The simplicity of racing pro

When I was looking into qualifying for my elite license last summer, I had a sense that it would be incredibly complicated. I was worried there would be all these extra requirements and pressures, and I kept thinking that maybe I just wasn’t ready. But then when I began to actually look into what was involved in taking my pro card, I realized that it’s actually really simple, and in many ways relieves some of the stress that comes with triathlon. I know that racing elite is not necessarily an option for everyone, but for those who find themselves in a position to qualify for their elite license, I wanted to write about some of the things that I thought about when I was deciding what I wanted to do. 

• Qualifying for your pro card is totally attainable. The easiest way to qualify, under USAT rules, is to place top-3 overall (not including pros) in a race with a pro field that has a prize purse of more than $20,000. I placed third at Ironman Augusta 70.3 in 2018 (by less than a minute!), so that was my qualifying race. There are other ways to qualify (place within 8% of the winning elite time in three USAT sanctioned events with a prize purse of $5k or greater OR top 10 overall amateur at Kona OR gender graded score of 104.something or higher at two events with 500 or more total participants), but I think the top-three overall is easiest (more info here: https://www.teamusa.org/usa-triathlon/elite/elite-athlete-qualification)
• Applying for your pro card is super simple. Once you have your qualifying time, you fill out an application on USAT’s website, you pay the $50 annual membership fee, and boom - you’re a pro! (you want to be strategic about when you do this, if $$ is an issue and you race Ironman, because the pro registration fee with Ironman is $900 for the year, no matter when in the year you take your pro card. So if you take your pro card in say, late fall, and you only race a 70.3, then you’ll essentially be paying $900 to race that 70.3, whereas if you register as an age grouper and then take your pro card Jan 1st you have a full year’s worth of races for only $900).
• Registering for races (at least Ironman-brand) is really simple. You find a race you want to do on this website: http://www.ironman.com/triathlon/organizations/pro-membership/pro-events.aspx#axzz5r7GCeSqm, you send them an email by the deadline to register, and you register. It seems like a lot of pro women just register for any races they might be interested in at the beginning of the year, so they don’t miss the cut-off dates to register. Once you register, the best part is that if life gets in the way, you don’t have to go, and there’s no penalty. So far at the 2 pro races I’ve done, there have been ~10 less women starting than were on the initial start list. What’s also nice about registering somewhat last-minute is that you can get into races that sell out a year in advance (like Ironman Arizona), and you don’t have to plan your summers the year before. As someone whose career has led to quite a few interstate moves in the summer, this is very welcome. Also, if I pay $900 for one year of races, I just need to do 3x70.3 races to get my money’s worth, so if I plan on racing a lot anyway, it’s cheaper to go pro (the one proviso: not every race has a pro field, so you might have to travel farther to race, which I’ll have another post about soon!). *I haven't raced any non-Ironman races as a pro so I can't speak to those yet*
• Racing as a pro is SO fun! The other pros are super friendly and there’s a real sense of camaraderie (especially among the fellow rookies). We’re all racing each other, sure, but at the end of the day we’re doing it because we love it and really, we’re our own biggest competitor. No one will act like you shouldn’t be there just because you’re not posting podium finishes in your first pro season. For the most part, we’re all there to lift each other up. Also, as a pro you get to start earlier, which means less heat, you have premium bike racks, and there is usually at least one pro porta-potty so no waiting in crazy long lines! You also often get to take your bike out of transition early, so if you didn’t win $$, you can get home early. 
• You get your pro license for THREE years! That’s right, from the date you fill out the applicant form with USAT and get your pro card, you have three years before you have to prequalify. It IS harder to prequalify - you have to finish within 8% of the winner’s time in an elite race (at my last race I was like 8.5% within the winner’s time, UGH, but it’s okay I’ve still got 2.5 years) - but the idea is that racing pro should make you a better athlete and competitor, and you can always be more strategic about which races you sign up for. 

I hope this conveys a sense of why I decided to take my elite license so early (it’s cheaper! it’s easier to schedule! the women are super nice! No porta-potty line!) and gives aspiring elite athletes some reasons to consider if you’re thinking about it too. It doesn’t have to be harder, in some ways it can be a lot simpler!

(Thanks to Brian Fancher for the super cool race photo! This is from Charleston's local sprint series at James Island County Park).