About Us
Pacific Sports LLC is a premier sports consultation firm, specializing in event production, management, and corporate sports marketing development. Having produced over 300 sport events in the United States, including the 1996 Triathlon World Championships and 12 U.S. Championships, Pacific Sports LLC is dedicated to the creation, development and management of participant and endurance sports including those of running, swimming, and cycling. Pacific Sports was a founder of the LifeTime Fitness Series comprising the major championships at the Olympic Distance in the United States. The firm produces events around the world including the Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Triathlon, Dow | Live Earth Run for Water, Catalina Marathon, Rose Bowl Half Marathon, and Cleveland Triathlon. Pacific Sports is a Delaware based Limited Liability Company with offices in Anaheim, California. The firm was founded in 1983.
Pacific Sports owns and operates the following properties (not including our management and consulting projects):
Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Triathlon presented by Herbalife
Catalina Marathon
Rose Bowl Half Marathon
Newport Beach Triathlon
Buffalo Run Half Marathon
Cleveland Triathlon
Catalina Triathlon
Toyota U.S. Open Triathlon Dallas
Major Corporate Clients of Pacific Sports LLC (partial list):
Herbalife International
Toyota Motors U.S.A.
Life Time Fitness Corporation
Accenture
MillerCoors
Kring & Chung, LLP
Suunto
Kaiser Permanente Medical Group
TYR Swimwear
Nestle Waters
Power Crunch
SC Johnson
Gatorade
New Balance
Major Charitable Relationships of Pacific Sports LLC:
Ready, Set, Gold! (Southern California Committee for the Olympic Games)
United Cerebral Palsy
University of California, Irvine, Athletic Foundation
Stand for Hope
Catalina Conservancy
Heal the Bay
Avalon Schools & Little Red Schoolhouse
Comprehensive AIDS Resource Education Program at St. Mary Medical Center
Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
Jack Caress, President and CEO
For 30 years, Jack Caress has been producing and marketing participant sports events. He is the founder and President of Pacific Sports LLC. Since the firm’s inception they have produced over 400 multisport events across the United States. Jack has also been an active member of the academic community serving as a professor at Chapman University in the School of Business & Economics for the 10 years, as the Director of the Freshman Seminar Program in Political Economics at Chapman for three years, and currently as an adjunct faculty member at the University of San Francisco in the graduate program in Sports Management.
Pacific Sports owned and produced the Olympic Distance Triathlon World Championships in 1996 in addition to producing 12 United States Championship races. Currently the firm operates the Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Triathlon, Catalina Marathon (named the #1 Trail Marathon by Runner’s World), Toyota U.S. Open Triathlon, Rose Bowl Half Marathon, Newport Beach Triathlon (oldest triathlon in the United States), Long Beach Triathlon, Buffalo Run Half Marathon and the Cleveland Triathlon. In 2005, he was a founder and co-owner of the Life Time Fitness Triathlon Series bringing together the five major championships of Olympic distance triathlons. His firm has paid out in excess of $3 million dollars in prize money and generated more than $55 million for charitable causes.
Jack’s career in sports marketing and production began at International Management Group (IMG) in Cleveland as a consultant in the Athletics & Fitness Division. This led to the founding of Pacific Sports and the launch of several events as well as ongoing consultation with sports clientele on sponsorships, sports marketing and athlete representation. He was selected by the Los Angeles Sports Council to be the venue director for triathlon in the 2012 & 2016 bids for the Olympic Games and named in 1996 as Race Director of the Year by USA Triathlon. Prior to IMG, he was a consultant with Touche Ross, & Company where he earned his CPA.
Caress has competed in over 400 participant sporting events including the Ironman World Triathlon Championship in Kona on four occasions. He was a member of the 1975 NCAA Championship golf team at UC Irvine where he now serves on the Athletic Director’s Advisory Council.
Currently Jack consults for the Forensis Group and Gerson Lehman Group and serves in the Mentor Program at the Merage School of Business at UC Irvine. He has provided expert commentary on CBS, NBC, ESPN, Fox and Cablevision Sports and served as Executive Producer on broadcasts for both the Los Angeles and Cleveland Triathlons. Jack has edited two books in political economics entitled “The Global Citizen” and “War, Peace, and Justice” and been published in both financial and sports journals writing on the business of sports and financial management.
Jack can be reached by email at Jack@PacificSportsLLC.com
Chris Laskey, Managing Director
Chris came to us from Exclusive Sports Marketing where he directed and managed their events including the A1A Marathon. Chris has also been an Adjunct Professor at the University of Miami in their Sports Administration Program. Prior to ESM, Chris was the Director of Gameday Operations for the Miami Manatees. His education includes a BA in Advertising from Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa and MS in Sports Administration at the University of Miami.
Chris is a four-time Ironman finisher and worked as a seeing eye guide for a blind athlete and C Different Foundation for multiple triathlons including the Ironman Coeur d'Alene. Chris was born in Yukon, Oklahoma.
Chris can be reached by email at Chris@PacificSportsLLC.com
Kylee Belflower, Director of Marketing
Kylee was born and raised in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. She received her Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science with emphasis in Sports Management from the University of Kansas in May 2006. Kylee joined Pacific Sports in June 2006 and has had experience in organizing the Run, Walk, and Roll Fundraiser for the University of Kansas. She also was a two-time State Champion in high school tennis doubles, participated in track, and was an All-State volleyball player. Kylee enjoys participating in running events and participated in the Iron Kids Triathlons.
Kylee can be reached by email at Kylee@PacificSportsLLC.com
Katie Caress, Website/Online Registration Coordinator
Katie joined Pacific Sports in April of 1997. She is responsible for the design and maintenance of the Pacific Sports and LA Triathlon web sites, along with coordination of online registration functions and online newsletter distribution.
Katie graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 1987 and holds a Master's Degree in Exercise Physiology from San Diego State University. She joined Pacific Sports from a sales position with a national medical diagnostics company . Katie played soccer throughout high school and at the University of Texas and has continued her pursuit of athletic endevours by completing the Los Angeles, Chicago and Boston Marathons. She has also participated in several triathlons upon joining Pacific Sports.
Katie can be reached by email at Katie@PacificSportsLLC.com