How much money does a journalist make? Are you talking about CNN's Christiana Amanpour or a small town journalist?

Most cycling and triathlon pros do not make a lot of money, there are only a few ones who do quite well.

H

A vast majority of the pros are just scraping by trying to rack up frquent flyer miles, eating powerbars for breafast lunch and dinner, and are always happy to get a free pair of shoes. After the cost of travel/race entry and whatnot most guys make less than 15-20K yr. they do it for the love, not for the girls, drugs or money.

There are probably a dozen or so that make 300k+. The top few over 500k..There are probably another 20 that make between 100k to 300k, and another 30 to 50 that make 50k to 100k.. The rest make less than 50k, and many much less than that..This is my guess world wide, and includes sponsor dollars, race director payouts, and prize money....Not much change from 20 years ago, except for the top couple earners......

I'd guess that for the top earners most of the money doesn't come from race winnings but more from sponsership deals and rep jobs for the products that they represent.

A lot seem to do coaching, trianing etc. Another guess would be that most have some form of second income either from parttime or allmost full time work or other sources outside of long distance triathlon.

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http://www.nunnsontherun.com

seems a bit high to me but i respect your judgement. of course like you said that's over the whole world, so factor in all the top Aussies and Germans alone and that number per country starts to dwindle real fast!

I'd suggest that for the vast majority of pros out there, their main sponsors are families/spouses, with part time jobs and "working sponsorship agreements" making up the rest of the grocery bill. Most of these guys are busting ass to try and make it, and winning enough money to buy groceries is a big deal.

There are certainly a few with lots of disposable income now that they've made it big, but I'd be willing to bet that they went through several lean years as well, barely scraping by and doing without what most normal people consider basic necessities.

No-one gets into tri for the money, but thanks to a lot of generous individual contributors, the up-and-comers can often hang on long enough to make the equivalent of a fairly poor salary doing what they love. Some of them may eventually make a comfortable living, and some may even make a lot of money - but most just barely get by.

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<If you're gonna be dumb, you gotta be tough>
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Macca and Stadler.

It was rumored that Stadler's deal with that investment bank or whatever was 7 figures.

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Portside Athletics Blog

Ironman.com had a story about Macca last year and they said he made deep into the 6 figures, and has for years. I dont know how much 'deep into 6 figures' is though.

What about the Bennetts? And I just recently heard from someone in the industry that Macca's UnderArmour sponsorshipe deal is huge. I'd have to ask again, but I thought that it was 6 figures or close to it.

But, really most of the guys are just trying to break even with racing and are working other jobs that allow them to train at will. Only the top guys and girls are making enough to buy fancy houses, cars, etc.

Greg Bennet supposedly made over 500k this year, plus his wife brought in a nice chunk too. He made 508,000 this year, and his wife Laura made 200,000 at HyVee. Not a bad year for them....

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SIC VIS PACEM PARA BELLUM

http://physasst.blogspot.com/

the bennett(S)? because for for them to qualify, they would have to make 1,000,000 total.

and as far as i know, 6 figures = 100,000.

i just want to see the 1040 form of any tri pro that made over 500k.

maybe, but i really doubt it. and if i am wrong, there has gotta be at best 1 or 2 in the world.

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Where would you want to swim ?

I don't think they have 1040s in Germany, but do some research on Stadler's deal.

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Portside Athletics Blog

I think you are correct. Only a handful are making a true living off of triathlon alone.

Reminds me of a great joke:
How do you get a professional triathlete off your porch?

Pay for the pizza.

Gary Mc

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Gary Mc
Did I mention I did Kona

My philosophy teacher used that joke, except about philo majors.

Yeah, but my point was Greg alone made 508,000 just off of winnings, that doesn't count his endorsements....

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SIC VIS PACEM PARA BELLUM

http://physasst.blogspot.com/

I have an interesting interview with Greg Bennett that'll most likely go up on ST tomorrow. i actually asked him a couple money questions. :-)

H

what races gave him those kind winnings?

and if that is the case (which perhaps it is), what was his salary the year before that, and the year before that?

any pro's out there making over 500,000/year over a span of multiple years?

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Where would you want to swim ?

yeah but what are the details on the Stadler deal? is that even in US Dollars? isn't it over several years, and for several team members? those factors alone can cut it down real fast

considering all the hype around the Bennetts being the richest in tri, and only Greg made over $500k, and only this year, i don't think many guys are making that much.

they even talked about how at the start of the year they had extremely little sponsorship-wise, and this is considering both of them are best/close to best in the world!

i think it's more like maybe 5 in the whole world make over $100k, a few make around $50k, and most others struggle to eat!

lifetime fitness series: http://www.ltftriathlonseries.com/prizes.pdf
60K MN, 60K Dallas, 8K NY, 10K Chi, 10K LA, 300K series bonus

the title of this thread is an oxymoron.

