I have a question that stems from another thread a few of us hijacked.
Does an up-and-coming or mid-level pro really have any training advantage over an age group athlete? I’m guessing that very, very few pros actually make a real living at the sport, and have to supplement big time with other jobs, giving them really no great advantage over top AG athletes who have flexible jobs (or no jobs at all cuz they have bucks). I’ve seen the pro bikes on the bike racks at races, and a good deal of them are not top of the line set ups.
Are there any pros out there willing to comment and whether they think it was worth it, monetarily and from a training standpoint, to turn pro?
Well if you become fast enough as an AGer to consider turning PRO why not do it?
All these people who whine about the distinction are just jealous they aren’t as fast. Not everyone starts off as an extremely fast athlete ya know?
My question isn’t “why not do it” - I think it would be cool to be in the pro heat, and get to call yourself a pro.
My question is “Does a mid-level pro have a lifestyle that is an advantage over us age-groupers who have jobs that let us train 25 hours a week for an IM?” I think a lot of people think the pro lifestyle is a breeze - train all the time with no other worries. I’m guessing it’s that way only for a very, very select few, and most pros really suffer to be called a pro.
you don’t really turn pro until you make a living doing triathlon…someone (like myself) who considers themselves borderline really should consider themselves as elite or semi-pro in my mind. i can tell you that i obtained my pro license simply to race itu and see if i can make a decent run at it. i’ve always dreamed of going to the olympics and a few years ago i was a collegiate resident, on the u/23 world team (didn’t compete because of school) and on the u/23 national select team, and along with these things came the necesity to “turn pro” or in my mind race as an elite.
But in triathlon, you only have 2 choices - pro or AG. I’m asking if you experienced any training advantage by being a pro? Doesn’t sound like it.
I know you define a pro as someone who can make a living, but in fact anyone who gets a card is a pro, and my point is that you had it no easier than when you were an AG athlete.
how many hours do pro itu guys train a day on average?
i know bevan docherty uised to wait tables etc in taupo when he was here for the summer. he has now got to a level where he doesn’t have to do that, but i am pretty sure you’ll find he was bloody fast when he did do this…
All the pro’s I know were naturally very fast from the start. You know the story - “I did my first triathlon without really training much - sure I was a swim or track stud before but I hadn’t done the other 1-2 sports much - I was on an ill-fitting borrowed bike. I took 3rd to Mark Allen and some other pro and figured that maybe I’d be good at the sport…”.
Anybody know of a pro who was a MOP’er ever? They are born fast and stay fast. Look at Larsen - 4 hours at Vineman on <6 hours/week if you believe that…I could train for 20 years and 60 hours/week and still barely break 4:30…its my parents fault - (whine).
Short answer from me would be no, there is very little advantage to being a pro if you aren’t Kemper, DeBoom, or a resident team athlete, etc.
Im in law school, so I can generally get in good training hours, but the week before and the two weeks of finals, forget it. And what am I going to do next year, when I owe ten million dollars and I don’t want to be a lawyer because I think I can be good at this sport if I ever get some consistent training? Who knows.
Over the two years that I have been a pro, I have traveled to about 8 races. I have won a total of $1060. I was on the U-23 team in 2003, USAT helped me out and I only had about $1000 in expenses when I went to New Zealand for U-23 Worlds in 2003 and they covered my plane ticket and hotel at 3 other races. I got a pro deal on a wheel from Zipp, but I only got one, because I found the rear on the internet for cheaper. I got a pro deal on sunglasses from Smith ($65). I have never developed any kind of relationship with a LBS or runnning shop, partially because I bought my bike on the internet 3 years ago for under $1800 dollars and partially because I go to school in Lexington, Kentucky, but grew up in Ocala, Florida, and have trained in Colorado Springs, CO Boulder, CO, and Daytona Beach, FL, so no sponsorship there.
I couldn’t really tell you why I am a pro. I could very easily just bag it and go to work next year, win some local races, and if I really felt up to it, go to Nationals.
OK, I coach an AG athlete who has the results to get a pro license right now. 28 years old, AG winner at Disney in 2004, top ten AG at Hawaii. He’s unsure about getting a pro license or continuing to race AG. Give me a good reason why he should get that pro license, other than simply to toe it up with other pros (which is a very valid reason for turning pro, I’m just asking if there is any other reason).
“He’s unsure about getting a pro license or continuing to race AG. Give me a good reason why he should get that pro license,”
If he has finished “in the money” or close to it at a race with significant prize money, then he should consider turning pro. Or if training history, results, talent or potential indicate that he could make a living from the sport within 2-3 years, then it might be worth the risk in the short term to make the jump. This is not an easy answer however, as many athletes don’t understand that it’s not a linear progression up the ranks, i.e. the faster you get, the harder it is to get to the next level.
As far as lifestyle advantage: the main difference between full time pros and age groupers is time for recovery: all pros have to do generally is eat, sleep and train. That’s not always a good thing for all athletes however - many who make the jump to pro are disapointed to find their results don’t instantly improve and find they are more prone to injury and illness with the higher training loads. The other issue is whether the financial stress of depending on what was once a hobby to put food on the table could be significant enough to detract from training and racing performance.
Its not a glamorous life. I work with many such athletes and it’s quite difficult just to get to the point of breaking even, let alone profiting from triathlon training and racing.
Those are very good points. I’ve been struggling with how to advise him on this, and he’s been struggling with the “why should I go pro if there are few economic advantages, and I’ll have a tough time getting back to Hawaii when I could go every year as an AG” question. Thanks.
One advantage of being “pro” is you get to sign up for a race that has already been sold out for a year. If your training goes well you jump into the race and go… AGers don’t get that luxury.
What do you mean by financial and training advantage of being a pro?
Despite some of the whining on this board, the only difference between pro and AG is a piece of paper. Finish in the top eight overall in 3 sanctioned races with at least 300 (is it 400 now) entrants and sent USAT $75. The only thing that will change when you get the card is what awards you are eligible for and that you will get to start in the first wave all the time. Everything else in your life will be the same.
You can quit your job and train full-time without being a pro, you will then have plenty of time to recover, but you better win some races fast if you want to pay the rent.