Posted: December 12, 2005

Triathlon: Kyle du Ford Leaves Inside Triathlon Magazine

Background

Kyle du Ford was founder, owner, publisher, and editor of American Tri magazine. Inside Communications announced on September 9, 2004 that he had joined the company as the senior editor of Inside Triathlon. "Kyle is a born entrepreneur with a passion for the sport and a nose for appealing, inspiring stories," said Inside Triathlon editor Richard Martin. "I'm very excited that he's going to help us take IT to the next level."

This morning (December 12th) he was let go after it was re-learned that he was serious about moving to follow his wife to her medical fellowship.

The Runner's Web reached Kyle via email to ask him about his departure from InsideTri.

Runner's Web (RW): Kyle, thanks for doing this. Let's go back to your hiring at InsideTri. What were the circumstances regarding your joining the magazine?

Kyle du Ford (KDF): Well, we at americanTRI [Craig DeMartino, Bill Fisher and myself] were a bit burnt out. We weren't loosing money, but we weren't making it, either. Between the three of us, we have eight kids, and our duties were squeezing our time. In the end, after discussing opportunities with both Triathlete and Inside Triathlon, we felt it was in the best interest of our readers to go to the more age-group focused magazine of the two. With americanTRI gone, that was Inside Triathlon.

RW: Could you describe your duties at the magazine over the past several months prior to your departure?

KDF: Your quote above reflects when I was hired in September of 2004 as the senior editor. From there, I was promoted to being the editor in response to Rick Martin's dismissal. Basically, in a small magazine like IT, the editor is in essence, the editor in chief. By November of 2004, I was asked to also be the associate publisher, overseeing the "brand" of Inside Triathlon. In general, my duties were simple: develop the magazine into its own unique product and create a stand-alone magazine. We did that through having the best staff possible (the addition of Amy White as managing editor and Bonnie Hofto as art director joined the amazingly talented writer Timothy Carlson) and having a vision.

RW: Did you have any inkling that this was coming or was it a total surprise?

KDF: You tend to sniff these things out. They had known my future plans for me to head back East with my wife, and I can only assume this was preemptive. I can’t blame them for wanting a committed staff. Even though I was thoroughly committed to IT, the fact of the matter was I had to look to where we were moving.

RW: Does your departure signify a change in direction for the magazine?

KDF: Change is inevitable when the editor of a publication leaves. It's hard to think it'll look the same now that I'm gone, but I’m sure it’ll continue and develop into the powerhouse we always envisioned. They hadn’t yet named a replacement, but I brought Amy [White] over for a reason. She’s more than capable.

RW: Reflecting on your time at InsideTri, what impact do you feel you had on the magazine?

KDF: I hate to sound so self-aggrandizing, but I feel my impact was significant. The re-design, the direction of the theme, the fact that we made a conscious decision to turn-away from Triathlete's model and seek our own niche, these were all changes I directly influenced. But then again, that’s why they brought me over from day one, to help kick start the engines again. It’s doing fine and moving along. They’ll continue to pump out ass-kicking work. I’m just excited to have been apart of a great team. Have you read [Timothy] Carlson’s stuff? I mean, is there a better writer in triathlon?

RW: What are your immediate and medium-range plans?

KDF: Immediately, it's to go home and give my daughter and wife a huge hug and shed a tear. This is a sad day for me. But I hope to land at another magazine, though not necessarily at a triathlon-focused one.

RW: InsideTri seemed genuinely excited about you joining them in the fall of 2004 - "Our readers want to get faster, and they want to get more out of training and racing," added Richard Martin, "and Kyle's is the perfect voice to give them all of that." A geographical relocation does not seem to be justification for severing your relationship. Is there some hidden circumstance behind their actions?

KDF: You'd have to ask them that. I can speculate, but that shouldn’t be my place. I had terrific people to work with, and, in the end, we got the job done. I’m proud to have served members of the triathlon community for so long. It was for sure a privilege. In hind sight, even if you tell people you're leaving in the future, putting it on paper and telegraphing it takes on a whole new significance. Alas, it did for me.

RW: Thanks again Kyle and all the best for your future. I am sure that the triathlon community has not heard the last from Kyle du Ford.

Greg Thomas, COO of Inside Communications, when asked about the departure of du Ford, said that "Inside Triathlon would not be commenting as to the reasons behind du Ford leaving," and that they have "put the matter behind them and are moving forward with ensuring that the situation did not adversely affect the publication of their magazine." He also said that there had not been any decision on a replacement for du Ford.