The TRUTH About Becoming A Professional Triathlete!

‘Going Pro’ is an aspiration many young triathletes and successful Age Groupers aim for. But they don’t always have the clearest picture of what that means. By looking at our own experiences, and those of a special guest, Steph Clutterbuck, we find out what being a Pro triathlete actually means, and what it takes to get there!
Welcome 0:00
Learning from experience 0:18
James' Journey 1:20
Marks' career 3:46
How big is the Age Group to Pro gap? 6:50
Going pro today 8:06
We talk money 11:34
Getting sponsorship 13:44
Money in triathlon 14:17
Age group to Pro differences 14:48
Races this year 18:00
Hindsight 20:00
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[@gtn]

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

[@lisajenkins7692]

uh Noooo! The amount of work you put in for the $$ just doesn't seem like it's worth it. I make more than the top pros riding a desk. And I get my tri training fix after work. I guess this explains why alot of pros are engineers (as am I), so they can do some lucrative "side gigs" and eat and make rent. Much respect to the pros though cuz they TRULY love the sport!

[@aboomination897]

at the very least i would like to have the required spare money

[@ngdawgs1]

If I had the talent.. darn right! YOLO 🥳🥳. Glad you guys got a chance to experience it.

[@CLItoughtrigal]

For sure

[@desroin]

No I'll stick with the life of an IT Specialist who likes to hurt himself in Triathlon from time to time xD

[@Piterrek92]

That blond Mark took me off guard😂

[@gtn]

It certainly surprised us too 👀

[@Matt-qc5ug]

😂

[@emberchord]

Omg same. It’s doing… things to me.

[@OperationDarkside]

Maybe it keeps your head cooler by reflecting more sunlight away from your head

[@rogga1011]

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!

[@ericlong8982]

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.

[@NiallC980]

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.

[@elizabethigrisan6880]

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!

[@RSaban11]

@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.

[@mikeflanagan4096]

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

[@greybeard4034]

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

[@Miekzz]

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

[@3Max]

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.

[@Crojach]

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!

[@andrewmcalister3462]

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

[@trbeyond]

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.

[@paulodonoghue509]

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

[@TheWeightliftingTriathlete]

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

[@boshabadoo]

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.

[@ngdawgs1]

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 😜

[@chrisreilly8882]

Good luck Steph ...Bring on the 🏅

[@johnpuga1982]

This is a great video! Could be cool to make this a series.

[@ironmantooltime]

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 🤘

[@Aliceonwheels]

Great interview!

[@philippklober8463]

Let’s go Steph 🔥👊

[@purelyrecovery]

Very interesting video, sounds amazing! After qualifying a couple of years ago, my aim is to continually qualify for the Age group World Champs with a view to getting on the podium one day. 🙂

[@mattbannantine9651]

I wasn’t sure I was going to like this one. I love triathlon but I’ll never be a pro so a lot of the pro points of view don’t really relate to me as an age grouper. But, I like you guys and I really loved hearing your stories. I wish I could have followed you back when you guys were racing. Just a thought, knowing what you know now, I’d love to see you guys do a race recap of one of your old races. I’d love to hear your critique on the lead up and the race as no one is more critical of our performance than ourselves

[@mitchatkins7402]

Great video, helping us ignorant non-pros understand what pros go thru

[@aliherbert8519]

Interesting vedio thanks GTN

[@jackaes]

I feel you guys! For me, it Took me longer to get my masters degree because I was training a lot and it was a lot of fun too but I knew it wouldn’t pay the bills in the long run, going pro 😢 Now my bills are paid and training for fun 😊

[@atlantaswelder]

Pretty amazing video. A look behind the scenes to a life 99.9% of us will never experience.

[@kerrynball2734]

Sounds like the right part-time job that is flexible enough to work with the training schedule is a key ingredient for success.

[@marcuswills6569]

That is one of the best vids you guys have done. Even cycling when you consider it is a higher profile sport is incredibly difficult to financially become a pro, an average tour team cyclist would pick up somewhere between $40-45k with a starting wage of £25k PA.

[@gtn]

Thanks very much! Are there any other topics you'd to see us cover in the future?

[@ndjk2821]

I'm not even a triathlete but this is so interesting

[@thestreakpodcast]

This was an excellent video.

