- 6 min read

How I Pick Races as a Rookie Pro

Being a rookie professional triathlete can be both scary and exciting. The uncertainty is scary but the potential is hella exciting. I put a lot of thought into choosing races for my Rookie Pro Season and ultimately came up with a schedule that I believe gave me the best shot at reaching my goals for this season and sustaining this career for a second year.

Person with purple cap and black wetsuit on staring out at a small section of lake

Rachel in Kelowna, 2019

When I picked my race shedule for my rookie pro season I had a few guiding principles, the most important was 'how much will this sh!t cost?' but that was followed closely by does this course suit my strengths, are the travel logistics relatively easy, does this race help me with my long term goals, and is there a way to share this experience with my loved ones? It's a lot to consider, but I'll elaborate below.

How Much Will This Sh!t Cost?

It's no secret, a rookie pro is usually on a tight budget. Triathlon is an expensive sport and when you're hustling to give yourself a shot at this sport every dollar matters. That's why before I decide to do a race I do a deep dive into the cost of getting there, staying there, entering the race, the food and transportation surrounding the race and 'emergency extras'. Let's break this all down.

Transportation: This cost is pretty straightforward, are we flying or driving? If flying I determine how much the airfare is and if driving I predict the cost of gas and determine if there will be parking fees associated with having a vehicle. Depending on which race you are doing you may need a rental car, which means that there would be the additional cost of renting the car, gas, and additional insurance in the transportation costs.

Accomodation: This is also pretty straightforward, what is the cost of a safe and reliable accomodation. A lot of hotels increase their prices surrounding events so I sometimes look at cities nearby that have cheaper options. At this point in my triathlon career I'm usually willing to stay up to 50 minutes away to save some money. I know that 50 minutes may seem far, but in certain scenarios it has cut my accomodation cost by up to 70%.

Food Costs: Just like accomodation, this is pretty straightforward. I predict how much I will have to spend on either dining and/or groceries. My food costs are usually the highest in American races so I like to incorporate this into my budget.

Entry: Race entry costs are variable. At the time of writing this the cost of entering a professional race varies based on which organization is hosting the race.

If you are racing with Ironman the charge is $250 USD per individual 70.3 entry, $500 USD for a 140.6 entry or $1250 USD for a full year membership with unlimited entries. When I convert this to CAD it works out to $382.10 for an individual 70.3 race entry with an additional $22.24 CAD one day USAT membership for races in the United States.

For Clash Endurance races all professional athletes admitted to the race receive free entry and for Challenge Family races professional athletes ranked in the top 250* receive free entry, athletes ranked between 251-400* receive 50% off entry fee and for athletes ranked above 401* the entry is at the discretion of the race director. *This is based on PTO rankings

Emergency Extras: Sometimes sh!t happens, and it costs you! I like to leave a little room in my budget for 'emergency extras' on each trip. Some example of this include things like needing to source out a mechanic race weekend, realizing you forgot your essential equipment for a race, or driving on toll roads that you didn't anticipate.

How Does This Course Suit Me?

This is where I do a deep dive on all available information for a course. For the swim I look at water temperature, air temperature, type of water (is it freshwater or saltwater), is there a current, is it wavy, is it a deep water start or a beach start, is it single loop, multi loop or a point to point swim, and is there an aussie exit involved. With the swim my personal preference is a freshwater loop with a deep water or dive start. I like a moderate temperature but I am indifferent on wetsuit legality. Unlike the bike or run, if the swim course doesn't suit my preferences I will still consider the race.

When it comes to the bike course I focus on overall elevation, type of elevation increase, and some guesswork at pavement quality. When it comes to overall elevation and type of elevation I like to get specific and cross reference some sources. This means that I'll look at the event website and then cross reference that with any public strava routes people have shared from previous years. This doesn't work if a course changes but it usually gives me a good idea of what to expect from a course. For pavement quality that really is guess work which includes looking at some google image points from maps and hoping it's an accurate depiction. This deep dive may be a little bit of overkill, but knowing what I'll be getting into helps my decision making.

My preference for the bike is low to moderate elevation changes (I'm thinking up to 700 meters or just under 2300 feet of climbing) where I am partial to longer lower grade climbs.

Assessing the run is similar to how I would asses the bike course. The main difference is I'm a lot less fussy about the run course and pay more attention to where aid stations are and what products are being served at the aid stations. This doesn't inform me on if the 'course suits me', but it is information I like to have before race day.

The final thing I look at is water temperature and air temperature. This doesn't necessarily change if I want to do a race, but it does inform me on what type of prep I need to do and gives me information for a hydration plan.

You might be thinking 'man you are picky' and I would agree with you. This year I am being picky. That's because the position I am in as a rookie pro means I really need to do my damndest to set myself up for success. At this point I don't have historically strong results to leverage and I need to earn that. The goal isn't to always stick to venues that feel tailor made for me but to create a schedule that is a building block for my career.

Travel Logistics

In my decision making travel logistics include the elements of travel outside of cost. Things I usually consider are the time zone of the race, how easy or hard the travel day or days are, if travel will impact my sleep in the lead up to the race, accessibility of food, ease of pre-race training, and how easily can I access the race venue (including the course and packet pick up).

Some races require more thought into the pre-race or race day logistics. Examples of this include 2022 Ironman 70.3 Indian Wells, with multiple transitions and on site parking restrictions. Or 2023 Ironman 70.3 Lima, where the race expo and packet pick up are located pretty far from the race venue itself and race day shuttles are only available if you stay at an official race day hotel.

I can be flexible on pre-race or race day logisitcs but like to incorporate it into my planning so I can predict a little bit of what race day would look like, and if I have to budget any additional costs (like cabs, rental car or parking).

Does This Race Help Me With My Long Term Goals?

This is something I always consider, and has the largest impact on creating a overall schedule for the season.

Before creating a schedule I determine what my goals are for the year and then work backwards to figure out the best way to achieve this. There are a few steps to doing this, including reviewing the date of the race and how it relates or sets me up for what I would pick as an "A" race for a year. Each event I put on the schedule has some significance to the overall goal for the year. Some are a good place to test fitness or gain information, some are because it's local and fun, while others are bigger events with bigger goals.

Can I Share This Experience With My Loved Ones?

One of the coolest parts of triathlon and one of the core elements of what inspires Travelled Triathlete is sharing an adventure with loved ones and friends. Triathlon has brought me to many places including a glamping pod in Colombia, a small town in Morocco, and to the Portugese Island of Madeira. All of these experiences have been special moments with people that I care about. Sharing new experiences through triathlon is really special to me and can influence my decisions on which races to choose.