Updated July 10, 2025 01:59PM
Did Triathletes Make the Best Super Bowl Commercial Ever?
Triathlon has had its share of 15 seconds of Super Bowl ad fame: from dodgeballs and in-water beatings to small-but-mighty commercials on a shoestring budget (and more).
Super Bowl Sunday is the last place you might expect to see a triathlete (unless Hines Ward is making an appearance in the commentator booth), but it’s happened more than once. A particular favorite of triathletes is sandwich giant Subway’s 2015 “Tough Dodger” commercial. The spot, which creates a fictional multisport event described as “triathlon with dodgeballs,” had us laughing (and also secretly wondering where we can sign up).
But this isn’t the only time triathlon made an appearance on TV screens during the annual extravaganza of Super Bowl commercials. Read on for more swim-bike-run spots that turned our heads:
Subway’s 2015 triathlon-themed Super Bowl Commercial
Humor is almost always a good strategy for a memorable Super Bowl commercial – even more when it includes taking an epic challenge like triathlon to the next level. (Just think of how much easier a traditional open-water swim would feel after making it through the Tough Dodger gauntlet!)
Hat tip: Clif Bar’s 2006 commercial
Shout-out to the folks at Clif Bar, who created this commercial in 2006 that likely inspired Subway’s ad. The commercial didn’t air in the Super Bowl, but it did nail the triathlon swim start experience, so it’s the real MVP in our book:
ADVERTISEMENT
Triathletes get the spotlight in Facebook’s 2020 Super Bowl commercial
In 2020, Facebook’s Super Bowl ad touted the communities built on the site, showcasing how there’s something for everyone with their montage of 14 different groups under the theme of “rock” – that is, rock music, rocking chairs, rocket ships, rock climbing, celebrity Chris Rock, and Sylvester Stallone’s iconic role as Rocky Balboa.
So where did triathletes fit in? By escaping from “the rock,” or San Francisco’s Alcatraz Island. The Facebook Super Bowl commercial showcased the Alcatraz Triathletes group, clad in wetsuits and swimming to shore. After the ad aired, members of the group shared with Triathlete their 15 minutes of Super Bowl fame was exactly as cool as it sounds (they also re-affirmed what every triathlete knows: Training with clubs and groups is always a great idea).
“We Are Triathletes” ad makes it to the Super Bowl*
*Kinda. If you lived in Glendive, Montana, circa 2019, you may have viewed this Super Bowl Commercial for “We Are Triathletes,” a documentary about the spirit of endurance sport featured by someone who knows all about the spirit of endurance sport: Ironman hall-of-famer Bob Babbitt (yes, the host of our favorite “Breakfast with Bob” interview series).
According to marketing specialist Joe Favrito, national Super Bowl commercial spots in 2019 cost $5.3 million, so Babbitt instead purchased a $500 spot in the smallest (and therefore the most affordable) market: CBS affiliate KXGN-TV in Glendive. The strategy didn’t pay off in millions of viewers on Super Bowl Sunday, but the small-town approach ended up being a winning way to get people talking about the big-hearted ad they missed – and driving traffic to the “We Are Triathletes” website. In fact, the strategy worked so well, Babbitt is repeating it again this year with a one-minute commercial for his charity, Challenged Athletes Foundation, airing exclusively in Greenville, North Carolina (if you’re further afield, don’t worry – it’s also available online).