Tridonkey - The term, the evolution, the movement!

This thread will cover the origination of the Tridonkey movement and lifestyle.  Hopefully the community takes the initiative to help guide the direction for the future. Tridonkey above all hopes to become an organic community driven culture of like minded people trying to improve themselves, their communities, their sports (what ever they may be), and the world. Together we will contribute to each others success in sport and  life.

This is what I assume nate dogg looked like at age 3.
I hope the community brings together a wide range of people that contribute to Tridonkey in any way they can. From submitting designs for new gear or jearsey's to organizing training sessions, to just helping another tridonkey out when they need it (online or on the side of the road).
Hopefully soon there will be hundreds of posts on this link as to what people think a tridonkey is, or what they intend to do to help the site and the community to put smiles on peoples faces.


these ladies are seeing their future at a young age....

What is Tridonkey:

Tridonkey started in Minnesota with a small group of people who loved to train and race triathlons. We didn't really belong to a team or a training group, nor did any of the local fee based options really appeal to us. We trained together when we could, and added in specialized training with coaches and sport specific experts when needed.
We notice a bunch of people and exclusive teams out there that seemed to have lost the plot on the true purpose of sport..the ability to relate to other human beings, achieve more as a group than an individual, and to have lots of fun! We deemed these people just normal "donkeys"

Where did the term originate?
Ironically the term Tridonkey came from the latin word “tridonk” which originated in December of 2003 in an irish bar in Ottawa Canada. This word was first invoked minutes after a heated dispute, that was leaning towards a fist fight as to who the greatest soccer player in the world was (Zinadine Zidane or Thierry Henry).


Just prior to me and my friend Declan Bonner coming to blows with 3 skinny overmatched youths, the cook of the bar appeared (apparently to help us out) shirtless and unfit, and shouted “I will knock all three of you out with one punch!”. This drunken threat of a magical punch that could knock three guys out at once stopped the testosterone in its tracks, and the five of us that were not the shirtless cook, turned, looked at him, and all started to laugh. Within minutes we were all back inside sharing a pint and laughing about the “tridonk” the most feared punch in the land. The term tridonk/tridonkey (one who throws this magical punch) sort of hung around for a few years (mostly between Declan and I), and evolved into an excessive (and slightly odd) obsession with all things involving donkeys.  Donkeys became sort of the go to animal for me as I felt they were under-appreciated in the spectrum of the animal kingdom.  As I became more involved in triathlon, it was a perfect label for our little counter culture,  and after a few months it just sort of stuck.
That is the abridged version,  maybe Declan will chime in to add some color,  or if the magical cook is still around and not a WWF wrestler by now, maybe we can find him to contribute to the story about that fateful winter night.

It is just as hard to push 25MPH on a full carbon bike with
an aero-helmet in your 15th race as it is to push 15 MPH on someone
else’s mountain bike in soccer shorts and a cotton T-shirt in your first
race…both people experience the same pain, the same rush, the same confusion in
being passed by someone who looks like they should not be passing you, the same
sense of achievement.   The inclusivity I felt from the people that took me under their wing and trained with me and put up with my lack of understanding of what it took to get to that 25MPH were the only reason I got there. 4 years of doing it all wrong was changed in under a year based on being taken in by what is now known as some of the original tridonkeys. That sense of support and good will from people you are racing with and against is a great aspect to life and sport.
Anyone who has lined up for their first mass start triathlon knows the fear, the intimidation, the uncertainty, and the overall confusion of starting and finishing your first triathlon. We formalized Tridonkey as a means to lower the barrier for more people to join the sport and have fun doing so. It is a complex sport even though it seems straight
Swim, Bike, Run.  But we know it is not, a million questions, a million different answers.
Without Rambling on.  Tridonkey is a community, a team for everyone, you can be on an elite team and still be a Tridonkey, you can be signing up for a 5K in Delaware, or your first sprint triathlon in Idaho and be a Tridonkey. The only requirement is that you remember this is fun, you give back (to the sport, to your community, to those in need) and you have friends that will slash your tires and smack you around if ever forget your Tridonkey roots and become a full fledged donkey. Don’t get me wrong, In the end it is still a race, and during the race I want to do as well as I possibly can, but before, during and after, I will always want the best for my fellow tridonkeys.  It is a very individual dare I say selfish sport,  and we need to always remember we are all in this together. 

This guy is most likely a tridonkey,  I did not get close enough to ask him,  but he obviously loves the outdoors and riding his bike.  I am sure he commutes long distances, and probably killed what ever is on the front of his bike with his bare hands.  He is obviously a runner (white socks and running shoes) and looks to me like a swimmer.   He wears his helmet, and only uses bike fuel as his energy source.  If you happen to see him, give him a high five and tell him to rock on.

Bike feul Only.

at least he can spell it.

I think an important part of being a tridonkey is not taking yourself, the sport, or anything for that matter too seriously.  I spent the weekend boozing, golfing, and hanging out with a friend from out of town....and more importantly I didn't feel a wave of guilt for missing out on the racing and training.  I am becoming one with the donkey.  A wise tridonkey coach once told me..."I would rather be second and drink beer".  So I figure I should be pro based on the consumption I did this weekend,  assuming cheese cake counts the same as beer.

One thing I did do this weekend....not drive my car.  light rail,  walking, riding my bike!