Following the money – or not
Pro triathletes often complain about the lack of prize money in triathlon and we typically agree. We even wrote an article about triathlon events which offered the largest prize purses, so Pros could easily find them. But finding out last night that only 5 male and 5 female Pros have signed up so far for the $142,000 MetaMan Bintan triathlon really made my blood boil.
Granted, the race is a difficult full distance event in late August and that makes this one a difficult choice for anyone with serious Kona aspirations. But the emphasis here should be on serious aspirations. There are only so many Pros who have a real shot at a top finish in Kona. Currently the Kona Pro Rankings shows 534 male and 284 female pros, but only 50 men and 35 women of that list will end up in Kona to race, and roughly half of these athletes have a legitimate chance to finish in the top 10 and make money. But we do understand the topic of sponsor pressure and sponsors pushing athletes to go to the Big Show.
What though are the other 700 or so Pros doing in late August? Currently the men's start list in Bintan consists of Cameron Brown, defending champion Brett Carter, Tim Berkel, Fredrik Croneborg and Justin Granger. The female pros listed so far are Gina Crawford, defending champion Candice Hammond, Joanna Lawn, Belinda Granger and Michelle Gailey. With $40,000 for first place, $16,000 for second, $8,000 for third place, $4,000 for fourth and $2,000 for fifth place, that means the last Pro athlete currently registered can walk the whole marathon and still come away with the 5th place $2000 and that would still leave 6th place $1000 in each division hanging around. The Pros listed here have made a smart choice but would probably prefer if I kept my loud mouth shut. But I think the small size of the field in such a rich race is actually embarrassing.
We also know that athletes may have signed up for other events long before they heard about this one, but that surely can't be true for 700 plus long distance folks. It is not too late to register though and an epic adventure awaits those who will go there. The conditions promise to be hot and humid (just like in Kona) and the bike course is undulating, but the stunning scenery in Bintan will be rewarding and so will be a nice pay check.
The race is on August 31, and there is also a Half that offers a $12,000 purse.
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