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Not an Ironman...

Tuesday, 31 March 2015 01:10

There’s more to triathlon than the M-dot, writes Jesse Thomas. (triathlon.competitor.com)

By Jesse Thomas

When I tell people that I’m a professional triathlete, the first question I usually get is: “Have you done THE IRONMAN?” Most people mean one of two things—either “an” Ironman, or “the” Ironman, the one they see on NBC from Kona that’s kind of a big deal.

Of course, my answer is no. As much as it may surprise my dozens of loyal readers, I haven’t done an Ironman. And while I’m a proud two-time finisher of the Kona Underpants Run, I’ve been unable to sell the rights to my hairy-chested tighty whities to NBC.

And answering “no” always saddens me a bit. Not because I haven’t done an Ironman, but because something in the question, or the tone or the look I get when I respond “no,” makes me feel like I need to justify why I haven’t done an Ironman....

I feel the need to give an explanation about being “new to the sport,” or “planning to do one next year,” or “but I still tri really hard I swear!” It’s like the many triathlons I’ve done, some over very hard courses at a fairly reasonable pace, simply just don’t matter until I’ve finished an Ironman.

So why have I gone five-plus years in the sport, four as a pro, without doing an Ironman? Well, why would I? If you look at it from a solely professional angle, there are some major disadvantages: more time training, higher risk of injury, less racing. Unless you are one of the top 3–5 guys at Kona, then it likely makes less financial sense as well. Most sponsor bonuses and prize money I’ve seen are 1.5 to two times more than the payout for a half-Ironman, but it’s a lot easier to race more than twice as many halfs in a season. When racing an Ironman, if something goes wrong, it’s harder to make it up with another race. Your season has less flexibility and it puts even more sponsorship/income pressure on a single performance on a single day. It’s a higher risk, less efficient use of time and money. (Please do not share this article with another pro or my entire strategy is blown!) ..READ MORE..