The Salamander Endurance Team was founded in 2014 at a masters swim club in Southern California’s South Bay, when a couple of friends got together for cocktails after a hard swim workout. Two swim buddies became three, and before long, the team expanded beyond swimming into competitive cycling, running and, ultimately, triathlon.

The name? The salamander is known to be the fastest recorded amphibian on the planet…making it a fitting mascot for a team built around speed, endurance and fun.

From the beginning, the Salamanders have emphasized the social side of athletic competition. The team trains hard and competes at a high level….but never loses sight of the importance of friendship, family and having fun. Group swims, rides and runs are always on the calendar, along with the team’s most important discipline: social hour.

Each year, the team hosts the “Salamander Slam” following the famous Pier-to-Pier Swim, a two-mile ocean swim from Hermosa Beach to Manhattan Beach, California. The team includes specialists in swimming, cycling and running, as well as former NCAA Division I athletes, Boston Marathon qualifiers, and competitors at the IRONMAN and IRONMAN 70.3 World Championships.

With athletes hailing from Japan, Germany, Switzerland and Canada….and stretching across the United States from New Jersey to Colorado, Arizona and California…the Salamander Endurance Team is highly social, fiercely competitive and always ready for the next challenge…or the next cocktail.