A triathlon can be described as the combination of the three athletic competencies swimming,
cycling and running where each of the items is performed in a specific order and vary in
distance. A triathlon is a very select sport that only attracts specific participants, seeing that
constant training is necessary in order to improve fitness and skill in the three different
disciplines. Being a triathlete involves a substantial amount of physical and psychological stress
over several hours of continuous activity.
Therefore the key aspects that drive this study are the following:
* The uniqueness of triathlons and triathletes makes it important to research certain
aspects such as: Who these participants are? Why they participate in triathlons? And
why do they return to the event each year?
* Currently most triathlon research is done in countries such as United States of America,
Australia, Germany and Japan. There are also numerous studies done on triathletes,
although most of these studies focus on physiological and medical aspects of these
athletes.
* To the best of the author’s knowledge no other study in South Africa has focused on
profiling triathletes and gaining knowledge on what differentiates these participants from
other endurance sport athletes.
* As there is currently a deficiency of information regarding triathletes in South Africa it
becomes imperative to research this market through market segmentation.
With the latter in mind, the main purpose of this study was to apply market segmentation on
triathletes that participate in Ironman South Africa, the only full-length Ironman held on the
African continent. In order to achieve this goal a destination-based survey took place during the
registration process of participants at The Boardwalk Convention Centre and Spa in Port
Elizabeth. A total of 425 completed questionnaires were used in the study. An in-depth literature
study was also done to review different aspects of triathlons and triathletes, including the unique
nature of the sport and participants as well as analysing previous literature concerning the
characteristics of triathletes. Literature also explored market segmentation and the different
variables used to segment triathletes and other endurance sport athletes. From literature it became clear that motives to participate and frequency of participation could be useful in
segmenting sport participants. These two variables were applied to Ironman South Africa in two
separate articles.
In Article 1 motives to participate was applied as a market segmentation variable. It was found
that triathletes were motivated by seven motivational factors including: Challenge, Inner vie,
Health and fitness, Intrinsic achievement and control, Event novelty, Group affiliation and
socialisation and lastly, Respect and risk. Based on these motives three distinct clusters of
triathlon participants were identified: Devotees, Enthusiasts and Aspirationals. The participants
in each cluster showed statistical significant differences with regard to their motives, while age
was the only variable with significant socio-demographic differences between the clusters.
In Article 2, frequency of participation was used to segment Ironman South Africa participants.
Significant differences were found between first time and repeat participants based on the
variables: demographic, behaviour and motives to participate. Four segments were identified at
Ironman South Africa based on the number of times they have previously participated in the
event. The frequent flyer concept was applied which resulted in the dividing of the four
participant segments into different loyalty segments. The segments were the Bronze, Silver,
Gold and Platinum segment. Three marketing strategies were developed, firstly for the Bronze
and Silver segments (these two segments shared similar characteristics), secondly for the Gold
and Platinum segments also sharing corresponding characteristics and lastly, a marketing
strategy to expand triathlons in South Africa.
The information obtained from the two market segmentation variables led to an array of
recommendations to attract and retain participants to Ironman South Africa events. Also
recommendations focus on how to expand triathlon events in South Africa. Significant
contributions were made to literature regarding the profile of the Ironman South Africa
participants and how these triathletes compare to other endurance sport athlete. / MCom (Tourism Management), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:nwu/oai:dspace.nwu.ac.za:10394/11907 |
| Date | January 2014 |
| Creators | Myburgh, Esmarie |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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