RTS Look To Build The American Dream But Can They Deliver?

The newest team on the block may have the boldest ambitions of them all.

The newly formed RTS Warriors are all about America, and restoring short course triathlon to its place at the top of the tree in the USA.

It’s no easy task given the dominance of Ironman, but with the LA Olympics on the horizon in 2028, now is the time to seize the opportunity to make the most of the platform short course triathlon will be given.

Nick Chase, the founder of Real Triathlon Squad (RTS), is a man on a mission, and brings with him Adam Meredith as his assistant.

They have a real vision and a sense of genuine purpose. Can they fulfil it?

Only time will tell, but in the week before the athlete rosters are revealed for each Team, we take a deeper look at the 2023 RTS Warriors.

Meet The Manager

Nick Chase

A former member of the United States Air Force, Nick raced professionally and collected podiums in triathlon, criterium racing, XTRI and Ultra Marathons before founding the Real Triathlon Squad with a mission to improve the lives of athletes both professionally and financially. He was assistant manager of the SLT Rhinos in 2022 and now steps up to the top job with his own team.

Adam Meredith

Born in England, now a dual UK/US citizen, Adam comes at triathlon with a business mind set. An active triathlete, his intention is to turn RTS into a household name within the sport. Adam and Nick met during a training camp in San Diego in January 2020. Since then, the two stayed in touch, always talking about the shortfalls of the triathlon industry for professional athletes and the strengths and weaknesses of the industry itself.

In 2022 Adam joined RTS as a partner to help Nick grow an already successful team into something never seen before. Adam sees Super League Triathlon as one of the most promising entities in triathlon and RTS having a presence in Super League is a key aspect to their growth. Adam’s goal is quite simple. “To turn RTS into the Real Madrid of triathlon”.

Manager Insights

“Triathlon was invented in America. It’s time to take it back. Our mission is to grow world champions, not buy them. We are a genuine American team, with a shared goal. We are looking towards LA 2028 and we want to leverage SLT for the benefit of the national team. 2023 will be tough for us. We know that. But we are not scared of anyone.”

The Owners: In Their Own Words

RTS was founded in 2020 by Nicholas Chase and fellow pros, Jackson Laundry and Garrick Loewen. The goal of RTS was and still is, to show the “real” side of triathlon. The struggles, the glory, the pain and the love that we all feel through this sport. And to create a platform that could help support his fellow professionals in an industry that has not been kind to its top performers over the last decade.

By building a brand that has a presence in all aspects of triathlon RTS hopes to be able to create a team that can get the attention of the wider world, growing triathlon and bringing more money into the sport, enabling them to provide a living wage to their athletes.

Part of their strategy is to create an American Super League team that will be a proving ground for the fastest, most talented individuals in the US, helping them get the experience and exposure necessary to catapult them onto the international stage and help the USA become, and remain, a dominant force in the world of triathlon.

Who Might Race For Them?

It feels like the clues are all there, but do they make sense? All the talk is about America, and the goal of developing something USA focussed that concentrates efforts on raising the profile of short course racing and developing athletes ahead of the Olympics in LA 2028.

Can we assume they will have a roster of American athletes? Surely…BUT, there aren’t that many American athletes to go around, particularly in the men’s field.

We already know some superstar American women are racing such as Taylor Spivey – potentially favourite for the Individual title this year with Georgia Taylor-Brown injured – Summer Rappaport and Katie Zaferes. That’s a great base to build from with such a wide talent pool to pick from.

For the men you look at Chase McQueen and Seth Rider but not much beyond that. So do they mix and match and compromise a bit? Do they stick proudly to their guns and accept that developing talent in the red hot furnace of the world’s fastest triathlon racing could make or break some developing young athletes? And can McQueen and Rider step up to help lead such a team?

There is a lot for Nick Chase and Adam Meredith to think about and of all the athlete roster announcements to come next week, and stories to play out over the course of the Championship Series, theirs may be the most interesting of all.