EN OS Spring Training Camp????
Does EN or would EN consider putting on an OS camp?
I was online yesterday and saw where Cliff English will have a camp in Tucson for $1,012.50 in March and a week later Gordo Byrn will be having his camp in the same place for $2,395.00.
Living in the Midwest (Kansas City), every year around the end of Jan to the begining of February I find myself chomping at the bit to go do some kind of outdoor training. The problem is the weather, so I just s/b/r a bunch all in doors.
After looking at those camps I end up running into 2 problems. 1) The cost is pretty high, just to go training. 2) I don't have a full week to get away and do something like that without burning up some goodwill at home. For some reason my wife would not be super thrilled about me leaving her with the kids for a full week while I go train some place warm.
This year I attended EN's Ironman Wisconsin Camp and thought it was awesome. I learned a ton, liked what I heard and as soon as I got home I signed up with EN and used your plan and learned as much as I could until IMOO. I ended up parting ways with my old coach and now I am full time EN and could not be happier about this decision.
I am wondering if a similar type OS training camp would be a good financial decision for RnP and prove to be a good ROI. My thought is there are probably a bunch of EN members like myself that are chomping at the bit to do something in either Feb or March because they haven't been outside in probably 3-4 months. The cost to buy the airplane ticket and get a hotel room is not the big problem, it's the extra $1,000+ these other camps want to charge and how long the camp is.
It would be pretty cool if there was a camp that maybe was 4-5 days long, started on a Wednesday Evening and went through Sunday Morning? It would be run very similar to the IMOO camp where people who attend the camp are on their own to know the route, bring their own necessary nutritionion, gear, etc.
It could be any place where the weather is good, it could be in California where Rich lives that way in the first year if you all were unsure of the success there would not be much of a financial commitment on EN's part. My thought is if it's open to the public, like the IM Camps are I know probably 4-5 guys who would come out with me and I am sure most would end up joining EN, some already have. At the IMOO camp I think we had 100+ and that was for a race. I would think you could possibly draw a bigger number for an OS Camp just because it could cast a wider net. People getting ready for an early season races, other like myself stuck inside with crappy weather, where ever it is held I am sure it will probably draw some local interest.
Possible locations: California, Arizona, Florida, Las Vegas (ride some of the Leadman Tri course or IM 70.3 WC course)
This could be a nice opportunity to S-B-R with the coaches, but hear more about EN philosophy on training and racing. Everytime I have heard Rich speak, I always walk away learning something new (Sorry P, haven't got to attend a live event where you have been speaking yet).
Ok, I promise this will be my last suggestion this week.
Thoughts?
Comments
Jason,
Yes, this is definitely possible. However, understand that my current dance card is:
Of those above, the only I gets paid on is ToC. Patrick has similar but with IMTX camp and IMTX race, IMLP camp and race, racing IMMT, coaching IMAZ. We haven't even talked about how we'll handle IMLou and IMNYC next year. We are travelin', camp givin', race goin' fools.
One of the changes we're going to make to the tri rallies is that the camps will be for reals free for EN members and probably a 200-300% markup, increasing to $50-75 for non-EN members...so you get a better deal, our costs are covered and then some.
My point is, you say spring camp and I sez...gee....awesome, because that list above has me gone for a month+.
That said there are many, many options for me to do a spring camp out here. Would be easy for me to hook up and great time for you.
If you have a long weekend, do the rallies. I did Texas last year and it was a blast. Ride, run and have a few beer every night. Totally fun. If you have a week, do the ToC. I've heard really great things about it and if I could pawn off my kids for a week, I'd do it in a heart beat.
@ Rich, charge the non EN folks $100 and give us EN guys a free t-shirt and beer
That said, I bet we could cook something up to connect our OS Mafia of members and training plan athletes. Just thinking outloud here, but I am doing a Rally in TX in April....that could easily be expanded to include swimming and running, but the riding really isn't that epic where I was around IMTX.
Maybe you post the link to where those guys are hosting their camps? Would be AWESOME to list a camp at the same venue, kill them, and charge a ton less....
Patrick,
I don't think the product would have to be free or $25.00 either, it would be great if it was but I know what you are Rich are saying. I think what I am noticing is a lot of these camps are a lot like the coaching industry. There is this group who charges this premium price to attend their camp, much like there are coaches who charge $300-$500+ for their monthly coaching service. You and Rich I think have found a new way to break the mold to traditional coaching and with what you all have done you now have something no other coaching service in the world has and that is scale.
There has to be a dollar amount where RnP are interested. You two have to figure out what that number is and then come up with something creative to make it happen. For example give EN members a discount over the general public.
Here is an example:
1. Do the first camp in California where Rich lives, this way the financial commitment to this kind of event is very low. Charge EN members $150 dollars for the camp & charge the general public $200. Have the camp in February the week before President's Day. Set it up to have people arrive sometime on Wednesday, with maybe an optional team dinner(that cost extra) on Wednesday Night. The camp would then be Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun with people flying home on Monday. At this price point the only thing I would ask is there be not additional fees related to swimming and going to the pool. Bike and running routes could all be laid out in advace, marking the course for the bike would probably be helpful since Rich would be the one who knew the way and most people can't hold his pace. Setting up a local hotel where everyone one would stay. Campers would be responsible for having all of their own nutrition, equipment, etc, just like the rally camps.
Do you think in the first year you could find 25 EN members and 5 future EN members who would be interested in going to California to train with Rich? 25 x $150=$3,750 5 x $200=1,000 Total $4,750. I could be wrong and it might be an epic failure and no one would come, but I could be wrong and you could have 50 campers
. You have a good gauge on who has been at your rally camps.
2. If you wanted to take on the competition, looks like you need to head to Tucson, Arizona.
Cliff English's camp http://cliffenglishcoaching.com/cec...-advanced/
Gordo's Camp http://www.endurancecorner.com/services/tucson_camp
I think there is definitely a market here that is not being served and it is probably at more of a value type level. Look at what the competition offers and then think about what your rally camps offer? You get a big draw for the rally camps, why not a big draw for OS training camp? These other two players are charging and pretty good premium for their camp kind of like Nordstrom's does . I am not saying EN has to be the Wal-Mart in this instance, but I think there is a lot of room for more players and for EN with your scale I think you could pull a big draw on a value price.
I also think if this idea was popular you could do 2 OS EN Camps, one of the East coast (Florida) and one on the West Coast (California or Arizona).
Patrick, put the camp together and make it worth your while so after you are done with an east coast camp in Florida you take your girls to Disney World. There will be no complaints in that house
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Jason,
Thanks for the discussion and ideas. PnI have a lot of camp giving, putting on experience.
The key for us, and I'm sure you undertand this, is PnI have definitely punched our "create stoopid value for the team and fans by showing up at races and running camps for next to nothing" cards. Any addition to that schedule will have to make us serious cashola...that's just the facts. These things are just a major, major footprint to put together.
Anyway...I just created a monster Google Doc for PnI called "Improving EN," which will serve as a table of contents for a whollle list of other docs in which we brainstorm all of the components of EN and how we can improve upon them. This camps piece is a major player on that list.
Thanks for the push!
Oh...and you can have Tucson. I can/have put together camps out of Monrovia that totally rock. We can do a 135mi ride with 16k of gain right from my door...
I'm quite certain RnP would/could put on a great camp, but do you really need a formal camp? Grab a couple buddies and go do it! Or post something up in the forums to see if there is any real interest from the team. I think that is how the Blue Ridge camp started right? No coaches attended that. You can use the camps you mentioned and piggyback on what they are doing and save yourself $$$$.