True Story Behind SBR Fun

Camille Chief Funlete
Jul 24
5 min read

How a pandemic triathlon, a rebuilt leg, and a lot of balloons sparked a movement.

Sister's Super Sprint Triathlon Transition area — Sister's Super Sprint Triathlon & Relay 2020

Part Endurance Leadership Therapy… Part Origin Story… Part “I’m Tired of the Shade”

This week all started with a snarky remark from an athlete/friend…

“I thought y’all weren’t a club, and now I see you’ve got a pre-ride PT doc presentation and free stuff at your weekly ride?”

Yep—that was some underhanded shade and frankly, a little jealousy.

I’m not in a blow-it-off mood. I’m in a FAFO (Find Out) mood — so here’s the real deal about who we are and why we do what we do.

And trust me, when it comes to organizing events, supporting athletes, and building community, we definitely know what we're doing.

COVID Made Me Do It.

I was recovering. I was alone. Just two days after pulling off a pop-up Sisters Super Sprint Triathlon & Relay for my gal pals who kept training through the pandemic — I had major reconstructive surgery on the back of my right leg.

Flat on my back, in recovery, all I could think about were the finish line smiles from that weekend.

I was hooked.

Triathlete coming out the water after completing their triathlon swim leg — Athlete Julie O Heading to T1 from her Sprint Swim

We had trained hard. Races were canceled. But we weren’t about to let all that effort go to waste. So we threw together a socially distant triathlon at Lake Georgetown with nothing but heart and some balloons for course markers.

Grassroots? More like grass. roots. for. realz.

Ms. Miriam generously and spontaneously sponsored food & drinks (real MVP).
One athlete’s husband just showed up with a speaker and became our race announcer.
Another brought a camera to capture the magic.
Each relay team had their own pavilion transition zone because, COVID y’all!

And when those women crossed the finish line? It was electric. One danced through the tape. Another cried. Every time someone broke a new finish line ribbon, we did a conga line. It was pure magic.

Yeah, I might’ve even invited a few random women to join teams just because I wanted all kinds of women there—tall, short, melanated, spicy—you name it. I wanted us to prove that we all can do hard things and succeed together.

Bestie Jennifer held her brand-new puppy the entire race as our bike marshal, while my family ran the dismount line. Straight-up #FamilyAffair.

Triathlon Bike Marshall standing next to Triathlete at Sisters Super Sprint Triathlon in Lake Georgetown — Jennifer A & Sandra and our Special Honoary Bike Marshal Patrol Pup Chole

Recovering + Rebuilding + Rebirthing

What most folks don’t know?

I was recovering from major leg reconstruction surgery at the time. Post-op. Couch-bound. But dreaming big.

While healing, I signed up for the USA Triathlon Race Director and Coaching Certifications. I was serious — I dove straight in.

USAT RD Training Certification for Camille Baptiste — USAT Training Certification

Once you start organizing a bunch of adventurous people doing epic things, you realize real quick: you need structure, guidance, and best practices. Truth is, I didn’t know what I didn’t know.

So I went to school on that couch, barely able to get to the bedside commode.

Certified awesomeness = ✅

I knew I’d never race the same again, so I leaned in. Those who can’t do? Teach. Mentor. Build. Lead. And so, my rebirth began — as a coach, a race director, and a community architect.

Camille Baptiste in complete leg immobilizer brace September 2020 — Camille Couching - Post Back of Leg & Tendon Reconstruction Surgery

What Came Next: Swim. Bike. Run. Fun.

That pop-up grew into what’s now Swim Bike Run Fun Club & Events — an inclusive, nonprofit-powered endurance community where people of all ages and abilities show up to train, race, and truly belong.

For Athletes. By Athletes. We specialize in triathlon, cycling, and open water swimming—and we don’t just throw events. We build community.

Here’s how:

Weekly tempo + social group rides
Small group training tailored to all stages and abilities
Swim clinics + online blogs + training plans
PinkStrong Ride — a breast cancer–themed cycling event full of community, power, and pink
PinkStrong Duathlon — our Women’s History Month collab with Cal Tri Austin
Hippo Dash 5K — our hometown classic supporting scholarships & food pantry
Fun Open Water Swim Program — the biggest tri swim game in Central Texas

Why We Don’t Do Dues — But We Do Pay-for-Play (Sometimes)

Here’s the real talk: We don’t do dues. Period.

When we offer training that isn’t free (about 50% of the time), it’s a small pay-for-play fee — just enough to cover insurance, venue rental, coaching, and MVP hospitality.

We always give more than we take.

We want our training and events to be safe, accessible, and welcoming for everyone. No hierarchy. No gatekeeping. Just a place where you can show up as you are, train how you want, and high-five your way to the finish line.

So... Why “Club” in the Name?

People often ask:

“If you’re not a club, why’s that word in your name?”

Legally - We are Swim Bike Run Fun Club & Events.

Here’s the scoop: We needed a catch-all to hold all the training rides, group meetups, clinics, and growing community support. We were even a registered USAT Club for a sometime.

But honestly?

Paperwork was blocking our purpose.

Paperwork — and even a $50 membership fee — were keeping folks from trying out events they weren’t even sure they wanted to do yet.

Why make it harder to say YES to something new and fun?

I'd rather crawl through mud than file the same race report four times. Our very first official triathlon was in June 2022. It was magical. And then... in November, people were emailing about their USAT points for ranking or Team USA. 🙃

Sis, I have no clue. That wasn’t in the training manual. I emailed results three extra times. But I'd already moved on to the next event and USAT still had not updated their system.

So instead of fighting red tape, we built a better model.

One centered on: