I was looking at the Lake Placid Kona slots and noticed the last place female pro got a kona slot. (2 dnf’d)This after being beat by almost every female age grouper that qualified. I think its time to toughen up the professional standards. Send Marisol to kona instead.
I totally agree. I am tired of seeing these “Pros” getting their doors blown off by Age Groupers. I do not care for the excuses, do you think an NBA team would get beat by a college team. In no other sport are the pros getting beaten more by their amateur competitors.
Why? What’s it to you? They aren’t taking away any AG slots. If you think it’s easier to get to Kona as a pro, go for it.
Complaining that some pros are ‘too slow’ is like complaining that some AG athletes are ‘too fast’ and have too much time to train, and are sponsored, etc. To each his/her own.
Why? What’s it to you? They aren’t taking away any AG slots. If you think it’s easier to get to Kona as a pro, go for it.
Exactly. If it’s so easy to cherry pick three races and get a pro card, quit whining and do it already.
It goes way beyond Kona slots. All the way to what?
**You have to agree that the “pro” standards set by USAT are a bit generous. **They are, but so what? Would tightening the standards make it easier for actual pros to make a living at the sport?
Prize money? I don’t understand. I thought you were complaining about triathletes who weren’t good enough to be called pros. Now they’re hogging the prize money?
I agree that it doesn’t take much to become a pro, but being pro only means that you are eligable to win prize money and not eligable to win AG awards.
Does it ‘look’ bad to have a pro get beaten by AGers, maybe, but only for that person.
I don’t concern myself with the pros.
I see.
Does that happen often?
So, then it’s up to the AGers to step up and become pros to become eligable for prize money.
Maybe we should just do away with the classification entirely.
This is a serious question:
Do you really need a “pro card” to race as a pro at IMNA events? There are a few guys that I’ve seen “race” as pros that don’t come close to the USAT qualification standard. Sometimes I think all you have to do is check the “pro” box on the application and bam! You’re a pro.
If someone wants to race “pro” and come in 689 place that’s fine with me. However I hope they aren’t able to sign up for IMNA events 4, 3, 2 months before the race. I hope its just not that easy.
Cheers!
Trevor
Whatever - the only people who have a legitimate gripe about prize money would be those fast AGers that are beating pros.
And if they have a gripe, they should get a pro card (if they can)
Why don’t triathlon RDs do what most road races (running) do…first X across the line, male and female, get cash. Do one cares if you’re ‘pro’ or not.
**I’m all for that but there may be a tax reason for it as well. Apparently if you are listed as a pro the money you get is taxed as well as the sponsorship dollars and stuff that you get. **I’m pretty sure that would apply to anyone who won prize money. I could be wrong. (Although I suppose pros could deduct expenses like race fees and travel costs, while age groupers can’t.)
What would your criteria for professional status be?
i competed as a “collegiate elite” last summer and i think that being a pro is only necessary when competing for a purse of $5,000 or more. If a RD doesn’t allow age groupers to compete for smaller amounts of prize money then the said age groupers who feel they should be allowed to compete should send a resume to the RD and ask to be in the “money race”.
On another note, USAT has a nice system where as a collegiate elite i was allowed to race in all the ITU races i wanted but was unable to win prize money. Unfortunately those bastards still make you pay the 90 bucks for this card.
Many people out there could easily get a pro card (efernand especially), but do not which is great…it made me run a lot faster last season 
The pro field is often open up until just before the race, and yes, I have known people to obtain a pro card to be able to sign up at the last minute. But they still had to prove the met the criteria to turn pro and in fact, were probably one of the “too fast” amature athletes folks are whining about. Their time would have won their age group but instead they end up with a top20 overall. The following year back to the age group ranks. One gets more deals and schwag as a 9:15 IMer AG than pro.
Do pros sometime blow and walk it home to a slow time? You bet. But I don’t think many 11 hour guys are pondering turning pro so they can sign up at the last minute. I don’t understand why anyone would have issue with it. If you are beating pros and want your share of the prize list, turn pro. Otherwise enjoy the results and your status within your age group.
One caveat that will probably get me flamed: pro women’s fields at most IMs lack the depth they should have. Hence they put in the percent of winner’s time clauses for the prize purse. I’ve seen IMCanada go off with only 8 pro women and the money 10 deep. I don’t think they’ve added the reasonable time clause to the spots so they will roll until someone takes it or they run out of pro women who shuffled home. But it still doesn’t take away a slot from the AGs. It’s just kind of pathetic on it’s own.
So those quals would apply to a sprint - say Wildflower? Maybe I should have paid for my pro card then deducted all of the expenses to all my other races this year. Results this year would have been a little embarrassing as a pro though. They definitely need tougher standards.
Whats it to me? Respect for the sport and my fellow competitors. I take my chances on getting into Ironmans a year ahead of time, pay for hotels (pros get free homestays) Pay entry fees. (most pros have non-Ironman entries complemenatry regardless of results) And I cant write off a cent. BTW…by USAT standards I am PRO material. Ha!
Qualifiers for Kona from IM Germany Schnell Alexander MPRO Germany 56.17,6 6:17.02,9 4:33.14,7 11:54.15,2
Don’t you think that this slot should roll down to a 30-34 athlete with 9.40 time - just because everybody had already qualified from Pro field.
**I’m all for that but there may be a tax reason for it as well. Apparently if you are listed as a pro the money you get is taxed as well as the sponsorship dollars and stuff that you get. **I’m pretty sure that would apply to anyone who won prize money. I could be wrong. (Although I suppose pros could deduct expenses like race fees and travel costs, while age groupers can’t.)
This is correct. It would take thousands of words to describe this accurately being the Internal Revenue Code, but any money that you receive (other than gifts and other exceptions) would be subject to taxation. If this were your livelihood, then you could deduct “necessary and proper” expenses, which would probably include coaching and equipment, as well as race fees and travel costs. But, really, very few “professional” athletes do as well financially in their lives from that professional as the average accountant or lawyer. And I agree 100% with the “what’s it to you” sentiment. If you think it’s so easy to go to Kona by turning pro, then do so. If not, don’t complain. It’s like complaining that it’s raining when you want to run.