What a German Triathlon Town Knows About Systems

I raced the Tour de France of Triathlon last weekend.

I spent four days in Roth in Germany.

It’s a small town half an hour outside of Nuremberg. Roth is surrounded by a forest, a canal (great for swim) and long flat open roads (great for cycling).

The Challenge Roth race organizers erected a large banner above the entrance to the town saying “Welcome home triathletes!”

I’ve never seen so many pros and age-groupers (like me) whizzing around on triathlon bikes in one place.

Triathlon is a niche sport. The residents of Roth have been running their race since 1984. It’s hugely popular and attracts pros from the sport as well as amateur age-groupers who are lucky enough to snag a ticket.

Roth knows what it’s great at… and it’s doubled down. They’ve spent forty years perfecting Challenge Roth. Before the race, they even emailed all attendees a bullet point list of improvements they’d made on last year. (I was particularly impressed by the volunteers who sprayed suncream on my balding head after I took off my bike helmet!)

That level of focused iteration is just one reason why the race sells out every year within minutes.

Many business owners constantly chase the latest fancy marketing strategy. Should I try short-form? Should I use Bluesky? Isn’t Substack where it’s at this year?

The move from one platform, format, or approach to the next. They waste time and resources without allowing for their ONE THING to compound, like Challenge Roth.

The happiest business owners I know don't chase trends, don't platform hop, don't restart every quarter. Instead, they pick one thing and get really good at it.

In my work with clients, we build systems like Roth built their race - simple, repeatable, and iterative. If you’re tired of starting over every few months, let’s build your ‘Challenge Roth’ system.

Reply with the word “ROTH” and tell me your biggest challenge.