The TRUTH About Becoming A Professional Triathlete!

Would you ever like to live like a pro? Let us know 👇

That blond Mark took me off guard😂

I would suggest interviewing Sam Long who only started into Tri at age 18. We did not push him as parents and he was totally self motivated and continues to get stronger. Could be inspirational for amateurs.

I really recommend the Ruth Astle videos on her income, they are a fantastic insight into the earnings of triathletes which they can so often be coy about when asked because they don't want to reveal too much about sponsors etc. What's amazing about Ruth is that, despite her relative high profile in the sport and success, she still has to work part-time for Lloyd's Bank to get by!

The mental aspect is also something to consider when moving to pro. Ask yourself if you can rock up to races and get your ass handed to you day in day out, along with multiple people saying you're not cut out for pro racing. Tried it a while back and honestly the pure anxiety of performing at the level along with other factors just got to me.

Thanks to James and Mark for sharing your journeys! So interesting to hear you both reflect on your pro careers and to now look ahead to Steph's opportunities!

@James...as a fellow P.E. Ironman, I feel so proud every time I watch GTN and see you presenting on the show. Proud of your accomplishments and the fact that you are from our little "Friendly City". My first Ironman was in 2009 at IMSA where you finished 6th as 1st South African. You and the team at GTN are still so inspiring, that 13 years after my last Ironman, now at 50 years of age, I have decided to get back at it and sign up for IMSA 2025. Thanks for a great show and keep inspiring young and old alike.

Thanks Steph, Mark and James for pulling back the curtain on pro life. Best wishes to Steph for her career ahead.

One of your best. Honest, down to earth with no ego added. Loved it.

Amazing video with amazing people. Hats off to anyone on the tri Sports journey.

Having tried this myself, you guys did a great job providing a realistic picture of what it is like. And the challenges of going pro and having any sort of success have dramatically increased the last 5 years.

Steph seems lovely and down to earth. I've followed her on YouTube and Instagram for a while and it's great to see her progressing.

Thanks all 3 of you for sharing your unique stories! It's too late for me now, but I do have hopes of one day getting a podium in the age group.

To add some insight as a former pro the biggest thing for me that I see good age groupers struggle with is the race itself and the advantage of experience in pro racing. In an AG race you can focus on your numbers and your plan. It doesn't matter if people are passing you on the bike. Its a solo event and other people happen to be around you. As a pro you will find yourself in pace lines on the bike (hopefully spaced properly but not always which is another frustration) and when you have to obey the rules sometimes under the scrutiny of an official on a moto you will find that the smooth power you can maintain as an age grouper has gone out the window and you need to burn some matches to stay in position. You can't just let a group of racers go because its 30 watts over what you're meant to be doing. You need to react to the race and it is a vastly different experience to the age group race. Is the group that much stronger or is someone making an aggressive push to cull the weak and then settle down? This comes with experience and it is hard to get experience when you have no money to get to races and feel pressured to get results.

really interesting video, thanks for discussing the topic. also nice to see steph again!

One of the coolest and most fun videos I have seen in a while on any topic. This felt like a high school reunion where a bunch of friends had fun talking about all the fun stuff they did. Great job guys!

Really good watch this. Insightful, interesting and delivered with humility

17:45 that first FPRO who came by was probably Chrissie Wellington. Not the year she got a flat and stood by the road for 10 mins and still won, that was 2008. Jame's coach Brett Sutton was also Chrissie's coach so I rather suspect he'd have known exactly what he was in for 😎 Chrissie finished 23rd overall a respectable 30 mins ahead of freshman James

Good luck Steph ...Bring on the 🏅

This is so awesome! Thank you for sharing more of your pro days. We’re lucky to have y’all as GTN presenters 🤙🏽. Mark should bleach his hair again tho 😜