Proclaiming Ogden, Utah as an endurance sports haven would have been laughable five years ago. The former train station depot at the junction of the intercontinental railroad has struggled to establish a new identity as the era of the locomotive has dwindled. Weber State University brings a touch of collegiate athletics to the town and the Ogden Raptors, a Minor League baseball team arrived in 1994, giving Major League Baseball hopefuls a shot at the big leagues. However, it wasn’t until 2002, when the city became an Olympic venue city that the redefinition of Ogden began. The Olympic movement showcased Ogden’s close proximity to world-class ski venues and recreation – just a quick drive from the heart of the city. As expected, the Olympics came and went, leaving the city hungry for more and the community motivated. Being on a pedestal, in front of the world is exactly what Ogden wanted. This is when the Greater Ogden Athletic Legacy Foundation (GOAL) stepped in.

The GOAL Foundation, created to fund programs, events and activities that would feature the best of the Ogden area while enhancing the legacy of the 2002 Olympic Winter Games morphed to its current form shortly after the 2002 Olympic movement. Its concept originated two years prior to the Games with the financial contribution by Kimberly Clark whose CEO, Philip Senn, wanted his company to leave a mark that would commemorate the spirit, energy and opportunity of the Olympics in Weber County. Funded by Kimberly Clark’s benevolence, a sculpture of a male and female downhill skier was unveiled in January 2002 and the foundation seed was planted.

It was one of Weber County’s Commissioners, Camille Cain that recognized the potential of the infrastructure left by the Utah Olympic movement. She saw a well-trained group of law enforcement ready to serve and a community eager to volunteer and help strengthen the county; building the legacy Ogden had its eye on. Cain and Senn led other community stewards through the vision, inviting them to take part. Dave Holmstrom, Kym Buttschardt, Barbara Taylor and Scott Parkinson were just a few to recognize the potential and joined Foundation ranks. Today, GOAL’s board of 25 members focuses on re-branding the community into one of the world’s premier athletic destinations. Even though hundreds of counties in the western United States proclaim themselves as an outdoor destination, Foundation leaders have proven that the Ogden area can deliver.

Having observed that the Olympics lured people in with world-class athletics, then allowed the area to speak for itself, GOAL adopted the same strategy.

However bringing a world-class event to a community is no easy task, and this held true for members of GOAL as they sought a flagship event. Mike Caldwell and Guy Letendre, GOAL board members and athletes themselves asked, “What event can we bring in that highlights our best features?”

Caldwell has raced bicycles for years and saw XTERRA Triathlon as a potential opportunity. He had identified with the triathlon series through one of his cycling heroes, Ned Overand. Overand, a world champion mountain biker traded sports late in his career and became an XTERRA Triathlon world champion, helping to put the unique triathlon format on the map. At the same time, Guy knew his brother, Dev Letendre had been working for Team Unlimited, supporting the XTERRA Championship events across the country.

According to Caldwell, Team Unlimited was hesitant to bring in an XTERRA event into the area. Two other XTERRA points series events already took place in Utah (Yuba Triathlon and the Moab Steelbender), and for the time being, this seemed to be enough. Would three events in Utah saturate the product? Not to mention GOAL’s lack of experience in race production. The foundation had no track record of event management, so the question had to be asked, could they pull it off? After a year and a half of courting, several “Marketing Trips” and Dev’s support, GOAL received its first XTERRA points series event in 2004.

Ogden’s XTERRA hailed nearly 200 athletes in the inaugural year and followed up with 360 racers in 2005. Heads were turning quickly at Team Unlimited. Having 200 athletes participate in a first year XTERRA event was unheard of. According to Team Unlimited, the average number of participants in a point’s series race is 150.

“The Ogden Off-Road Triathlon was one of the most successful point series races we’d ever had. Everyone, including the guys on our staff that attended past races told us what a great event it was because of the epic venue, the massive volunteer base and tremendous community support,” said Trey Garmin, marketing director for Team Unlimited.

Unbeknownst to Team Unlimited, GOAL board members had a bigger vision for the event – to become the Mountain Regional Championship venue. Keystone had proven results as the Mountain Championship venue and Team Unlimited had no immediate plans to change locations.

“We were in Keystone for eight years and made a lot of friends,” said Garmin. “Plus, we have a big athlete base in the surrounding areas of Colorado.” Convincing Team Unlimited to move the event further west would prove to be a daunting task.

To GOAL board members, the XTERRA Mountain Championships would give the Ogden Valley an international presence. A beautiful reservoir for the swim, cycling trails webbing the mountain side and a tough trail run through Snowbasin ski resort, finishing at the lodge – all just minutes from downtown Ogden. The cards were stacked in favor of GOAL. The campaign to become the Mountain Championship venue began in 2005.
At the same time, Jeff Robbins of the Utah Sports Commission was getting involved to attract groups like Team Unlimited to Utah. Jeff and representatives from GOAL traveled to Hawaii for the 2005 XTERRA World Championships to show what they could offer Team Unlimited in terms of venue, local support and most importantly, thanks to Jeff, the potential of a larger partnership between Utah and Team Unlimited. They were awarded the Mountain Championship title in 2006.

Any thoughts of skepticism from athletes were quickly put to rest once the event was experienced. The field of international athletes put their stamp of approval on the new venue, exclaiming their approval.

“With the altitude here, how friendly the people are and the great facilities that exist here, this would be an incredible place for triathletes to train, so I can see as people become more aware of how great Utah is this could become the next Mecca for endurance sports…it’s gorgeous,” said Melanie McQuaid, current XTERRA World Champion.

The sentiments of the day were echoed by Team Unlimited in confirmation of their new choice of venue. Team Unlimited President, Tom Kiely rewarded the community effort at the Awards Ceremony when he stated, “Thank you for your great work and support of XTERRA, and the work of your entire team. It was absolutely our best XTERRA ever, and we can’t stop talking about it. GOAL is an incredible dynamic and we just can’t wait to return again and often.”

Momentum is on the GOAL Foundation’s side. Their “give to the community” philosophy has paid off, and a legacy of Olympic energy and spirit has settled in northern Utah. Other event’s are in the works for the Foundation, hinting at a possible winter event. However, board members remain cautious about revealing plans.

GOAL President, Kym Buttschardt stated, “What we do through these events is to promote a vibrant, active lifestyle.” Mission accomplished, Kym. Thanks to the help of the GOAL Foundation a new Ogden has begun to emerge.

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