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Xtri Interview: Barry Siff of 5430 Sports
By Betsy Delcour
5/14/2008 |
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Barry Siff has an extraordinary background, having made the leap from businessman, to ultra adventure racer, to founder of 5430 Sports. Xtri recently had the chance to sit down with Barry to talk about how he got involved with triathlon to begin with, what it's like living in one of the Meccas of the triathlon world, and what's in store for the future...
1. You have quite an interesting background! Can you tell us about how you got into marathons in the early 80s?
I was a tennis player in college, and continued after I left. In 1981, I was in Detroit, MI, and read in the “Detroit Free Press” newspaper that if you could run 5 miles, you could run the Detroit Free Press Marathon with 3 months of training. They posted a schedule in their paper – I followed it – and did my first marathon in October, 1981.
2. What’s the biggest training method change you’ve made from your early days of endurance training/racing to today?
Having a coach. I started triathlon in 1986, and did not have a coach until just 2 years ago. I read a lot, and followed lots of schedules; but, I have certainly come to appreciate the value of someone watching over, guiding, and motivating you to the next level on a day-to-day basis.
3. How did you make the transition from marathoner to triathlete?
Like so many others, I was just a bit tired of simply running, and wanted to try something different. I was in Omaha, NE at the time, and there was a very vibrant triathlon contingency there. The social aspect and support of the group was extremely good.
4. What were your first triathlons like?
I did several pool swims; and can distinctly remember totally hyperventilating in my first open water swim somewhere in Kansas. I was close to the last person out of the water … which is not all that far off from today still! I also remember just how much fun the triathlons were – great people, not nearly as “intense” as today. Of course, I was racing in Nebraska, Iowa, and Kansas … not Boulder.
5. During this time, you had a career as a successful business man too. You were a partner at a telemarketing company in Omaha, then you were a Sr. VP of a $7 Billion food business – what companies were these? How did you balance training with a busy work schedule?
Our telemarketing company was ITI Marketing Services, which we sold; and, I then returned to ConAgra in 1995 to help manage the Red Meats Division of this huge food company. That brought me to Colorado. While I absolutely led the life of the busy, Type A executive, I always found/made time to train. One of my favorite thigns was to run home from work, and have someone drive me to the office the next morning. This was typically done 1-2X per week, 10-12 miles. I also traveled an enormous amount of time, and was an expert on the LifeCycle in hotel exercise rooms. If I had a layover of more than 1.5 hours, I always rushed off to a hotel near the airport to squeeze a workout in; and, of course, I swam with a Masters group at 5:30 or 6AM a couple times a week.
6. So then how did you get into adventure racing? How did you become the captain of Team Salomon North America?
My return stint with ConAgra in 1995 only lasted just over 2 years. When we (our 5-person executive team) didn’t turn the business around quickly enough, we were all “retired/fired” and I never looked back. That day, I went for an extra long run, and decided to change my life. I heard 2 terrific individuals speaking on adventure racing, and this thing called “Eco-Challenge,” about a month later … and I was hooked. I joined the 2 of them, formed MountainQuest Adventures, and we started putting on races, racing ourselves; and, ultimately, Liz Caldwell and I wrote the first major book on the sport: “Adventure Racing – The Ultimate Guide.” It was quite popular. Our team was always pretty competitive (11th in Borneo Eco-Challenge, 9th In Tibet-Nepal Raid Gauloises, for example); but, more important, we were well respected. None of us were extraordinary athletes – and we were older by all standards – but we were smart and passionate. These were some amazing years! From 1998 to 2003, we raced in over 20 countries around the world.
7. How did you make the move to Boulder, and how did 5430 Sports get started?
I always loved Boulder; and, when my youngest son graduated from high school in Fort Collins, where we were, and went to the University of Colorado, I was able to justify the move to my dream location. MountainQuest was still going; but, in 2003-2004, I was offered an opportunity to take over (buy) a pretty cool little race called the “5430 Triathlon.” I basically morphed that race with MountainQuest; but, when I get into something, I go pretty much 120%; and, soon, reignited my passion for triathlon. The rest is history. 5430 Sports has grown into one of the leading and most successful triathlon and multisport event management companies in the country.
8. Tell us about your successful events!
We currently have 8 events – 4 “adult” triathlons, 1 kids triathlon, and 3 running races. The Boulder Peak Triathlon is certainly our signature event; although, the 5430 Sprint and Long Course races are definitely growing in stature and reputation. We will award over $70,000 in prize money this year! We also initiated an industry leading environmental program called “Tri Sustainability” in 2007, for which we received a very prestigious award here in Boulder on Earth Day this year. Our Zero Waste efforts have been hugely successful, as well as our carbon emissions offset program, and educating our participants and spectators. We are really proud of this. Our Kids Triathlon had over 400 kids, 3-15 (yes, 3!), last year; and we hope to hit 500 this year. It’s so awesome to see all the kids out there, and we get great support from so many of our local pros here. It’s pretty cool!
9. You’ve traveled the world, racing marathons, triathlons and adventure races. Do you have a favorite event? Is there a race out there you haven’t done yet, but would like to?
The Hawaii Ironman World Championship is “mecca” for me – I absolutely love everything about it. The greatest race I ever participated in was the Raid Gauloises, where we raced for 6 days, covering something like 700 kilometers from Tibet to Nepal. It was truly spectacular. As for a race out there that intrigues me – Badwater. It’s on my radar screen.
10. What’s the future look like for you and 5430 sports?
Our focus is on continual improvement for all of our events. I am involved with a new website, www.dailytriathlon.com, which basically is committed to putting out the daily news of everything triathlon worldwide. That’s been fun, and I am really proud of our progress with that. I also would like to keep writing fo the various magazines around the world, and I have a book in progress, which should come out in Spring, 2009.
Photos
1. Barry during Primal Quest
2. Accepting the Eco-Cycle Award
3. With wife Jodie
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