WHAT IT TAKES

The start of 2015 has been a relatively quiet year in regards to racing and for good reason. I needed the break.  

Mind, body, and soul.  

Athletically, 2014 was the best season of my pro career. And it was NOT only because of the work I did in 2013. It was the hard, consistent work that happened in 2012, 2011, 2010 and even in 2009. It was the ability to push my mind and body through 25 hour training weeks. Week after week after week. It was calling on the confidence to keep training hard even when I didn't win. It was chasing after a dream and believing in myself even when the going got tough.  
 

 But why was 2014 such a soul-sucking, energy sapping year?  

Last year’s Kona qualifying season I went 9:07 at Ironman Florida, I came 3rd at Ironman Texas with one of the fastest run times and then the big WIN came at Ironman Lake Placid. I received dozens of e-mails congratulating me and asking if I had punched my ticket to the Ironman World Championships as a professional. 

I had to politely explain that, as a professional, I race for points and I had just missed the cut off. What that meant was I needed to race yet ANOTHER Ironman in just 3 weeks if I wanted to race on the big Island as a professional. 

But what I should have politely said was, as a FEMALE professional I need to race again in 3 weeks. 

Because if I were a MALE professional I would have been able to put my feet up after Placid, punched my Kona ticket and planned my attack for Kona.  

But I am a FEMALE. And we as FEMALE professionals fight for 35 slots to the IRONMAN WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS when the MALES are awarded 50. 

In a 12 month span I raced 5 FULL IRONMAN distance races. How could I hope to race well at the World Championships with a schedule like that? It's less than ideal. It's not sustainable. And it is NOT fair.  

This is an open question to Andrew Messick, IRONMAN CEO.  

Dear Mr. Messick, 

Throughout history, women have faced intense discrimination—from a lack of legal rights and ability to vote, thought to have inferior brains and amazingly even encouraged not to run marathons for fear of their uteruses falling out! Isn’t it a shame that while Ironman could be seen as a bastion of hope and motivation to all the female athletes out there striving for equality, you instead opt to create a rift in equal opportunities at your highest level on the largest stage?  

My question is WHY? As an entity, Ironman has so many good things going for it. We finally have equal male and female prize purses, we have moved the start of the FEMALE pro race back from the MALES so that we have our own separate race. We promote a fun healthy sport to the masses. Why not seal the deal for gender equality in ALL aspects of the sport? 

Gender inequality at the biggest stage this sport has to offer is a glaring affront to all those female athletes who race and all those young girls potentially exposed to the sport. If Ironman claims that 'Anything is Possible' why not make this harsh inequality go away? #50womentokona 

Dear Andrew Messick, how will you explain to this little girl that when she grows up she will have an unequal chance to qualify for Kona?