Agree. Kanute really surprised me with his 2nd at Worlds and his great race at Roth. His recent history was somewhat like Eric Lagerstrom. Lead pack in the swim and then gradually become irrelevant in the race.
After that Worlds finish and his pivot to IM AZ and then Roth it seemed he was on to something. Only to settle right back into that funk. Bummer…
Really - the money below 5th for the Pro Series…isn’t great compared to T100 and you aren’t getting travel covered (at least officially) so chasing the series - especially on the men’s side, at some point it would make sense to abandon the series and focus on one of the WCs (assuming you can top 3/5 that best case). I know people are seeing them as “equal” or what have you but the Pro Series is much more top heavy to me…
Agree that #5 in the T100 2025 will make you circa $200k all in.
Note that PTO do not fund travel but do fund the ‘at venue’ costs (5 days).
Whereas #5 in the IM Pro Series (with individual race prize money as well) would make around $85k.
But take RvB for (an ideal) example (successful in IMWC 2024 and potential top 5 in IMWC in September), rather less so in T100 2024):
RvB finished his contracted 5 x T100 races averaging #11 place. T100 race money plus final standing = $31,500 plus ‘marketing’ (say $60k).
To race IMWC 2025 RvB has to qualify so (say) finish #4 in an IM. And he’s not going to just race that IM and the IMWC he’s going to race some other races (but not Roth). So at least one 70.3 and Marbella at the end. The IM Pro Series ‘additional ask’ is that he:
Does it really “make sense to abandon the series and focus on one of the WCs”?
Will that enhance his chances in either? Imho ‘no’. Texas and IMLP ftw, or sub IMLP with Frankfurt (late June) if you want longer to prep for Nice (mid September).
#5 in the IM Pro Series adds $50k to your race winnings (so for RvB close to doubling year’s IM sourced payout)
Also means that one’s season is not a binary win/fail: the broader picture each race is the Series. Doesn’t mean you can’t go all in on either Nice/Kona or Marbella but how many weeks/months of ‘all in’ will reap reward?
IM Pro Series
| First | $ 200,000 |
|---|---|
| Second | $ 130,000 |
| Third | $ 85,000 |
| Fourth | $ 70,000 |
| Fifth | $ 50,000 |
Think you have to factor in bonuses from partners and sponsors?
Using RVB as an example. Finishing out of the top 10 in T-100 race won’t earn him lots of bonus $ from sponsors? Whereas a top 3 finish at Texas might be a lot more lucrative, same argument for a top 5 finish at a IMWC. Also a lot more media attention
I think someone like RVB had that in mind when he made the gamble to focus his attention on the pro series
That’s an element which is difficult if not impossible to quantify, but a significant factor nevertheless.
Do you think the athletes in the top 12 of the T100 last year will not have T100 performance bonuses written in to partnership contracts? And if not, why not?
This year RvB will race (assume) Texas, Frankfurt and IMWC plus a 70.3 and Marbella. And maybe another 70.3 somewhere and/or a T100 wild card (though unclear whether T100 refuseniks will even be offered wildcards). Don’t think he found it difficult to decide not to race T100 after his experience in 2024.
Athletes with proven full distance capability (say previous top 10 in IMWC) who want to have IMWC as their primary goal in most cases have not signed a T100 contract.
The notable exceptions are Knibb, LCB, Berry, Koolhaas, Barnaby who have signed T100 contracts but still plan to race IMWC (and first qualify for it).
I am sure almost all pros have T100 bonuses written into their contracts
But the point is RVB spent the entire 2024 T-100 season struggling to crack the top 10 so there would have been little bonus paid out
The Pro Series probably suits him better and if he performs well will be more lucrative especially if he manages to podium again in IMMC and 70.3 worlds
I am surprise Jason West resigned . He was so underwhelming last year but I guess full distance is not his thing?
Yes, T100 bonuses are a thing with sponsors for sure but as with most sponsors, bonuses pay for a top 3/podium. You could potentially argue for an extra “Series Ranking” bonus, but that would probably be top 5 at most at the end of the season and would likely be small.
