TriNews: The Staggering Stats of ‘Making it’ as a Pro Triathlete… But Following a Dream? Priceless
March 14, 2016
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On this special episode of TriNews with Thorsten Radde we dive into the topic of going pro and what it really entails.
- “I want to go pro, what do I need to do?”
- Criteria: U.S. vs. other countries’ requirements on achieving pro status
- Variables to consider: current lifestyle vs. lifestyle as pro, will you still be working part- or full-time, do you have time to train and recover like a pro?
- How has becoming a professional triathlete evolved in the past 5, 10, 15+ years?
- How many pro triathletes exist today
- Financial considerations
- Of today’s long-course pros, how many are able to make a comfortable living off just prize purse earnings?
- How else do pro triathletes make a living?
- Comparing pro triathlete’s income with other pro sports
- Sponsorship and endorsements for pros
- What do sponsorships offer? And what do sponsors require from their pros?
- How to be appealing to sponsors in what you offer in not only performance, but your following, reputation, online presence, etc.
- Sponsors vs. affiliates (and how this works in podcasting, too)
- The bottom line of needing to perform to make ends meet
- Finding longevity and a sustainable approach as a pro: is it possible this day in age?
- The KPR system and the need to race a lot to “make it”… is allowing for long-lasting careers and healthy pros?
- Long-course pros vs ITU pros
- How Olympic triathletes are more supported by the federation
- The role of “donors”
- Examples of up-and-coming pro’s who had rocky starts: Kyle Buckingham, Matt Hansen, Matt Trautman, etc.
- From a pure stats & POV (not emotional) does Thorsten think going pro is wise?
- But from an emotional standpoint and the idea of following your dreams, taking a chance and taking risks… is going pro worth it?
- Never living a life of “what if’s” and coulda, shoulda, woulda’s
- It may be hard, but if you have what it takes… go for it! That’s what we think!
One Comment
[…] Welcome to a brand-new series on Endurance Planet: “So You Wanna Go Pro” with Matt Bach. Matt has made the decision to follow his dream of becoming a full-time professional triathlete, and EP will follow Matt during his transition from amateur to pro triathlete, documenting what it’s really like to go pro in this sport. Matt currently has a successful finance career on Wall street and has built a very nice, comfortable life with his wife Lauren. Now in order to go pro he has to change (almost) everything he’s built. Lauren is supportive of Matt following his dreams, but Matt and Lauren also do not want to start over completely or lose what they currently have. They want to keep the comfortable life, and even look to start a family in the near future. For more insight on the harsh reality of going pro, listen to our recent TriNews show with Thorsten … […]