The iron Triangle

Steve Lackey saw a land of opportunity in the Triangle. Looking for a place to relocate with his wife and their infant daughter, he zoomed in on the region as a place that would give them what they wanted: something of San Francisco's active vibe, but cheaper and less congested and with good schools.

The high-tech horizon was also apparent to Lackey, who worked as a technology consultant. But the career path he chose tapped the interest he shares with others in this highly educated area: an active lifestyle.

Lackey, a triathlete, was so impressed with the local health scene that he did some market research and put out a pilot issue of Endurance Magazine, which covers runs, bike rides, triathlons and other endurance sports.

The magazine's growth in its five-year history parallels a phenomenal surge in the region's fitness profile. The initial press run of about 15,000 has increased to 50,000, and the number of runs, rides and triathlons listed in its calendar has increased dramatically.

"These are highly educated people who pay attention to what makes them healthy," Lackey says. "They don't want to be sick, and they don't want to be on drugs."

Which leaves one option: Staying active. Very active. And the desire to do so is starting to help define the Triangle as a place where people like to stay in shape.

Consider:

• Since 2004, the number of area triathletes has nearly doubled, from 481 to 981, according to USA Triathlon. That's more than twice the national growth rate.
• The number of cyclists on local roads has exploded. No one keeps an exact count, but big event rides provide a good mirror. Bike MS (previously known as the MS 150) had 520 riders in 2000. Last year, 1,851 cyclists rode to raise money to fight MS. The $1.4 million raised by Eastern Chapter riders, about 70 percent of them from the Triangle, was by far the most raised by any other MS chapter in the Southeast, according to Mendi Neiters, vice president of development with the regional chapter.
• Growth in the number of local runners is reflected in the double-digit sales gains at Fleet Feet's store in Carrboro, the 81-store chain's hometown. Fleet Feet president Jeff Phillips says the 1-year-old Raleigh outlet is the fastest-growing new store in Fleet Feet history.

"It's by far the most active market I've ever lived in," says Phillips.

• Mountain biking, which blossomed in the 1990s nationally and then stagnated, continues to flourish here. The number of miles of single-track bike trail has nearly tripled since 2000, and it stands to double in the next three years.
• In 2000, Triangle greenway trails consisted of mile-long stretches here and there. In the past three years, major connections have been made -- 11 continuous miles along Crabtree Creek, 14 miles from Meredith College in Raleigh to Godbold Park in Cary, most of the 22-mile American Tobacco Trail through Durham to western Wake County. Allen de Hart, a prolific hiking guidebook author, predicts that within five years, people will be able to ride a bike from downtown Raleigh north to Umstead State Park, west through Cary and Apex to Jordan Lake, then north through Chatham County into downtown Durham.
• October saw the opening of the Triangle Aquatic Center in Cary, the Triangle's first state-of-the-art competition indoor swim facility. It has a combined 32 lanes in a 50-meter pool and a 25-yard pool, plus a therapy pool.
• Also in October, the Triangle Rock Club, a high-tech climbing gym with 9,000-square-feet of climbing space, opened in Morrisville. Developers expect to break ground this month on an even bigger facility, the 16,000-square-foot CityRock Indoor Climbing Gym.