Posted: April 5, 2005

Triathlon: City of Philadelphia Triathlon signs SLHCommunications for PR, sponsorship

PHILADELPHIA (April 4, 2005) – The City of Philadelphia Triathlon (www.phillytri.com) last week signed with endurance sport-focused, Chicago-based SLHCommunications, Inc., for public relations services and sponsorship and expo marketing of the inaugural event scheduled for June 26, 2005. Almost 1,300 athletes registered for the sold out, Olympic-distance triathlon (1.5 km swim/40 km bike/10 km run), which will also host an all-day, consumer expo and carbo-loading dinner the day before and live music at the on-site, post-race celebration.

“Philadelphia has a great triathlon community and the event’s principals are solid businessmen committed to making this a world-class event,” says Steve Handwerker, owner and principal, SLHCommunications. “They’ve got a defined, long-range growth plan that we’re proud to be a part of.” A pioneer and leader in public relations for the sport, the agency represents triathlons and professional triathletes worldwide.

Handwerker says the event’s PR campaigns are gearing up well and that sponsorship and expo sales are starting to move along, too. “Our title and presenting sponsorships are designed to give great returns on investment and position companies to brand an annual race that will quickly become a classic, big-city event.

“Amateur triathletes are health-conscious, upwardly mobile, six-figure-income, decision makers and influencers who are educated consumers of the newest technology and best investments of their time and money. Who wouldn’t want to own that audience?”

Race director Lars Beck adds that, “people hit the treadmill and spin class, and swim mind-numbing laps all week long, every week. Putting it all on the line to prove what your spirit can achieve is quite empowering and fulfilling, and celebrating it with so many others like you makes it that much more fun. This will truly be a big-city celebration.”

The City of Philadelphia Triathlon reached its first-year target of 1,250 athletes in just 10 weeks of registration, and five months before the race. Sixty percent of the triathletes will come from Pennsylvania, and the other 510-plus will travel from 30 other states, including 350 from New Jersey, New York and Maryland combined. Demographics are comparable to the sport’s national averages: 75% are male; and 60% of the men and 54% of the women are between 30 and 44 years old, with the field-to-date ranging from 16 to 64.

The City of Philadelphia Triathlon will feature many of Philadelphia’s most historic and picturesque sections. The challenging yet fun course includes a 1.5 km swim in the Schuylkill River, followed by a 40 km, two-loop bike course winding through Fairmount Park and past Boathouse Row, and concludes with a scenic, 10 km, out-and-back run along the Art Museum loop…without the Rocky Balboa run up the Art Museum steps.

Beneficiaries of the independent City of Philadelphia Triathlon include Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s division of oncology, Police Athletic League and Fairmount Park Commission. Sponsors-to-date include Cadence Cycling Performance Center, Endless Pools, Triathlete Magazine, Wissahickon Mountain Spring Water, Penguin Brands, Sorbothane, Nathan Sports, Hammer Nutrition, Fox Rothschild Attorneys at Law, Renaissance Marble and Granite, and Savran Benson Certified Public Accountants. For media information and sponsorship and expo information sales and marketing, contact SLHCommunications, Inc., slhcomm@hotmail.com, tel. (312) 375-9500, or visit www.PhillyTri.com.