i-tri has launched “WHY i-tri?” a new storytelling campaign leading into its annual Giving Day on October 29. Through conversations ranging from Victoria Brumfield, CEO of USA Triathlon, to local leaders, alumni, families, supporters, and community members, i-tri is asking one simple but powerful question: “Why i-tri?”
The answers are deeply personal. For some, it is confidence. For others, it is resilience, belonging, mentorship, or the opportunity to watch a girl discover that she is capable of doing something she once believed was impossible. Together, these stories offer a deeper look at the impact of i-tri and the community that continues to stand behind its girls. Long before an i-tri girl crosses a finish line, she is learning what it means to trust herself, move through fear, try something new, and discover strength she may not have known was already within her. The triathlon may be the goal placed in front of her, but the deeper work of i-tri is about what she carries with her long after race day is over.
i-tri is an inclusive, community-based empowerment program for middle school girls that uses the completion of a youth-distance triathlon as a metaphor for what is possible in life. Girls are not expected to arrive as triathletes. They may not know how to swim, ride a bicycle, or see themselves as athletes at all. Instead, i-tri gives each girl the physical, mental, and emotional tools to work toward a goal that may initially feel overwhelming or impossible. Through empowerment programming, fitness, nutrition, mentorship, and training, girls begin to experience what it means to move through something difficult one step at a time. Along the way, they build confidence, strengthen relationships, and begin to recognize that what they learn throughout the i-tri journey can reach far beyond the race course.
Every girl is given the opportunity to participate at no cost to her family. That promise is possible because a community continues to show up. This year, WHY i-tri? is giving that community an opportunity to hear directly from the people who have experienced and witnessed the organization’s impact. From national leadership within the sport of triathlon to people within the local community, each conversation offers another perspective on why investing in girls matters and why i-tri continues to resonate far beyond the finish line.
The “WHY i-tri?” campaign will continue to unfold through video interviews, personal stories, and conversations in the weeks leading into Giving Day. On October 29, i-tri will invite its community to come together once again to help carry the mission forward. Funds raised support the programming, coaching, equipment, transportation, and resources that allow girls to experience i-tri without cost becoming a barrier to participation.
This Giving Day, the invitation is not simply to give. It is to understand the why behind the giving, to hear the stories, see the girls, and become part of the community standing behind them as they discover just how much is possible. Tune in and follow the “WHY i-tri?” journey across i-tri’s Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube channels as new stories are shared leading up to Giving Day on October 29. To learn more about i-tri or support Giving Day, visit itrigirls.org.