Idaho State University Bengal Triathlon
A Small Town Race with A Big Time Feel!
The Idaho State University Bengal Triathlon consists of a 700-yard pool swim, a furiously fast 13-mile bike, and a wickedly memorable 3-mile run. Race as an individual or as a team (2-person or 3-person team). Triathlon, duathlon, and 5K run options available! We welcome all levels of racers - from beginners through pros (yep... we get 'em all!). We want to bring new people to the sport, and do it in a way that's not too intimidating!
Meet Our Race Crew
A Sport Management Professor and a Bunch of Brilliant Young Professionals!
I'm Dr. Caroline "Smitty" Faure, and I'm the Race Director for the Idaho State University Bengal Triathlon. I started this race in 2006 for two reasons: One, it was a way for me to engage my sport management students through experiential learning; Two, it was a way to give back to a triathlon community that has meant a whole lot to me! In the process, I'm hoping to attract new people to appreciate our sport! That includes my students, most of whom have never heard much about the sport - until they take my class!
Experiential learning is a critical component of sport management student learning and one that can transform the learning process. Inside our classrooms, sport management students study event planning, facility operations, consumer behavior, human resource management, sponsor relations, marketing and promotion, risk management and more. With the Bengal Tri, they have to put those theories into practice. In doing so, most have to step outside their comfort zones to facilitate an event they initially know only a little bit about. By the end of their semester, they've (hopefully) begun to master the art of sports event management!
From all of my race experiences and my training as a USA Triathlon Race Director, I like to think I know a little about what racers want in a race (like cool race swag) and what they need (like ridiculous attention to course safety). I keep those things in mind and every year, I strive to make the Bengal Tri a little bit bigger and a little bit better. As I tell my students all the time... it's all about the details!
Make no mistake about it: This event showcases my students just as much as it showcases you, the athletes! I think that's pretty cool... and I hope you will, as well!
I'm looking forward to seeing you in April at the Bengal Tri!
The Bengal Triathlon is a capstone project for Idaho State University Sport Management and Athletic Administration students. The annual event, which originated in 2006, attracts between 300 and 400 participants annually and has become the largest sprint triathlon in the state of Idaho!
Our emphasis is on you, the participant! With Dr. Caroline Faure (Dr. Smitty)'s guidance, the HPSS 4473 Sport Facility and Event Management class spends almost the entire spring semester preparing for your arrival! Once you're here, we make the event experience fun! Dr. Smitty is all about experiential learning, so our students put classroom theory into practice. We emphasize race safety with everything we do!
You'll see between 50 and 70 students and volunteers on the bike course alone - there to keep you safe! You won't get lost on the run, either... since we add another 20 or so volunteers out there!
Our goal is not to make a lot of money. We keep the cost low, and we want to spoil our participants with super sweet swag, like hoodie sweatshirts (for those that register before April 1) and custom finisher medals. We may be small potatoes (pun intended... Idaho... get it?), but we do things BIG!
The Swim
700 YARDS: It's a race in April... in Idaho... so we do this by pool, and to make sure we have enough room, we swim on Friday - the night before the bike and run! We offer five swim locations for our participants to choose from: Pocatello (the main location), Idaho Falls, Boise, Twin Falls, and Lava Hot Springs. We use your swim times to seed the bike/run start on Saturday! NOTE: Choose your swim site when you register and we'll send out the available swim times after April 1.
DON'T WANNA SWIM? No problem. Choose the duathlon option to just participate in the bike and run or the 5K run option.
The Bike
13 MILES: A relatively flat and super fast course that will take you from ISU Reed Gym to Century High School and back! The fastest swimmer starts us off at 9:30 sharp on Saturday morning... then everyone else based on their swim time differential. SO... if you were the fastest swimmer and your time was 8:00... you will be sent off into T1 at 9:30 (helmet and shoes on!). Your buddy, who was two minutes less fast than you, would be sent off at 9:32am. Get it? Don't worry... we'll stage everyone and we'll have big race clocks out front set to the fastest swim time. The clock starts when we send the fastest swimmer into T1... and you go when your swim time pops up! Still lost? It's okay... Dr. Smitty will lose her voice calling all of your names when it's your turn to go!
The Run
3 MILES: It's mostly flat… but the first half mile will give you a nice hilly challenge (what goes up must come down!) ... with scenic views of the Idaho State University campus all the way around! The first mile takes racers up and then back down Bartz Way. The second mile is flat… and passes through the heart of “upper campus” – traversing the sidewalks and parking areas of the College of Education (shout out to one of our host sponsors) and the ICCU Dome (Holt Arena). The third mile – also flat – takes you down Memorial Drive and back to Reed Gym (via the College of Education and the flat part of Bartz Way). This new run course is expected to be a bit of a challenge at the start… but SUPER FAST and a lot “easier” compared to what we used to do. Plus, no rocks… no single-track trails… no mud… no erosion… and still plenty of beautiful campus scenery!
*In 2024, we are adding a 5K run to the Bengal Triathlon event. The 5K will have a mass start at approximately 10:30am and will follow the same run course as the triathlon and duathlon.
Bengal Triathlon Registration
Make a mistake on your registration or want to transfer it to someone else (before April 1)? No problem. Log onto Active.com and do it yourself!
KIDS UNDER 14: Keep in mind our race was created for adults. If kids under age 14 want to race, our permits require that an adult/guardian ride directly behind them the entire time on the bike course. This is for safety. Sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.
Awards
Here's a disclaimer: We give lousy awards. That's because we think EVERYONE should be spoiled, not just the winners. So, we spend more to give out hoodies instead of t-shirts, and we drape a super cool custom finisher medal around your neck at the end of your race. Don't worry... if you do win, you'll still get something. And oh ya... the important stuff is covered, too. We have professional timing there to keep track of your times. We have awesome bike mechanics on-site to help you fix those pre-race flats or lube up those wintered chains. We have sports medicine pros there, too, to help you with your pre- and post-race aches and pains. We blast music to get you pumped up, we have a nice warm building you can go in and escape the cold (there are even real bathrooms and showers available to you), and we'll give you some hot food after your race.
Not bad, eh?
Hoodies
It's cold in the spring in Idaho. A t-shirt won't keep you warm. A hoodie will. It will also keep you cozy before those open water swims in June and July. So that's why we go big. We think the super soft hoodie is one of the best things about the Bengal Tri. Most others do, too.
Thank you to our sponsors!
We simply could not put on this event without these superb businesses listed below - and the people that work there! Most of our sponsors have been with us since Year #1! Please thank them... and better yet, go visit them!
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