Meet the man who is determined to make short course triathlon “cool again”

The supertri season kicks off here in Boston tomorrow with the first of two back-to-back races here in North America. Fans from around the world will be watching the exciting professional action, but behind the media and spectator component of the supertri racing there’s a much greater vision. supertri CEO and co-founder Michael D’Hulst expresses that vision with one catchy slogan – he’s determined to “make short course triathlon cool again.”

D’Hulst, who is from Belgium, has been competing in the sport since the mid-90s. The team he’s building at supertri is “united by the passion for the sport and the vision of supertri.” He was one of the co-founders of supertri in 2016 along with two-time Kona champ Chris McCormack and Russian tech investor Leonid Boguslavsky. McCormack hasn’t been as involved over the last few years, but continues to be involved through the franchise and commentary component of the league. Boguslavsky is the man with the money who makes all this possible.

That goal of improving the lot of short course triathlon isn’t going to be easy, for sure, but D’Hulst and his team from supertri (the company now employs six people full-time here in North America) are putting the pieces in place to make it happen. Just weeks after the incredibly exciting racing at the Paris Olympics, tomorrow’s race in Boston will feature 11 medalists. With the Olympics coming to Los Angeles in 2028, the goal is to capture the excitement after the Games and look to build on that over the next four years.

Since the first Ironman World Championship took place in 1978, the sport has, in many ways, been defined by the epic race in Kona. D’Hulst has no interest in trying to take on the long-distance juggernaut. He’s looking for supertri to create its own niche in multisport racing.

Supertri season kicks off in Boston with 11 Olympic medalists from Paris

“We don’t need to compete with Ironman,” D’Hulst said in an interview earlier this year. “We’re looking to bring something that is new that drives the future of the sport. We’re creating a racing product that is exhilarating and entertaining.”

The goal with the professional racing is to “create aspiration,” D’Hulst said. supertri is in the process of creating a separate brand for mass participation that is “all about inclusiveness.”

“We want to grow the sport, to provide new access,” D’Hulst continued. “The events promote accessibility, safety … you can cross the finish line with your family (OK, he said he wasn’t competing with Ironman, not that he wouldn’t make any digs at the company). We want a celebration of the sport for participation.”

Younger audience

The supertri racing, with it’s unique race format that includes three swim (300 m)/ bike (4 km)/ run (1.6 km) legs done in a row without a break, offers an exciting race format that D’Hulst feels is more likely to appeal to people who like to watch sports.

“The sport has struggled to create a future for itself,” D’Hulst said. “A younger audience, they consume differently. We want to make sure the racing is unpredictable, we want the jeapardy in it.”

The supertri format delivers on that front, with features like the “short chute” providing added excitement and unpredictability to the mix.

supertri is also building on the team concept its been developing over the last few years, with four “franchises” competing in this year’s league: Brownlee Racing, Crown Racing, Podium Racing and Stars and Stripes Racing.

“The team franchise concept is important to help us get access to the wider audience,” D’Hulst said, suggesting that the format is similar to the teams you see in Formula 1.

Triathlon Majors

The two-pronged approach includes the supertri pro series and an ever-expanding series of “major” age group triathlon events. On deck this year are the three North American events – the Long Beach Triathlon, the Boston Triathlon and next week’s Chicago Triathlon.

“Our focus is on North America – there are good opportunities there,” D’Hulst said. “We’re also looking at opportunities in France and the UK.”

After investing in the Malibu Triathlon a few years ago, supertri found itself on the outside when the city opened the bidding process for the racing, and former race-owner Michael Epstein managed to regain the permits for the race, which was a blow to the supertri North American plans, but the company quickly bounced back by attaining the Long Beach race. It now looks like the company will have another shot at the Malibu race, too. (See below.)

The Malibu drama continues – city re-opens bidding process for triathlon

Just weeks after the Olympics, supertri has two big events coming up in North America. The timing certainly works for D’Hulst and the supertri team to build on the excitement around the sport. The question now will be: is triathlon ready to be cool? We’ll soon find out.