Hy-Vee ends triathlon; another company to keep it running

Hy-Vee Inc. announced Tuesday it is discontinuing the Hy-Vee Triathlon, an annual event that draws thousands of runners, bikers and swimmers and millions of dollars to the city year year.

But don't write the obituary on the triathlon just yet.

Premier Event Management, the company that produced the Hy-Vee Triathlon, said it plans to keep the event going, starting this summer.

"We still have the permits for the city. And we will be doing the new, inaugural Des Moines Triathlon," said Bill Burke, Premier's race director.

"We're just going to continue the tradition and the legacy that was the Hy-Vee Triathlon, and just try to build on that," he said. "Unfortunately, at this point, we don't have any sponsors. And we're going to work aggressively to try to fill that void."

Despite losing the title sponsor, Burke credited Hy-Vee for its contribution to the sport and for creating a unique event in Des Moines.

"Anytime you have something like that happen so quickly and so suddenly, it's a shock. But no one in the sport of triathlon has put more into the last nine years than Hy-Vee. I mean no one. Nobody has spent the money and created the legacy that Hy-Vee has created," he said. "We just want to try and build on that and continue the tradition that they started."

Burke and his company are poised to do just that. Premier Event Management produces the annual Escape From Alcatraz triathlon in San Francisco, as well as triathlons in New York, Toronto and Washington, D.C.

He said the Des Moines Triathlon will be an Olympic distance event with a sprint triathlon component.

"We believe that Des Moines is a big, viable fitness market," Burke said. "And hopefully, by adding an additional sprint triathlon, we can get some folks involved in the sport who might have been intimidated by participating in the longer Olympic distance race."

DATABASE: Hy-Vee Triathlon results from 2007 to present

Greg Edwards, president and chief executive of the Des Moines Convention and Visitors Bureau, said it is too soon to say how the proposed Des Moines Triathlon will shake out, but he is confident Burke can handle it.

"He will be able to pick up the ball and do a good job with it," Edwards said. "It's more of a name change (for the event)."

The Convention and Visitors Bureau estimates the Hy-Vee Triathlon has brought $4.5 million into the Des Moines economy each year.

Hy-Vee sponsored the triathlon for eight years. It drew some of the sport's top athletes from across the globe and even more competitors from within the state for amateur and children's races.

The company said discontinuing the triathlon was a part of doing business.

"We are constantly evaluating our offerings to ensure that we are engaging customers of all interests, fitness levels and abilities," Hy-Vee said in a letter to triathlon participants.

It plans to create a series of events aimed at health and wellness in children.

"The new series will be aimed at increasing accessibility to children at all fitness levels with a focus on non-competitive participation and helping others," the statement said. Plans for the new event will be released in mid-March.

The decision to drop the triathlon is "not related to the company's financial status," spokeswoman Tara Deering-Hansen said.

Hunter Kemper, a tri-athlete who participated in all but one of the Hy-Vee races and who won the event last year, said he is disappointed to hear that Hy-Vee is dropping the event.

"It's difficult, but I am appreciative of the opportunity to have been involved in it," he said. "They were able to bring in the best athletes from around the world. And I am thankful that they helped elevate our sport."

Hy-Vee Triathlon

The Hy-Vee Triathlon maintained strong participation numbers over the event's eight-year run. The number of adult participants include:

2007: 1,188

2008: 2,097

2009: 2,081

2010: 2,200

2011: 2,053

2012: 2,848

2013: 2,758

2014: 2592