Investors Look To Expand Boston Triathlon
Boston-based Rugged Events, which is backed by Mark Cuban, will look to help to make the Boston Triathlon a nationally-recognized event.
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Boston-based Rugged Events, which is backed by Mark Cuban, will look to help to make the Boston Triathlon a nationally-recognized event.
If Boston gets a nationally recognized triathlon, local endurance athletes may have businessman Mark Cuban to thank.
Cuban is backing an investment, through Boston-based Rugged Events, in the Boston Triathlon. The goal: To help turn what’s primarily a local race held at Carson Beach every summer into a national draw.
An owner of the Dallas Mavericks and the Landmark Theatres chain, among other ventures, Cuban also is known for his role on “Shark Tank,” the ABC reality show that features entrepreneurs making pitches for investments. Cuban last year invested $1.75 million, through that show, in Rugged Events, which organizes the Rugged Maniac obstacle races.
Now Rugged Events, led by Rob Dickens and Brad Scudder, is getting into the triathlon business by partnering with Michael O’Neil, who bought the Boston Triathlon through his Ethos firm nearly three years ago. O’Neil has wanted to expand the triathlon from a sprint-level race—most racers finish it within one to two hours—to an Olympic-length race, one that’s roughly twice as long.
Read more: Bostonglobe.com