to share and enjoy a fun and healthy life style with other like-minded women. The club's experienced training staff provides a training environment that includes a broad variety of group training sessions, mini and weekend camps and training trips and personalized strategic training and competition advise. This allows us to help anybody to meet any needs and personal goals they might have.
Besides triathlon, duathlon, aquabike and aquathlon events many of the club's members have also participate in running events, open water swims, bike centuries and other fun multi-sports activities.
In the early 1990s, as on of the first triathlon clubs in the county, and today still one of only a dozen or so women's-only multisports clubs around, the Women's Triathlon Club emerged out of a small group of women training for and participating in triathlons and multi-sports events. By regularly launching new initiatives and expanding and adjusting the list of activities the club today continues to meet the diverse needs of the many women associated with the club.
In 1999 the Women's Tri Club teamed up with the Chico Sports Club to use their pool to offer a goal oriented women's only group training program through the club, then geared toward the participation in the Danskin Women's Triathlon series' stop in San Jose, CA. In the winter of 2000-2001 an off-season Women's Winter Running program, to bridge the fall and spring triathlon seasons was development.
In 2003 the group training program through the Chico Sports Club was the runner-up for the prestigious Nova7Awards. The award is handed out each year by the Fitness Management Magazine on behalf of the health and fitness industry at the industry’s annual international conference and recognizes new and innovative fitness opportunities that help the industry stay competitive and successful. Over the following years our club’s training program and structure was the topic of numerous articles in various publications.
In 2003 two club members jumped on the opportunity to to put on a local triathlon when the Oroville Area Chamber of Commerce, the California State Parks and the California Department of Water Resources signaled an interest in supporting such an event at Lake Oroville. The agencies hoped the event would help showcase the area and draw a new types of recreational users to the lake, so they provide financial backing and exclusive location access. The triathlon, the City of Gold Triathlon, ran successfully for seven years and was the start for what today is the Under The Sun Events, a successful event organization.
In 2004, as one of the first multisport clubs, the Women's Triathlon Club got training and racing team uniforms.
In 2005 the club started to organize several local weekend mini camps and extended weekend camps around various multisports events as a way to add a new dimension to the training.
In 2007 over a dozen members headed to Death Valley for a 10-day "training" camp. 2007 was also the year where the club qualified over 20 and had the largest club contingent at the USAT AG National Championships, a feat repeated again in 2008.
In 2009 the club earned the first podium finish at a USATriathlon Nationals when Kim A finished 2nd in her division on the Sprint Distance. 2008 and 2009 were also the years where two years of training and planning paid off for 14 members as they qualified for Team USA and the 2009 ITU World Triathlon Championships in Gold Coast, AUS. In addition to an unforgettable trip for all Margaret B brought home the club's first podium finish at an ITU World Championship event when she won her division on the Sprint Distance. She has been on Team USA and competed at ITU Worlds since 2007 and has won two more ITU World Championship titles, both in the Sprint Duathlon, one in Gijon, ESP (2011) and one in Pontevedra, ESP (2014).
In 2010 the club won its first USAT National Triathlon Championship when Teresa K won her division (plus the grand masters division) on the long distance. Mary Ann B finished second in her division for an addition podium finish. 2010 was also the year when Leslie C and Nikki S earned a podium finish each at the first ever USAT Aquathlon National Championships.
Besides dominating the local female cycling scene several of the girls in 2011 did several double century bike rides as part of their training resulting in two of them earning the coveted California Triple Crown badge for completing at least three such events in a season. Building on this two of the girls in 2012 started and were among the few female finishers of the Everest Challenge Stage Race, a USCF sanctioned 208 mile, two-day ride featuring about 29,035 feet of climbing, including several above-10,000 feet summits.
Website: www.womenstriclub.com
E-Mail: [email protected]