Cal Triathlon Club

THANK YOU!!

Cal Triathlon has officially reached our first Stretch Goal of 10,000!! We are absolutely blown away by the generosity and support from our team, friends, family, and alumni! We couldn't have done this without you all!!! With 6 days left in our campaign we are increasing to a Super Stretch Goal of $12,000!! Please continue sharing our campaign! Thank you and GO BEARS!

Welcome to the Crowdfunding Page of UC Berkeley’s Triathlon Team! Thank you for taking the time to view our page. We hope you enjoy learning about our team and will consider donating!

The Triathlon Club at UC Berkeley is a 150+ member family, ranging from first-time swimmers, cyclists, and runners to elite athletes who aspire to be National Champions. Our success can be largely attributed to the commitment of our club members as well as the support provided by a fantastic group of student coaches, head and assistant coaches, and board members, who dedicate their own time to help each team member excel in training and have fun through the sport. We pride ourselves on being a no-cut, welcoming, and inclusive team, open to any UC Berkeley student who wants to learn more about the multisport lifestyle, achieve their highest athletic potential, or simply find a supportive family here at Cal. The pandemic made it difficult for us to train and spend time together, but we’ve built back our team and are back stronger than ever. We continue to strive to improve individually and as a team.

We are a student-run athletic club that receives little financial support from the school. We are the largest collegiate triathlon team in the country and one of the most decorated collegiate triathlon teams in history - and we have achieved all of this merely through the financial backing of team fundraising efforts and membership dues, alongside the countless hours our coaches volunteer for the team. The cost of training equipment, dues, and race travel can be an expensive undertaking for any college student and a barrier for those hoping to get involved in the sport. For a regular semester, the bare minimum, to fully participate in Cal Triathlon requires a starting cost of $2500, plus $1000 for each subsequent year of participation. We seek to bring the triathlon lifestyle to anyone who is interested, regardless of their financial ability to participate. As such, financial assistance or equipment donations help support our team and promote triathlon to the greater UC Berkeley community.

Our team, and the sport of triathlon as a whole, lacks ethnic and socio-economic diversity. We launched a diversity initiative, Cal Triversity, to encourage and support the involvement of historically underrepresented and disadvantaged groups within the Cal multisport community. This year we are directing 15% of the money we raise from crowdfunding to the Cal Triversity Initiative so we can increase outreach, financial support, and mentorship to make our sport more accessible and equal for all. As part of this initiative, we are currently working on beginning a bike-lending program for our team to eliminate one of the largest barriers to entry into the sport: buying a bike. Donations of either money or equipment help spread and support triathlon on our team and in the Berkeley Community.

The money raised through Crowdfunding will help student-athletes travel, compete, and train with the Cal Triathlon Team, and help cover other team costs. Our coach’s motto is "with consistent hard work over time, success is achievable." Each year, Cal Tri is helping more and more UC Berkeley students explore the benefits of consistent hard work over time. The athletes on Cal Tri make lifelong friends, gain a network of current students, graduate students, and alumni (such as your lovely selves), and get to train with a family with a common interest in healthy living. This is the refrain our team uses when we train and race, and it is our motto for Crowdfunding as well.

One of the biggest costs to our team and our athletes is going to Nationals. This year we will be traveling to Mission Viejo to defend our 5 time Women's National Title and try regain our Men's National title. Nationals is one of our most costly races of the year since it includes travel costs, housing, and rental cars, and we try to cover as much as we can to help our athletes. We usually bring the most athletes to nationals every year, and we hope to increase that number this spring and expand the reach of triathlon in the Berkeley community.

We have taken some major losses due to the pandemic, as we were unable to host our home race and participate in other fundraisers for a couple years. It is our primary goal to make up for these losses and be in a more comfortable financial position where we can better support our athletes. Additionally, our current head coach has kindly donated his time to the team for almost ten years, but he will be retiring soon, and we need to prepare for the compensation of our future coach.

A detailed breakdown of how we will use your funds can be found below:

If you are interested in helping us take triathlon to a higher level of athleticism, sportsmanship, and inclusion, please support us. Cal Triathlon intends to continue to be at the forefront of the collegiate club sports scene and take the sport of triathlon to new levels - but we need help. Your support of our student-run, student-funded team is crucial. Please help us help our athletes and the triathlon community.

Thank you! Please consider donating and sharing this page!