As per her Instagram, she is retiring and taking up trail running. Quite shocked to hear this given her breakthrough year last year winning back to back Ironman races. Says she “fell out of love with the sport”. Was coached by Brett Sutton…Please feel free to jump to your own conclusions.
Less surprised that she retired, just surprised at the timing (as in now, after that breakthrough year, rather than at the end of the season, after giving Kona one more go…).
She pops up here once in a while, hopefully she chimes in…
As per her Instagram, she is retiring and taking up trail running. Quite shocked to hear this given her breakthrough year last year winning back to back Ironman races. Says she “fell out of love with the sport”. Was coached by Brett Sutton…Please feel free to jump to your own conclusions.
Rather shocked to hear this I and really hate to hear this. Kirsty has so much talent and I really wanted to see the best version of herself succeed in triathlon. I wish her the best on her new endeavor in trail running.
As per her Instagram, she is retiring and taking up trail running. Quite shocked to hear this given her breakthrough year last year winning back to back Ironman races. Says she “fell out of love with the sport”. Was coached by Brett Sutton…Please feel free to jump to your own conclusions.
My conclusion is she realized triathlon is full of narcissistic losers.
As per her Instagram, she is retiring and taking up trail running. Quite shocked to hear this given her breakthrough year last year winning back to back Ironman races. Says she “fell out of love with the sport”. Was coached by Brett Sutton…Please feel free to jump to your own conclusions.
My conclusion is she realized triathlon is full of narcissistic losers.
This made my day!🤣
As per her Instagram, she is retiring and taking up trail running. Quite shocked to hear this given her breakthrough year last year winning back to back Ironman races. Says she “fell out of love with the sport”. Was coached by Brett Sutton…Please feel free to jump to your own conclusions.
My conclusion is she realized triathlon is full of narcissistic losers.
Conclusion #2:
After winning a couple of races she discovered her net income from triathlon as a professional triathlete would put her below the poverty line, so she decided to do something fun instead.
I’m more shocked Luke Perry from 90210 & “Riverdale” died at the age of 52 from a massive stroke!
Super excited for her. The trail (mountain) running here in Boulder is incredible. It’s a big reason why I’m still here despite not racing triathlon much anymore. It’s exactly the mental break a top level triathlete needs (I’m always trying to get them out to run with me, especially in winter!)
Hey, I’m even surprised I got a thread on here! So, thanks for that! The decision to retire has been a long time coming. I’ve wanted to retire since last October. The reality is, I kind of lost my “mojoâ€. I stopped caring about the sport, it didn’t seem worthwhile to put off life and train to the highest level, to only feel unfulfilled. My story is a little different than most pros. I quit I high paying job in finance in NYC to pursue triathlon. I thought of myself as a start up business. I was willing to spend money to have the best equipment etc, as I knew my own talent and believed I could be one of the best in the sport. I won two Ironman’s last year, which im Very proud of. I started working with an agent after that, Franko… the reality is I couldn’t get one sponsor to give me a contract that pays, just product. It was highly offensive and made me depressed to be honest. At any rate, the sponsorship factor was just the straw on the camels back. I felt like I gave up everything to train at the highest level, and honestly was done with the sacrifice. By moving to pure running I can be more well rounded, work, go skiing etc. Most of all, I was seeking happiness. I wasn’t happy training my ass off for triathlon anymore. I needed a change, something different. I’ve always been an excellent trail runner, so I think this will suit me well. The ultra/trail world is very chill, and I won’t be doing it as my sole purpose. Anyhow, that’s probably enough for now. I’m happy to answer questions if they arise.
Speaking of which, you racing this year?
Hey, I’m even surprised I got a thread on here! So, thanks for that! The decision to retire has been a long time coming. I’ve wanted to retire since last October. The reality is, I kind of lost my “mojoâ€. I stopped caring about the sport, it didn’t seem worthwhile to put off life and train to the highest level, to only feel unfulfilled. My story is a little different than most pros. I quit I high paying job in finance in NYC to pursue triathlon. I thought of myself as a start up business. I was willing to spend money to have the best equipment etc, as I knew my own talent and believed I could be one of the best in the sport. I won two Ironman’s last year, which im Very proud of. I started working with an agent after that, Franko… the reality is I couldn’t get one sponsor to give me a contract that pays, just product. It was highly offensive and made me depressed to be honest. At any rate, the sponsorship factor was just the straw on the camels back. I felt like I gave up everything to train at the highest level, and honestly was done with the sacrifice. By moving to pure running I can be more well rounded, work, go skiing etc. Most of all, I was seeking happiness. I wasn’t happy training my ass off for triathlon anymore. I needed a change, something different. I’ve always been an excellent trail runner, so I think this will suit me well. The ultra/trail world is very chill, and I won’t be doing it as my sole purpose. Anyhow, that’s probably enough for now. I’m happy to answer questions if they arise.
