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TriRudy — From Information to Inspiration
By Murray Kronick
Y
ou don’t have to be an elite triathlete to
benefit from being part of the TriRudy
on-line community. In fact, you don’t
have to be a triathlete at all. If you enjoy
swimming or cycling, running, skating, or
skiing — and if you especially like doing them
one after the other — there’s something for you
on www.TriRudy.com.
TriRudy.com was started by local athlete Rudy
Hollywood in 2001 when he was working with
Health Canada at Tunney’s Pasture. Rudy
and training partners Tania Jones, an elite
runner, and triathletes Devanish Paul, Jamie
Stephenson, and Rick Hellard would e-mail
each other with their weekend exploits and
training tips. While cycling with the gang in
Gatineau Park seven years ago, Jamie suggested
expanding the e-mails into a website to make it
easier to exchange messages. He subsequently
wrote the software to make the first simple
website a reality, and TriRudy was born. Word
spread, and soon 50 athletes were subscribed to
the site, then 100, then 1,000. There are now
6,000 participants, primarily from the Ottawa/
Gatineau area, as well as from other parts of
Canada and around the world.
What do people get from TriRudy? Tenille
Hoogland, an elite amateur triathlete, says,
“TriRudy is a forum where recreational to elitelevel athletes can find a supportive community,
share experiences and
knowledge, and make
each of our journeys
in triathlon mean
just that much
more.” Jackie
Jans, an aspiring
triathlete, calls
32 HEALTHWISE OTTAWA Winter 2008/2009
TriRudy “my encyclopedia for triathlon, with
so many experienced triathletes and coaches
providing valuable insight and information.”
Rudy himself calls it “a stepping stone for the
beginner,” offering encouragement, advice, race
reports, and networking with other athletes.
Training groups have been formed, friends made,
and rides shared to out-of-town events. The site
also has its share of debates — over training
methods, rights of cyclists versus cars, Gatineau
trail conditions, just to name a few.
Likely the greatest benefit readers get from
TriRudy is inspiration. It’s so easy to let your
motivation slip from time to time. There are
always excuses — “it’s too hot, too cold, too wet,
or too dry” — but reading the exploits, adventures,
and challenges of fellow TriRudyites gives you
the “oomph” to get your butt out the door, by
far the biggest hurdle in anyone’s workout.
The TriRudy site is a labour of love for Rudy
Hollywood. He’s usually up at 5:00 a.m., often
interjecting a word of thanks or congratulations
in the postings he readies for distribution
that morning. (One group that Rudy and his
wife Joan visited in England receives the daily
postings just before lunch — its mid-day run
motivation.) On wintry days
he’s out in his galoshes,
sweeping off his satellite
dish after a heavy
snowstorm to ensure
the day’s postings
will get onto the
website. Now, that’s
dedication! Joan is
equally dedicated,
posting a daily joke that everyone looks forward
to, and officiating at races.
of running the site, which just gets by on the
auction proceeds and small donations.
At about the same time as the TriRudy site
started, the Rudy Awards were conceived
in recognition of Rudy’s accomplishments.
In 2001, Rudy completed five major events
representing an impressive combination of
endurance sports: the Winterlude Triathlon;
the Keskinada Loppet, a 50 km ski; the Rideau
Lakes Tour, a 360 km cycle; a marathon; and an
Ironman triathlon. Those events he and eight
others completed that year have since become
the set of events that prospective award winners
must complete in a calendar year to earn the
award. The awards have grown to approximately
20 to 25 winners per year, some of them repeat
winners. Impressive! A silent auction is held
at the Rudy Awards event, where supporters
donate goods and services that the community
bids on. All the proceeds go to cover the costs
Rudy likens his site to your daily newspaper:
you can scan through it with your morning
coffee, then go out and start your day. He feels
TriRudy has only scratched the surface of
what the on-line community can achieve and
would eventually like to see the site sponsored
by Sport Canada and moderated by an exOlympian athlete. He’s certain it could be
adapted to any sport.
The essence of TriRudy, as Rudy says himself,
is this: “Everybody has a story, it doesn’t matter
who it is. From beginner to pro, there’s a story
about their race. And it doesn’t always go the
way they thought it would.”
Visit TriRudy.com for all the stories, and
for your daily fix of advice, discussion,
HWO
and inspiration.
Winter 2008/2009 HEALTHWISE OTTAWA 33