It’s a Tribe and You’re invited.

Patch: What is your background and how did you think of starting the club?

Doug Freeman: In a nutshell, I am a regular 50-year-old guy and father of two. I was in athletics my whole life since I was 5-years-old. I have been running regularly for 20 years and started triathlons about 10 years ago. We were all at a popular triathlon called Wildflower and we had 25 friends camping out and we realized that we were not associated with a group and we should start one.

TRIBE http://www.triclublb.com/  The Tri Club of Long Beach, is a fitness lifestyle club that supports individuals and groups with passions for swimming, biking, running and Stand-Up Paddling. TRIBE was established to connect athletes, provide a network of information, training and event activities and most importantly, friendship and fun.

Doug explains that there are four levels of triathlons:

1)      Iron Man which is 140.6 miles (2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike, and a marathon run—26. 2 miles)

2)      Level 2 is exactly half of the distance of the Iron Man adding up to 70.3 miles.

3)      Olympic is the next level with a 1.5-kilometer swim, 40-kilometer bike and 10-kilometer run.

4)      Level 4 is called a Sprint and distances can vary around a .9-mile swim, 11-15 mile bike and a 5K run.

What we decided to do (with Tribe) is access some of the great fitness clubs that have been established in the community. This time of year when the water is warm we organize a swim a few times a week in the bay and offer different distances and paces and purposely swim in tight groups because that is what it is like in a triathlon.

We run with both AREC (A Running Experience Club)   http://www.arec-lb.com which has been around since 1978 and meets at Buster’s on Wednesdays and there will be 75 - 100 runners of all paces and distances. If you show up, you will meet a friend to run with. They also offer training for half and full marathons on Saturday mornings. We also train with Team Runner’s High http://www.teamrunnershigh.org/ on Second Street on Thursday evenings which is a smaller group.

Hank Wise has a Master’s swim program on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 5:30-7 a.m. at the Belmont Pool and then in the winter months he offers triathlon training (at the pool when the water is cold in the bay) which is different from the Master’s because the type of swimming we do for triathlons is mainly freestyle. This is offered for all levels.

We schedule (bike) rides headed up by club members to include morning rides a few days a week and weekend rides which are typically a longer format to places like Palos Verdes, Turnbull Canyon in Whittier, Laguna Beach down the coast and Santiago Canyon. They’re all great training rides. We are also starting beginners rides, cycling clinics and girls only rides to allow those who want a comfortable and non-threatening, fun environment to get started in the cycling world.

P: How long would it take someone who has not been training much and perhaps runs or bikes a few times a week? How much does one have to train to do a Sprint Triathlon and for how long?

DF: If they did two of the runs and two water workouts for 30 – 60 days before the event, they would definitely be ready for a sprint triathlon. Long Beach’s sprint is Sept. 18 so there is plenty of time. We have a saying “compete or complete” and most of us are going for the complete. Most people want to complete a triathlon with a smile on their face.

We want to be a comprehensive club accommodating everyone so we offer advice on nutrition and equipment and all the FAQs for beginners. The biggest fear for most is the swim so we train for that and try to instill confidence.

P: Is there a social aspect to club?

DF: It is a fitness-based social club. We have Big Red Bus trips. We have one July 31 at El Moro. People can go and work out or just hang out. We do a swim and bike workout. It is a family event.

P: Do you find that more and more people are doing triathlons these days?

DF: Triathlons have completely exploded since the early 2000s when you saw it twice a year on television and thought the triathletes were crazy people with the Iron Man and the entities that sponsored it.

P: Why did you choose the name Tribe?

DF: When you think about it, a Tribe is a group of individuals or families that come together for the common good of all in the tribe. Every person in the tribe may have a different task or job, just as in our club, athletes may like one sport or another, some may like all four sports (swim, bike, run, Stand Up Paddle), but we are all there for the common good of the group and for a single purpose. We aim to support the greater good of the community we live in.

P: Is there anything else you would like people to know?

DF: We also have a separate club within the club for women only which is coached by some great local female coaches with various expertise.

We welcome people to check out our Facebook page and come out and workout. You don’t have to do triathlons to come and work out.