[@gtn]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@marie-louisekarlander2366]

Another nice video . I wish was younger and been able to be a professional. I pretend 😉🤓to e a pro for one and a half year, when I put my goal for qualifying to Kona. Worked just 50% , would say I trained in hours as much as a pro. Of course I’m not so fast so I reach the same xxx m in the pool or km when I bike and run, but I really did the hours. It cost me a lot of money. But I really enjoyed and I don’t regret. I never been stronger than in Kona, not faster but stronger.

[@billmccaffrey1977]

Sounds like a very hard way to make a living. The drive to be a pro triathlete has to be insanely strong to live in poverty while training.

[@donishcushing8223]

I'm rolling in my bed laughing at how Mark is chaning his intonation to sound like James. It's so cute 🤣😂😆

[@markthrelfall3577]

Howzit

[@clairefortier9738]

Oooh Mark in his Ken doll era 😍

[@gtn]

😂

[@chrisotc6832]

I often wondered what it entailed to become a pro triathlete..thanks for sharing your stories guys!

[@gtn]

Our pleasure!

[@zakcollins987]

I've always dreamt of being a pro athlete from a young age. tried a few sports, never quite there, triathlon is probably my best shot. I'm going down a bit of a different route, I plan on reaching FIRE at 40 first, which would then allow me to pursue a pro career without worrying about where the next pay check is coming from.

[@atlosass]

That settles it! I'm going pro!! One quick question: Does it matter that I'm turning 55 this year?...

[@terrymcmaster2787]

Nope. You are good to go

[@jimjamthebananaman1]

Mark was built like a tank back in the day 😅

[@smutty75]

Been losing weight over 2 tears of training but have hit a plateau. I have been told my calorie intake is now too low for the training I do and I need to eat more to lose more weight! This seems wrong to me and I'm eating more calories I have been better energy levels but the weight loss has stopped. What is the correct calorie deficit to maintain to lose weight but provide fuel for middle distance training?

[@marchollander7392]

How lovely is Steph ❤️??!!

[@pd314]

At Roth, if you get a fast time then they return your entry fee. For Men it's called 'Sub-9'. That's true for AG and Pro.

[@Pshpshpshpshpshpshpsh]

3:13 bro called back up

[@grandmastermario3695]

Its very hard to be a pro athlete in 1 let alone multiple sports, and its probably harder for people to truly, apeciate, just how amazing it is.

[@seankenny7006]

Is that Mark in the Mirror? Drinking Coffee I can see?

[@Daveyboyroy]

Quick question guys; do you know of anyone who has turned pro in their 40s?

[@pipesw5720]

Not taking anything away from her athletic ability but looking like she's very photogenic will catch the eye of sponsors.

[@mihaipopescu90]

I don’t know how to swim

[@andreemurray7039]

Gents would you like to try pro life again?

[@gtn]

Sounds like another video 🤔

[@trilife93]

I feel yall are forgetting the professionals such as myself who work 50+hrs a week (plumber) and just try to make it make sense to keep showing up on that start line against the best in the world. It's a grind not many can relate to or begin to understand.

[@TamaEnergy]

I think this I'd 98% of us - very few are pros😂

[@trilife93]

@@TamaEnergy I am a professional Triathlete.

[@bretzky9261]

Did you close her bud?

[@ianl4518]

GTN deleting comments again 🙄

[@B1gC4st]

Can we never talk about that child predator again? Also, 1200 is nothing when you consider some pros routinely throw their names on 30 start lists and never show up...that's why I don't plan my season around whether there is a pro field...because chasing your favorite pros is a fools errand.

[@chrisogrady28]

Why is no one talking about the true reality of going pro in any elite sport is doing PEDs. It's extremely rare and often impossible to win naturally, despite claims to the contrary

[@ironman140.6]

James and Mark are very accomplished. Ruth can't be compared to the likes of Lucy and Kate for example. She is a glorified age grouper. Not a real elite pro.

[@marcuswills6569]

Finishing 12th in Kona on limited training due to injury isn't exactly age-grouper standard. 2nd Brit. Ruth represents the realistic truth of professional triathlon, not the giddy heights of being sponsored by the likes of red Bull.

[@laskahusky7313]

the minute i saw this video, i saw the woman triathlete....obviously she is a cyclist....big thighs...however she will get killed in the run...too big!!! bottom line its a runners' race!~!!!

[@dradbelson2736]

That's probably why Kristian Blummenfelt runs so slow 😂

[@tommibwoi]

Absolute bullshit