As others have pointed out, Greg Bennett won over 500k in one series of races. That does not include all his other races, sponsors, and start fees. His wife probably made close to 400k+ in prize money and endorsements, she made 260k in one race in prize money alone..Norman's deal with one sponsor is close to the 500k, and that also does not include prize money, other great sponsors, and start fees..Macca probably made close to at least 400k, he has over half that in prize money...Those are the few that are off the front in $, then there are many of the top ITU people doing well. Snowsill, Gomez, Fernandez, and a few others are probably in that 200 to 300k range...

Hope that answers your questions, most of this stuff is common knowledge.....

Khai - I think you really describe the life of most pros very well. I think many are very very unrealistic about what a "pro" athlete can/should earn. I think it's easy to get caught up in how much you train and how fast you race when you are a triathlet because our sport takes so much of our time and mental focus. My opinion is that if you want to be pro and do the ironman you better be able to go under 8.30 if you want to get some income from "just" being a triathlete. Now there are of course ways in which you can get an income because of your skills in the sport but this takes that you develop a plan and purpose of why you do triathlon and then try to communicate it to people outside our sport - this could be weight loss, healty lifestyle etc. In our sport many age groupers sacrifice as much as many pros and why should they pay a semi fast athlete to chase his/her dream when what they are doing is not that different than what the age grouper does. That's at least how it is around where I live - the age groupers here in Denmark ride in the rain and cold just like the pros and some of them go very very fast. I don't see why they should pay my gear and trips to nice places :)
So with the pros I know their income vary very much and is not always because of the level they race at but their communicating skills.

i think we're also talking gross revenue here and need to factor high expenses.

when you end up paying a couple grand to fly to and stay at events around the world you're talking a couple grand per race, and doing so often. plus if you're making huge money like that you're most likely going to be paying minimum 15% of it for a sports agent. plus often a website designer. plus often a seperate PR agent. plus massages several times per week, etc, etc.

i think we're also talking gross revenue here and need to factor high expenses. \\


As in m most pro sports, the rich ususally get richer. The top people most often get all their expenses paid, either by the race director, or a sponsor. The ITU people get their expenses paid if they place high in the previous race, so the fastest continue to get the perks.. I never paid my way to any race for 15 years, and often got some money just to show up. It's the 2nd tier pros that have to pay some/all of their expenses, and of course they are the least likley to be able to afford it. It is a tough life if you are in it for the money, but a great life if you want to do something that so few get to do, and most others can only dream about. And when we talk about anybodys salaries, isn't it always about the gross? WHen Tiger woods gets 5 mil for winning an event, we don't think, let's back out his agent fee, meal money, tips for the caddy, parking ticket for his big car, ect???

Most cycling and triathlon pros do not make a lot of money, there are only a few ones who do quite well.

The money in triathlon drops off extraordinarily quickly from the top. The people right at the top do well to very well. I posted this up in another similar thread recently. It's worth putting here as well.

Let's look at the top pro long distance women in Canada. I know this group well. They all have impressive resumes. They have all either won IM races or placed in the top 5 of IM one or more times. They have all gone under 9:40. They have all qaulified for the IM World Championships at one time or another. The #1 woman does very well. I am sure that she makes very good money. Covers her costs and has a bit left over to save for the future. She is well known and does a great job at what she does and is worth all of that money to her sponsors. Go down to the 5th ranked long distance Pro in the Country and, I know that she made a grand total of a couple hundred dollars last year from her Tri racing and her Bike road racing. That's it. She works full time running her own Hair Design business. So there's the range over just 5 women, a few places and 20 odd minutes on the race course in an IM if they were all racing head-to-head.

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Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

My intent is not to steal your thread, but one of the strange sport features of triathlon is that MANY age groupers make far more than even the best of pros and do it year after year for long careers ... often after completing a good education. No problem with the entry fees, travel,etc. The average earnings of ironman finishers has always been interesting discussion.
If you truly love triathlon, complete a good professional education and compete as an age grouper!;p
Dave

yeah but if your goal is to WIN tri's, you need to do the opposite. you don't go pro for the money

What's the difference between a pizza and a pro triathlete?

A pizza can feed a family of four.

:)

Jot

[reply][reply]
if i'm wrong, just let me know [/reply]

Yep you are wrong.