Jason West signing was interesting. It was basically Monday ST posted an interview with him that basically made it seem like T100 was just every race was a world title feel/dynamics and he wanted to eventually go into IM.
Then like 2 days later it was announced he was signing with T100.
I kinda get it, if your getting 6 figure “salary” (or whatever you want to call it) to race a series before the results even matter do it. But I also sorta think it’s going to eventually turn into head bashing if you struggle and/or are not truly “committed” to it other than just sorta showing up and taking the paycheck type of approach.
Like I thought it made sense for Sam Long to do it as an sorta low key way to get “paid” to go all in on the swim progression, and then I heard him say he has a goal of winning an T100 race. Which I guess is sorta coach speak, and every athlete wants to win, blah blah blah at that level, but it also can sorta set yourself up for sorta a repeat of the end of year “breakdown” if your not careful.
It seems like a reasonable goal, given that he placed 2nd at T100 races twice last year.
Sure and he also had some mop finishes when the races were more full on and more likely what the t100 will be from here on. But of course with an 8-10 race series schedule there may be the occassional events where schedule has more top regulars rolling off for various reasons. So I get it, I just cringed when I heard that after his “breakdown” and back half of season results + knowing the quality of athletes is only getting stronger.
(But again everyone at this level wants to finally win one of these events, so that’s sorta “coach speak” for most athletes at that level….talking about process is sorta boring everyone goes back to results anyways so again I get it. I just thought it sorta brings in a low key pressure that really imo shouldn’t be on him anymore than he already does within t100 dynamics)
Just saw a video of KM on Instagram announcing she is aiming for that perfect score for the Pro Series
Her schedule for 2025 looks so light after 2024🤣
I had the impression she is also showing up at Roth with her other half and if that happens that will be 4 full distance races in a year 
I still think she’s targeting sub 8 at Roth…but that is so conditions dependent so I can see why she has a full Pro Series schedule. Also Swansea is 6 days post Roth so…the need for Zell in there, possibly.
This may be a bit of a problem that T100 has to work with athletes and industry to solve.
Paying bonuses for podiums has been a good model for a long time because the best athletes are spread out at different races all year.
T100’s goal is to get all the best racing together all year, which means that not all of these great athletes will podium as much as if they raced less competitive Ironman races all year.
For athletes to not be dissuaded from racing T100 for sponsorship reasons, athletes and T100 need to persuade sponsors to treat being a part of T100 as being as good or better than a podium at a bronze or silver Ironman. That’s the trade off for some of the lower half of the T100. This is mostly on T100 to make sure that sponsors of their lower half athletes are getting as much attention and promotion as they would be if that athlete were imon a silver Ironman podium.
Will her strongest challengers be Sodaro (if she can start and finish 5 races), Hering and Wilms (again)?
I expect both Matthews to be at Roth in July all right, but think you have the wrong end of a stick there (and @dfru) (v Kelly)
Swansea is a ‘home’ race, which she’s won before.
The inclusion of a ‘reserve’ 70.3 (Zell-am-See) is to mitigate the risk of Marbella ‘going wrong’ or even Kona ‘going wrong’. Five good scores and a DNF in Kona still allows a score of 18000 (good enough for #3?)
But make no bones about it, winning the IMWC is the primary goal (and same for Philipp, Haug and Knibb): other races are supporting cast.
Sub 8 is a very big goal!!
I feel she is the one to look out for this year . Her run at Taupo was nothing short of spectacular. She was on a mission and I think she will do even better this year!
just here to point out that willms and hering where 30 min behind matthews in Nice and 15 min in taupo.
Ditlev shares his IM Pro Series races:
IMSA (30 March)
70.3 St George (10 May)
IM Frankfurt (29 June)
IMWC
Marbella
Can’t see him racing Roth, then.
Yeah, that’s definitely trying to win the series…
Smart of him to do SA and St George and stay out of the Oceanside TX fray.
I can see him winning his first two and podiuming in the third.
He’s proven to be really good late June/early July in Germany…like the fastest ever - if he wins the first two I would suspect he wins Frankfurt and two decent worlds results should be enough. But I suspect you are thinking the Norwegians beat him? Which is obviously a possibility.