Potential for Epic-osity in Kona this year
So here's what we know so far... Challenge Cairns is now IM Cairns. As a past winner (within the five year window), Macca only needs to finish a branded IM to validate a Kona slot. (Olympic bid not out, not its not looking ideal) Lance mania could potentially culminate at Kona. Crowie will not want to lose to Macca (or Lance, or anyone else, but especially Macca). Pete Jacobs, although injured, is getting better year after year. The Raelerts are both primed to bring it big.
A couple of potential outcomes:
1. Crowie / Macca / Lance blow up the energy lab and we have a great race this year.
2. Crowie / Macca / Lance blow up IN the energy lab and walk it in (still worth the price of admission).
3. Someone comes in under the media blitz and smokes them all.
Whatever happens, love/hate whomever you want, there is serious potential for an epic race (and that's just the men's field) this year and I can't wait! Cue up the live feed and get the pop corn ready.
Comments
Meanwhile, I'm more interested in what Challenge will do since the WTC end run has put them on the defensive. I read today that Rev 3 is going to add up to 4 races next year and that Challenge and Rev 3 have had discussions about a buy-out or merger. If they did merge and declared Roth as the world championship you would immediately have a series with a schedule and the bonafides to compete against WTC.
Kona is and always will be Kona. That is the race the pros all gear up for. Any other "championship" will not have that allure.
@Paul, I think I saw that article you are talking about but this quote gives me no reason they have had discussions about buyout or merger.
Have you considered working with the Challenge Series to gain the rights to the US market? Would that be of interest?
Yes, we have in fact had some very brief communication with Felix at Challenge. I think we both agreed that for now, we individually need to focus on our brands and building our brands. Not to say that something couldn't work in the future, but for now, we will both be doing our thing!
Do you recall in the dying days of amateur running when the Boston Marathon stuck its head in the sand and refused to pay the pro's? We're Boston...we have the history...we have the 'allure'...yadda, yadda, yadda. I think it was about 1980 or 81 when only 2 big names showed up and they got the message loud and clear that they were no longer the big guy on the block. Money talks -- Boston started paying appearance and prize money. No race can rest on it's laurels and that includes Kona since the bottomline is that it is only a self-declared championship.
There is a lot more to Kona for athletes then prize money. A break through race in Kona and getting on the podium (for Elite or AGers) will change some ones career as it opens many doors that are worth more than one check for winning one race. I do think that if another "world championship" with more money is created that over a few years things will shift but I don't think it will be overnight. There are a lot of companies that put a lot of focus (and money) into Kona. They introduce products there, give away a ton, shot catalogs and adds.... and therefore they want their athletes there.
I'm not saying it wont change, it just will take more then one race with 500k. Now, offer $5 million that that might be enough to get all the Pros to do another race than Kona. The question then is will the AGers follow or will they still do Kona. This business side of this sport is about the AGers not the Pros.
BTW - for the original topic ... it's March. A lot can happen with injuries, overtraining, sickness, etc before October. Once the end of July and the first offical KPR list goes out, then it's time to start talking about who is going to be toeing the line. Remember all the hype last year (probably about this time of year) about the Raelerts and the million dollar challenge ....
Yup; Boston didn't disappear, and that's cause of it's allure for the amateur, not because it offered appearence money for pros. I'm not into running as I am into triathlon, but aren't other marathons besides Boston seen as the ne plus ultra for the professional - Berlin, Tokyo, London, ...
Saying Kona will be just another IM if Roth (or someplace else) becomes the place the pros flock to is like saying Wimbledon is just another tennis tournement or the Masters' is just another golf tournement. Places like these are iconic brands due to a combination of factors which are hard to dislodge. In the case of Kona, it is: being first; the magic of the Island; the devastating environmental conditions; the history (Julie Moss, Iron War, champions like PNF, Natascha Badman, Chrissie, Reid, Macca, Crowie); the NBC broadcast with its parade of human interest like the Hoyts and Blazeman; its resulting status as a Mecca, a pilgrimage all "serious" triathletes should make; the entrenched annual industry get together (where would you rather go for your business convention?). You can't buy that stuff.
-Kona gets a bunch of second-tier pros, and all the same amateurs for the first year
-NBC says to WTC "WTF?!?" We need materials. Human interest stories win us awards, but 60-70% of our coverage is the pro race. we can't put lipstick on a pig.
-WTC says "hey, it's still Kona"
-at the next contract renewal, NBC is less interested in ponying up big money for TV rights, goes to some other station.
-pretty soon, we're watching Kona on Discovery Health, or some other channel that barely makes most cable lineups (imagine if it was on Universal Sports!!)
-fewer people see the kona coverage, fewer people are inspired by it.
-at the same time, lots of amateurs become interested in this alternative championship, because all the top pros are duking it out over there, and that's covered in tri rags and on the interwebz. Sponsors start sending staff to both, since the pro photo shoots need to happen where the pros go.
-boom, you've diluted your brand. not insignificantly.
Kona ain't going to disappear overnight, and for thousands and thousands of us, it will always represent a dream. WTC could probably ride those laurels for 10 more years alone. But that's not the point. Kona isn't Kona just because of the AG'ers. It's kona because the AG'ers are there competing 'alongsides' (and I use that term lightly) pros, and because of great battles like IronWar and because of Julie Moss and because of PNF looking like a punch-drunk prize fighter as Karen Smyers goes by her, and everything else that's happened that's memorable. Take away the pros, and it changes. Not overnight, not irreparably, but it changes.
Hopefully that's not where it goes but lets be honest with ourselves folks... this is all mostly just fun and games and not even close to being something that we factor as a life impacting process whether or not we race Kona. (although would be nice I agree) But really our family, health, and devotion to the Almighty should take priority.