Why is it that on ST we always have the 'experts' that just know it all. Does not matter what the subject is they know better. Do you not think the Monty knows what he is talking about. He did after all race pro for many years and has an insiders perspective to current events.

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Andrew

http://www.theyogapod.com

i used to be a windsurfer. windsurfing/triathlon are similar sports that require lots of money that don't offer lots of money to pros.

many "pro" windsurfers are trustafarians which gives an illusion of high payout from earnings/sponsorships due to their privileged lifestyles. i would imagine triathlon is the same. rich trustfunders with no visable means of support.

Yes gregX you are wrong, there is a few pro making over 500k..... not many but a few. I wont name them because i dont have the rights to do so.

I can only share my own story and dont really care for people to know some numbers. There is pro athlete like top hawaii guys that are doing well. And there is also a lower level like me that will place top 10 at ironman and win a few half ironman and some national races. This is where most of us are acutally and where the struggle is.

For someone like me, including housing, food, gas, car insurrance, traveling, equippement, registration, medical, physio, chiro, and anything that keep me alive and going for a full year....

2001-2005 about 15 000 a year of expense and very small revenu from teaching, coaching, some races but mostly borrowing money from others....
2006 17 500$ of expense for the year about 2000$ in race revenu and sponsorship together. the rest is loan, credit card, parents, friends......
2007 17 000$ of expense for the year about 14 200 in revenu. still losing money but a bit less..... very encouraging...

so i m off course in det.... i own a lot...... it s not easy to live on 17 000 a year. I havent had a place that i can call home for the past 30 months. I m at a point where i do hope to find the support to make it another 2 years in this sport so i can reach a level of making money and be viable and independente. I push the limits pretty far as to making it to here... and dont have much left. But as for now, this is my reality and i will keep living as cheap as i can and see if i can survive another 24 months that is necessary to make it to the pro level....

But with all this, i still consider myself very lucky and bless to be doing this.... i m living a dream and wont complain of the financial aspect as i definitly dont make it for money but it would be nice to be able to afford a place that i could call home!

now, this is a exemple of the level of athlete like me that is racing pro but dosnt live from the sport. Of course, there is a lot of ITU and ironman athelte that over the years have made it to a comfortable living situation.

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Jonathan Caron / Professional Coach / ironman champions / age group world champions
Jonnyo Coaching
Instargram

Macca races a lot almost year round and usually just the bigger races. When's the last time you saw him out of the money? He also owns a bike shop at home in Australia. I'm sure he clears over 500G's with race earnings, sponsors, and secondary income. I think the Deboom's do pretty well together, the Bennett's do. Chris Lieto does some part time real estate on the side I think. I'm sure some of these guys are doing ok. (Anyone you consistently see in the top 10 at any distance that races a lot) There are way more that are just scraping buy though.

Nice post. I think a lot of people think that if you do well at a few big races that sponsors/money starts to come your way. That is not the case. Your situation really shows that you love the sport and are very dedicated. I think this is the year you start to break through and end up on the positive side $wise.

Mike

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http://www.MikeCaiazzo.com
http://www.USProTri.com

Is that "EVEN IN US Dollars" ?

What the hell is that supposed to mean Chuck ?

Just in case your off the beaten path. Dresdner Kleinwort Benson is German and the currency denomination in Germany is the Euro which at the present moment is 1.4625/28 ( Singapore time 09.29 Friday morning ). This is the global interbank spot price.

Meaning that a "Usd$" denominated contract would be worth LESS than a "Euro" based" contract.

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"You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream" - Les Brown
"Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment" - Jim Rohn

Quote:

How much do the pro's really bring in with race winnings, sponsors, etc. ?

Craig Alexander owns a million dollar house in Sydney. He must be doing alright.

[/reply]

Is that "EVEN IN US Dollars" ?

What the hell is that supposed to mean Chuck ?

Just in case your off the beaten path. Dresdner Kleinwort Benson is German and the currency denomination in Germany is the Euro which at the present moment is 1.4625/28 ( Singapore time 09.29 Friday morning ). This is the global interbank spot price.

Meaning that a "Usd$" denominated contract would be worth LESS than a "Euro" based" contract. [/reply]

settle down there junior Einstein, it was just a point of conversation, I didn't even say it was one way or the other. point is, all kinds of rumor crap floats around, without any details whatsoever (ST style)

Aside: I told this joke to my (non-triathlete) girlfriend just now, and her response was, "umm... aerodynamics?"

Hehe.

Something that I don't think has been brought up:

Wouldn't it make more sense for a struggling professional to seek out the smaller, more local events, win them, and then do it again next week? I would imagine that even an Ironman specialist could easily win the Hicksville, Indiana Sprint Triathlon and net a few hundred in prize money.