Good for you! Enjoy your new endeavors. 
pick up skimo, perfect winter running compliment and much more fun than tri (sorry everybody)
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Kirsty, great choice. The time commitments to race triathlon at that level are tremendous and make it so difficult to maintain a balanced enjoyable lifestyle (Always tough to get anyone to come for a drink with Steve and I). Mountain running is the perfect mental break/change. Building a brand takes a lot of time and moving across disciplines could also end up helping tremendously in that regard as well (if it is even still a concern)
Speaking of which, you racing this year?
Two sprints. Loveland Lake to Lake and Boulder Sunrise. Sign up and do them with me! (Also Leadville 100 MTB for fun)
Not to segue it but what ever happen to your JourneyToGroPro. You stopped writing. Last I remember you were overtrained, in Clermont… Ironically that is where I live now. How did you get to Boulder?
I won two Ironman’s last year
…
the reality is I couldn’t get one sponsor to give me a contract that pays, just product. It was highly offensive
your word choice is very interesting. why, specifically, did you use the word “offensive?”
I won two Ironman’s last year
…
the reality is I couldn’t get one sponsor to give me a contract that pays, just product. It was highly offensive
your word choice is very interesting. why, specifically, did you use the word “offensive?”
I was thinking the same thing
Conclusion #2:
After winning a couple of races she discovered her net income from triathlon as a professional triathlete would put her below the poverty line, so she decided to do something fun instead.
Ding Ding. Winner.
Conclusion #2:
After winning a couple of races she discovered her net income from triathlon as a professional triathlete would put her below the poverty line, so she decided to do something fun instead.
Ding Ding. Winner.
You dinged your own reply??? Fwiw, she has undergrad degree in math for Nova. She has a Master’s in mathematical finance from Columbia. She worked on Wall Street. There are a plethora of professional triathletes who do triathlon not for the sake of money. I am pretty sure she could have made more money on Wall Street working in a quant fund managing risk. Very much akin to Sarah Piampiano, Meredith Kessler, and Rachel Joyce.
However, speaking of math, the math changed at same point. Hard to say exactly when but someone who could have made decent coin in 2009 can’t make decent coin in 2019. If you were fortunate to have established relationships in those glory days, guess what, you are still getting dropped. Trying to establish new relationships while also trying to be the best athlete you can be is a Fool’s Errand. When I was at Challenge Daytona I was talking to a couple of big name pros who have been in the sport for a long time and made some decent coin at one point. One very notable one was dropped of every paid sponsorship position.
Regardless, if we all count our pennies, and probably for the Lav room for now but I’ll mention it here anyway just to see if Corey is awake and chimes in but… if China has as much hidden debt as some of us suspect, and the housing market in China is starting to literally and figuratively crack and crumble right before our eyes (something some of us have suspected going on 10 years)… and the algos/quant got their Sharpe ratio wrong and quickly change to predicting a recession… and the lack of liquidity that can be provided and the life ropes that can’t be thrown then god save us all because many good jobs will go up in smoke never to be filled again. So yah, if an athlete has a skill sport, even one that isn’t really rewarded by society (in $$$), and for the most part it is healthy for society, then put it to use even if you could make more 8 hours a day, at a desk, working in Excel.
I think it is too bad she is leaving the sport. Having lived with various professional triathletes over the years, including Kirsty, there is no one else who just banged out the workouts like she did. Bang, bang, bang and she was done for the day before I even finished my first workout. She is excellent at execution, but if you lost the love, then I agree, it is pretty hard to be the best athlete you can be. At the end of the day if you don’t love sport you won’t succeed. It has been something I challenge every up and coming professional about. If you are just doing it to be a professional and chase sponsorship you are doing it for the wrong reasons and you will be squirted out as fast as you came.
I’m well aware of her bio. It was this comment:
I started working with an agent after that, Franko… the reality is I couldn’t get one sponsor to give me a contract that pays, just product. It was highly offensive and made me depressed to be honest. At any rate, the sponsorship factor was just the straw on the camels back.
We all want to be rewarded for hard work…