Racing Collegiate Triathlon Leads to Supporting USAT Foundation
by USA Triathlon Foundation
For Kevin Haas, racing collegiate triathlon has led to a passion to developing future growth in the sport.
Kevin was introduced to triathlon when he attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison for his undergraduate degree. His dorm was along the run course for IRONMAN Wisconsin, and one of his professors was the top amateur for several years.
While pursuing a graduate degree at the University of California, Berkeley, Kevin joined the Cal Triathlon Team. “It was a great way to get into shape,” he said.
Kevin raced his first triathlon in 2007 and went on to race USA Triathlon’s Collegiate Club National Championships.
“I was never the fastest—I was usually sixth fastest on the team—and my buddy who was the fifth fastest liked to tell everyone that,” Kevin said, as he laughed.
Collegiate racing led him to become involved with USA Triathlon’s Board of Directors, which he was involved with for eight years. He served as treasurer and vice chair, as well as board liaison to the USA Triathlon Foundation.
“My very first meeting on the Board of Directors, we approved the motion to set up the Foundation,” he said. Over the years, he witnessed the USA Triathlon Foundation grow, as the organization further developed its mission and core pillars of supporting youth, adaptive athletes and Olympic/Paralympic hopefuls.
In his tenure on the board, Kevin highlighted several major accomplishments for adaptive athletes:
- Pioneering equal pay for prize money
- Making investments in custom training facilities at the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Training Center
- Winning the most medals in Paralympic triathlon
As a collegiate triathlete, he’s also pleased to see the role USA Triathlon and its supporters have played in making varsity triathlon an NCAA Emerging Sport for Women.
“This is a well-run organization that has a huge impact and is here for the long run,” Kevin said of the USA Triathlon Foundation.
As a supporter of the CEO Excellence Fund, which assists the greatest needs among the Foundation’s three pillars, Kevin views his gift as an investment that will drive the next generation of growth in triathlon.
“Triathlon has had a major impact on my professional life,” Kevin said, as he explained how leadership in the sport taught him to be a successful leader in his career. “I have an appreciation not just for the mission of the Foundation, but what it’s done in my own life.”
About the USA Triathlon Foundation
The USA Triathlon Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and the charitable arm of USA Triathlon. With its mission to transform lives through sport by providing opportunities to swim, bike and run, the Foundation serves to generate a greater impact on the multisport community through charitable giveback and grants that advance the Foundation’s three pillars: (1) Encourage youth participation; (2) Inspire adaptive athletes; and (3) Ignite Olympic/Paralympic dreams. Since the Foundation was established in 2014, it has provided millions of dollars in grants to organizations and individuals in pursuit of its mission and pillars to create a healthier United States through triathlon.