Is this something that professional triathletes ever do? Or does the travel, training and sponsorship restrictions, and time away from home preclude this option, limiting the top-tier pros to competing in a smaller number of high-profile races per season?

Craig Alexander owns a million dollar house in Sydney.

As I said, the ones at the very top are doing well to very well. However, I bet there were guys in the top 10 at IMH who finished just minutes and a few places back of Alexander that are just scraping by.

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Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

[reply]
Something that I don't think has been brought up:

Wouldn't it make more sense for a struggling professional to seek out the smaller, more local events, win them, and then do it again next week? I would imagine that even an Ironman specialist could easily win the Hicksville, Indiana Sprint Triathlon and net a few hundred in prize money.

Is this something that professional triathletes ever do? Or does the travel, training and sponsorship restrictions, and time away from home preclude this option, limiting the top-tier pros to competing in a smaller number of high-profile races per season? [/reply]

unfortunately the majority of them don't have prize money, and it doesn't really build your results resume to win small local races in Hicksville, IN (hey, i was born there!)

Oh, you're definitely right about that--most races don't have much or any prize money. But I've done a few larger local races where the overall winner did end up netting a few hundred bucks, so maybe they could cherry-pick the few more lucrative local events that do have prize money?

    
No Mortgage
No rent or low rent (live at home w parents/with friends)
No Kids
Groceries cost $250 a month (Wal-Mart)
No cell phone
Don't go out
Don't do anything
Don't own anything
Stay at homestay or with family in hotel
Comped Entry Fees

Payed by your country (other countries pay long distance guys)
Make $ selling old equipment
Online coaching
Work Part Time
Prize Money
Sponsorship Salary
Sponsorship Bonuses



Then eventually you give it up for real life, or it becomes real life and you get fast enough to call it your Job.

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Ruble Triathlon Coaching Average of 30 coached PR's per year
Florida Triathlon Camps Train in North Americas winter training destination
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"Junior Einstein" , I kinda like that :)....unfortunately I'm not even in the junior league !

"Even in USD$" , brought me to that conclusion.

It just brought to mind , that the general thought pattern in the US ( as well as elsewhere ) , is that the Greenback is the underlying staple currency , due to economic strength , rather than convenience.

Historically, in the 60's and 70's , it was the case. Now ,the Greenback ,is being used less and less as the currency staple and convenience , with the shift to the Euro , Sterling and Yen being the preferred common denominator. Although , iw ould tend to think in the "America's" it will still be the preference.

Anyway, did not mean any offence , just to throw in my 2 cents :)

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"You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream" - Les Brown
"Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment" - Jim Rohn

In the seven figures for the whole contract!

And that is a 5 year contract! So divide your number by 5 and you get his income from Dresdner Kleinwort. Without bonuses for top results i.e. none in 2007! :-(

These days German newspapers speculate that Faris, Normann and Macca each get € 50.000 ($ 75.000) for their start AND finish at IM Germany 2008. (http://www.fr-online.de/...uell/?em_cnt=1261772)

In a German triathlon forum I once speculated that only a victory in Kona could, if you do good at marketing, perhaps make you financially independent for the rest of you life. Within only a few minutes Normann himself replied to tell me that this is definitely not the case for a German pro. That, by the way, was back 2005 when his second win was still to come.

Make $ selling old equipment

I always heard that it was bad karma to sell off sponsor gear for profit, but I guess you got to do what you dot to do! :)

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Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

Well start at $100K with his chkec from Kona and work on from there.

Chrissie Who must be doing pretty well. 2 IMs, 2Im wins and I would guess the two highest paying IMs in 2007 since that Bank added $150K to the purse 6 weeks before the Kore race....um,, round about exactly the same time that Brett Sutton asked CW if she was ready to do an IM. I don't think she's even completed 12 full months as a pro yet!

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TriRaceBook.com
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Hawaii Qualification Analysis

[reply]
[reply]
Macca and Stadler.

It was rumored that Stadler's deal with that investment bank or whatever was 7 figures. [/reply]

In the seven figures for the whole contract!

And that is a 5 year contract! So divide your number by 5 and you get his income from Dresdner Kleinwort. [/reply]
that was my point as well, plus there are team mates included in that figure. not saying it's bad, but it's not like they're paying Norman a million bucks a year or anything as the rumor mill seems to spread ;-)

nope just pointing out that the vast majority of us on here are in the US, so when we're throwing around money rumors might want to convert it to USD so we're comparing apples to apples