Pro licenses expire 12/31 every year and must be renewed after having qualified by finishing within 10% of the winner's time at a race offering a certain amount of prize money. At her level of ability and results, and per USAT rules she could have theoretically continued to hold a pro license without even racing since the Summer Olympics until the end of 2007. I'm trying to find other race results for her since 2004 but her name is pretty common and Athlinks is balking at me. Assuming the 2004 Olympics was her last race, then the worst case scenario (being defined by her staying "retired" for the least amount of time) she would have been an amateur on paper for 3 1/2 years, but perhaps even began getting out of shape before that.
3 1/2 or 4 years is a long time, but there are some things that you can never take away from someone who has competed at such a high level, and will continue to make them great for all of perpetuity:
--Drive and determination. The kind of extreme motivation and commitment that comes from within that the average triathlete can't even begin to understand.
--Superior technique. Swim and run fitness may go, but having spent so much time practicing certain motions it is (sorry for the cliche:) like riding a bike.
--Knowledge of how their body functions. Most amateurs just don't train effectively. I believe it was either SQW or Alistair Brownlee that said this, but (paraphrasing:) "It's not about who trains the longest, or the hardest, just who trains the best." Once you get to the pointy end of the ability continuum sometimes too much hard training can dull your edge. Trying to push 3 or 4 consecutive sessions to your limit may not be as effective as pushing 1 or 2 past your limit and recovering in between. As a former Olympian, Susan undoubtedly understands what works for her and what doesn't.
I'm good, but I'm not Olympic caliber, so while I can relate in some ways, I'm sure there are countless other inherent "advantages" she has that I'm not aware of because I'm simply not that good. That said, does that mean she shouldn't be racing? NO.
These "advantages" aren't unfair. They're out there for anyone to gain for themselves given the right combination of devotion, genetics, and coaching/training. People are too preoccupied with "winning" age group awards, but then again, if a large chunk of the racing population went away from the race feeling like a loser then triathlon probably wouldn't be very popular. By increasing the number of "winners" RD's can brighten some people's days when they would otherwise simply look silly when compared with a great athlete like Rudy Kahsar or Susan Williams. Rudy and Susan WON a fair race, and everyone else "won" age group awards.
That said, Brian Duffy has been competing in the AG ranks for years when in fact he is a pro caliber athlete. I'm not familiar with Susan's recent results, but Brian has won the elite amateur division on plenty of occasions with a time that would place him among the top 10-15 pros. IMO what he's doing should be more frustrating than what Susan Williams is doing. I agree with the argument that AG Nats should be a pure AG race, so I propose the following distinction: if you qualify for your professional license (regardless of whether or not you choose to file for it--I know a substantial number of people fall into this category) then you are ineligible for AG nats.
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