220 Triathlon Sold

One of my more surreal moments of recent years was in a car park at the side of a lake discussing Ironman Triathlon with a young lady parked next to me. She was adamant that the Ironman total distance was about 170km, I was pretty sure it was about 220km give or take but didn’t have the evidential means of disproving her. At least I didn’t until I looked in the back of her car and saw an old copy of 220 triathlon. I decided to let it go.

The point here is that “220 Triathlon” is a freakin’ awesome brand name nearly on par with Triathlon.com and I’d bet a large trunk of casual triathletes have little more than a passing interest in Ironman and no idea of the 220km relevance. So maybe it’s not as awesome as I think, still, it’s got the word triathlon in it.

The Sale

Our Media, a publishing company based in Bristol, UK, has sold the 220 Triathlon Magazine title to Kelsey Media. The sale became effective on January 25, 2024. The companies did not disclose the financial details of the deal.

220 Triathlon is the only magazine in the UK that is dedicated solely to triathlon. It reaches readers through both the print magazine and its website at 220triathlon.com. The publication/platform now joins Kelsey Media’s collection of magazines focused on healthy and active lifestyles. This includes titles like Men’s Fitness, Women’s Fitness, and The Great Outdoors magazine.

After a strategic review late last year we reluctantly came to the decision that 220 Triathlon would be better served with a new owner. It is a brilliant brand with a great team and we are very pleased to have found a good home for 220 Triathlon at Kelsey Media where we know it will continue to serve the triathlon community and enjoy a great future. [Andy Marshall, CEO, Our Media]

As a triathlete and marathon runner myself, I welcome 220 Triathlon into our business with excitement. It has a strong reputation in the sport across the world, and will sit well alongside our Men’s Fitness and Women’s Fitness brands. [Steve Wright, CEO, Kelsey Media]

www.220triathlon.com
www.kelsey.co.uk
www.ourmedia.co.uk

www.triathlete.com

220 Triathlon – The Site

I like the magazine and the website is alright. However, I suspect that training plans are not the way to go for a successful business. I have quite a few training plans on this site and recent years have seen a massive fall off in interest. Maybe I’ve not kept them up to date but more likely is that you, dear reader, are relying more on your gadgets’ suggestions or on the dedicated digital platforms like Final Surge and TrainingPeaks. Paper-based training plans on the net are widely available for free. There’s no money in free.

The site’s tech reviews are all short, good and to the point. However, every triathlon watch review uses stock photography. Many readers take that as a surefire sign that the writer hasn’t properly used the product. Just saying.

The Real Take Out

Ignore the nice words of the two CEOs I quoted above.

Advertising rates have fallen off a cliff this year as brands cut back costs they now see as unnecessary, that’s bad news for 220 Triathlon. Perhaps fewer subscriptions were also bought as Christmas presents and perhaps triathlon’s popularity is easing a little or its recession-faced athletes start cutting back a little on their related discretionary spending. Add to that the increasing costs of writers/journalists who have to buy evermore expensive food to live and this is perhaps one of those near-perfect storms where a sale makes sense.

However, I’m slightly disappointed that the title has gone to a similar company. A braver purchaser would have been someone who would extend the brand into pastures new…nutrition, other kinds of apparel, that kind of thing.