As a race director I've been approached by them. They were trying to push "we offer the same insurance, but it's cheaper and easier to get". USAT fees aren't out of line with other sporting event sanctioning fees. I don't like the idea of a split front for the sport either. So far I haven't seen a race that is associated NATA, but I would be a bit frustrated that since I have a USAT license and not a NATA license (I'm not even sure they offer an annual yet) that I'm still stuck buying a day license. Is NATA planning on starting their own championship series? I think having two sanctioning organizations hurts the sport rather than help it. That's my two cents on the topic. Below is the letter they sent me.

Since leaving USA Triathlon as its executive director a little over two years ago, I have been involved with the United States Olympic Committee and have also owned several businesses. My passion for multisport sport hasn’t waned and so during this time I have been observing triathlon/duathlon and USA Triathlon from afar. USA Triathlon remains a fine organization, however my observations became focused on how USA Triathlon was serving the group I consider to be the number one customer of the organization -- race directors. As USA Triathlon conducts many programs other than those associated with race directors (e.g. coach development, elite athlete development), it is a necessity for them to use money collected from age group athletes and race directors to subsidize those programs. As a result, their fees remain high.

I thought it would be a benefit to the sport to provide race directors with another option for insurance. As a result of that thought, the North American Triathlon Association (NATA) was recently created. The intent of creating NATA was to simplify the application process for event insurance coverage (less then two pages either on-line or through a hard copy application), and to provide more economical fees per race entrant (e.g. we charge a $50.00 administration fee-compared to $150.00 with USAT-plus premiums at considerably less cost then USAT's).

As you know, within the world of USAT sanctioned races, it is necessary to complete a lengthy sanction application, pay a hefty sanction fee, check participant annual licenses, collect $9.00 one-day fees, reconcile and submit monies/forms and submit race results – a much more cumbersome and expensive process.

Based upon your needs, NATA rates are:

$5.50 per race entrant for $1,000,000.00 liability coverage plus medical coverage of up to $25,000.00 (no deductible)

$6.50 per race entrant for $2,000,000.00 liability coverage plus medical coverage up to $25,000.00 (no deductible)

We can also provide greater amounts of liability coverage in $1,000,000.00 increments based upon your needed requirements

Our website, noramtri.com has more information and if you would like to contact me, I can be reached at . If you want to talk, email me your phone number and I will phone you at your convenience.