As the world’s best middle-distance triathletes return to the red-rock scenery of St George in Utah on 28-29 October, we take a look at what they can expect to gain financially from the challenging race.
It’s no secret that triathlon racing is expensive, and for pro athletes who race as a profession, it can be difficult to find that balance between how much money elite triathletes earn and the probability of claiming some of that all-important prize purse.
Pros must choose their racing calendar wisely, with some events dolling out significantly more royalties than others.
With the Ironman 70.3 World Championship claiming an important place in the season for age-groupers and pros alike, we were keen to find out just how much athletes can expect to win in both the top slots and further down the ranks.
How much can athletes win at the Ironman 70.3 World Championship?
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The Ironman 70.3 World Championship is set for an overall prize purse of $350,000, which will be distributed between the top 15 finishers.
The day’s strongest competitor who manages to take the winning tape will be awarded a substantial $50,000. While a prize drop to the runner-up will see them taking home $25,000, with the final podium finisher claiming $18,000.
All male and female prize purses across Ironman are equal, so it’ll be the top athlete of each gender who’ll bag the biggest digits.
How does the 70.3 prize purse compare to Kona?
A prize purse of several hundred thousand may sound a lot, but how does it compare to the prize money up for grabs on the Big Island?
Athletes competing in Kona this year shared a huge $750,000 total prize purse, that’s over double what they can expect to win in St George.
While the new world champions Norway’s Gustav Iden and USA’s Chelsea Sodaro took home a whopping $125,000, hopefuls in the 70.3 race will battle it out for less than half that amount.
Kona second-place winners Lucy Charles-Barclay and Sam Laidlow took home more than what the 70.3 winners are forecasted to gain, with the Brit and young Frenchman claiming $65,000.
Meanwhile, third-place winners in St George can expect to win the equivalent of the sixth-place cheque claimed in Kona by Fenella Langridge and Sebastian Kienle.
Why the discrepancy? While both races are world championships, the purse in Kona is larger due to it being double the distance, plus there’s a huge financial cost involved in racing on the tropical island, not to mention its enduring legacy as the birthplace of Ironman triathlon.
What is the pro prize purse in St George?
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The first 15 men and women to finish will be eligible for a cash prize. You can see the breakdown in full below:
- 1st place $50,000
- 2nd place $25,000
- 3rd place $18,000
- 4th place $12,000
- 5th place $10,000
- 6th place $8,500
- 7th place $8,000
- 8th place $7,500
- 9th place $7,000
- 10th place $6,500
- 11th place $6,000
- 12th place $5,500
- 13th place $4,500
- 14th place $3,500
- 15th place $3,000
Top image credit: Patrick McDermott/Getty Images for Ironman