Triathlon: Tri HB logo platform to boost athletes

Brendon Lodge will see in Triathlon Hawke's Bay.

What's in a name change and what happens if you decide to cling to the old appellation for good measure, too?

A lot of progress, if you ask Hawke's Bay Multisport Club (HBMSC) development manager Brendon Lodge.

Effectively the HBMSC will become Triathlon Hawke's Bay from this Sunday as it relaunches to boost numbers.

"We're changing our trading name after 26 years so we'll be trading as Tri HB," Lodge says, adding the next step is moving towards branded clothing.

Clothing as well as a marquee will bear the "Tri HB" logo, which will also be exposed to just under 300 members on Sunday at a new course, Haumoana.

The shift from the traditional Havelock North course is to whet the appetite of members who wanted a change of venue.

Add to that a new website and Lodge believes the branding comes across much sharper to the public who tend to shy away from the HBMSC brand.

"If you mention multisport people think it's the Coast to Coast and go, 'Oh, I can't do that. It's just too much for us'.

"If you say triathlon, they go 'Yes, I can achieve that one day'," he says.

The code will retain its HBMSC title in the background to ensure its history, legal entity and administrative processes maintain their traction.

"This means we won't lose our association with accolades received in the past and our relationship with funding organisations continues unchanged."

Lodge, who is the country's only paid administrator in the code, says that will ensure the framework of its constitution will remain as well as minimise the cost of changes for one of the largest club's in the country.

Members who will compete in multisport will still receive support.

The popularity of multisports, including mountainbiking and kayaking, declined so the club zeroed in on triathlon and duathlon.

For example, Lodge says, the Kaimai Classic and Lake-to-Lighthouse Challenge last year saw their fields shrink to accommodate a trail run only.

While the annual Coast to Coast, from Kumara Beach (West Coast) to New Brighton Beach (Christchurch), is doing well the other events in New Zealand aren't.

"We are up against mainly overseas competition. They are even paying people to compete in China," he reveals, adding the Bay can't match up to $40,000 in prizemoney.

The club, through its Friendly Dental series, runs duathlons in winter (run/cycle/run) and offers beginners, middle and long distance courses of 2-8km runs and 14-21km rides.

Next month it'll host the team-tag relay event at Pandora Pond, Napier, then return to Haumoana in August and back to Havelock North in September.

In summer, triathlons (swim/bike/run) take over.

"In Haumoana, you'll be among vineyards and have the perfect view of the East Coast. It's stunning so I'm jealous I won't be running," says Lodge who received the 2014 administrator of the year award in May.