I've been scratching my head a lot lately trying to understand the group of pro triathletes who seem to DNF without a care, never place (win/podium), or race so little throughout the year. This is not a hate thread, it's just straight up curiosity of how the industry works. So the two names that pop up immediately are Pete Jacobs and Clayton Fettell. Both athletes are tremendous athletes who have shown moments of brilliance and were believed to be forces who would be in the sport for a long time. In more recent years these two athletes seem to not really have any results and in Pete's case he has seemingly stepped away completely from the sport. Clayton Fettell dropped out of IM Cairns and seemed to be totally cool about it. Everybody complains about the money in triathlon, but obviously it's better than I think it is because people seem to do alright while posting DNF's or stepping away from the sport completely. Is the sponsorship money enough to pay the bills year in and year out?
Again, I'm not trying to hate on these two athletes, I just don't understand the economics of the sport work. How can the sport be underpaid if it allows you to DNF without a care or completely walk away from the sport? I'm just super curious how these athletes make it work.
Team Zoot 2023
Again, I'm not trying to hate on these two athletes, I just don't understand the economics of the sport work. How can the sport be underpaid if it allows you to DNF without a care or completely walk away from the sport? I'm just super curious how these athletes make it work.
Team Zoot 2023