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Bob Babbitt

Editor-in-Chief Competitor Magazine
Bob Babbitt and Lois Schwartz, who had been school teachers together in Southern California, left teaching and created Competitor Magazine in June of 1987. They started with one publication showcasing endurance sports in Southern California and ran their business out of a 200 square foot office space. They sublet that space from a local race director for $200 per month and shared that space with 30,000 pounds of bike racks and race timing equipment. Over the next 22 years they, along with their third partner John Smith, extended the Competitor Magazine brand to Florida, Georgia, Texas, Oregon, Washington and Northern California. In 2007 a private equity firm purchased the Competitor Brand and with it Competitor Magazine, Competitor Radio, The Competitor Awards Gala and the Columbia Muddy Buddy. Also purchased were the Rock N Roll Marathon Series, Inside Communications and Velo News Magazine and Triathlete Magazine. The integrated event and media company is now called The Competitor Group.