Professional Triathletes: Who Cares?
This weekend the biggest race of the 2020 season is happening in Daytona Florida on Sunday...Sunday...Sunday! (that one was too easy). Florida comments and sarcasm aside, it’s nice to see a triathlon actually happening “safely” and the entire triathlon world (~1,000 people, there’s the sarcasm) couldn’t be more excited to tune in and see the race unfold. The professional fields begin at 10am for the women and 2pm for the men, so off the top of my head I don’t think they’ll be much competition for viewers of sporting events in America on a Sunday afternoon…
Yesterday on the Mission Multisport group text message thread we were talking about the favorites to win the race and who we think could contend for the podium. Oh and this group text consists of one current professional and 2 pretty big triathlon nerds and me...ugh also a tri nerd. In our bubble this is the coolest thing to watch this year and we will gladly donate some cash to watch the coverage BUT that is just in our bubble. My co-workers are busy picking their fantasy football lineups, my parents are planning to get a Christmas tree and even my fiance is going to be on the trainer for a few hours. All of them not watching the race. This led me to consider the draw of the professional triathlete and what role professionals actually play in our sport. So I now invite you to follow along as I take us down this rabbit hole and explore some reasons why we as athletes, endurance sports businesses, and clubs need and/or don’t need professionals.
*Disclaimer: I have friends who were and are currently professionals and if I ever got the chance to race as a professional my ego would force that decision on me so maybe I’m implicitly biased. Deal with it, keep reading.
“They care about the image of Tim O’Donnell coming in second in Kona draped in the American Flag, an image that brings a tear to my patriotic heart. ”
The Pros...for the pros
Exposure: There is no doubt that professional athletes give the sport more exposure to a broader audience. No one cares about me or you competing in the local sprint triathlon regardless of how the race plays out or how dramatic the finish may be. They care about the image of Tim O’Donnell coming in second in Kona draped in the American Flag, an image that brings a tear to my patriotic heart. An image so powerful that it was in The New York Times today. Simple fact is; big stage+big drama= big exposure for the sport. This leads to more participation which leads to more money going into the sport which means your local race director can keep hosting the events for you.
Many are legit good people: The other day I was speaking to my friend who happens to be a professional triathlete, Lionel Sand…..or wait I don’t care about that dude, I was talking to Mission Multisport coach Holly Benner. Not to knock the former but the person mentioned latter happens to live down the street from me and has given me (and every Mission Multisport athlete) hours of advice regarding triathlon and sports in general. Show up to our group run on Monday and you’re training with and receiving advice from a professional athlete, she gives back to her community. One more example. The day of Lake Placid 2019 we were standing in line for ice cream after the race...obviously. It was crowded and a couple kids were running around super excited for ice cream (as was Caroline) and they happened to jump in front of us in line, not a big deal. However, their dad, who had just gone top 10 in the men's pro field, wrangled them, apologized and then began asking us how our race was with genuine interest. We didn't even realize he had placed until we looked him up on our own later. You don’t have those interactions with professional athletes in other sports and FYI Stepth Curry has never given me advice on how to shoot a basketball.
They’re an asset to the industry: Have you guys seen the new Canyon SpeedMax yet? If you’re on social media you most likely have because the professional triathletes you follow have posted about their experience on the bike. Canyon is a brilliant marketing company and there is no coincidence that many of the top triathletes are riding a Canyon. No it’s not because it’s the best bike, it’s because they most likely (I’m assuming) pay the most for sponsorship and they clearly obligate athletes to hold up their end of the bargain by using their social media platforms to promote new products. So stop rolling your eyes at me because you think I’m about to go the cynical route about pros forcing products down our throats, I’m spinning this a positive way! As athletes we want this industry to continue to grow and advance for several reasons. First the more competition there is will lead to the prices of goods being driven down to the point that the average athlete can afford to make a purchase. Power meters is a great example. 10 years ago you’d have to pay over $1k for an SRM and now you’re in the power meter game for under $400...yay capitalism! Second industry growth leads to innovation. You see this with most mid to high end triathlon bikes. Integrated storage, disc brakes, carbon wheels and aerodynamic everything are now standard where years ago you’d have to create your own aerodynamic storage and water options. Lastly, new companies are popping up all the time and most are developed alongside pro athletes or even started by former professionals. Tri-Rig, 51 Speedshop and Ventum to name a few have all developed their brands with the assistance of professionals. This goes beyond sponsorship’s, they are producing products based on professional feedback and selling it to the everyday athlete.
The cool factor: I’m personally a fan of oxymorons: “Military Intelligence” “Jumbo Shrimp” and yes “Cool Triathlete” are some awfully good (see what I did there) examples of oxymorons. While our sports may not seem cool to the outsider we have all found moments where we feel a sense of pride, joy, happiness or are even in awe at something we see during a race. A couple years ago I was on the run in Mont Tremblant having a decent day and doing my thing when I heard a whistle and before I could look behind Cody Beals ran past me (at about mile 25 for him and 12 for me) on his way to win the race. I’ll never forget that moment because I finally understood that there are levels to this sport well beyond what you or I have achieved. To me that moment signified that there is no limit to human potential and if I wanted to accomplish my goals there truly was nothing stopping me. Thanks Cody. I’ll reiterate, Stepth Curry isn’t going to come to your pick up game but yeah me and Cody Beals raced the same exact course on that day. To me that’s pretty cool.
The downside having pros in our sport
None...seriously there is not a downside for having professional triathletes in our sport. My father once told me that he could “find fault in anything” and before you go thinking I’m from a family of cynical monsters, think about that statement. If you can find fault in something it means there is a better idea out there and things can be improved and it means you’ve thought about that thing for a great deal of time. Enough time to find fault anyway. So ask yourself, what would improve in our sport if professionals were not around? Nothing but things may certainly become worse in our endurance sports world and for all you cynics who think that your entry fee keeps going up and up and up because of prize money let me stop you right there. Your entry fee goes up because Ironman sells out races constantly. You are continuously willing to pay any amount of money to race and Ironman isn’t going to stop increasing their prices if you keep paying. Yay economics!
“My father once told me that he could “find fault in anything””
Look no one is asking you to be a pro or to even sign up for a race because pros are there. Race wherever, whenever and for whatever you reason you want but allow yourself to think about why these athletes are doing what they’re doing and try to put yourself in their shoes and maybe next time you buy a wetsuit or bike from a startup company think about why that company even exists.
So who cares about professional triathletes, I do and maybe you should too.
Ben Rotherham
HEAD COACH MISSION MULTISPORT
