How You Know You've Arrived As A Triathlete.

How do you know you've arrived in the world of triathlon?

• 3 podium finishes(including 1st, 2nd and 3rd place) at Ironman?
• No
• Being ranked 12th in the world for Kona points?
•  Nope.
• Being a highly respected competitor always known to give it her all no matter the circumstances?
• Not even close.

You know you have arrived in the triathlon world when the Slowtwitch trolls start in on you.

Now if you not familiar with Slowtwitch it is a site dedicated to everything triathlon. It has a lot of good info about races, training etc. All in all it is a fairly good site. However there is a sinister underbelly(or I suspect an over- sized potbelly trying to fit, unsuccessfully into spandex) that does nothing besides ridicule posts and making snarky, and inconsiderate, comments. Trolls.


A Slow Twitch Troll

These trolls are less like those cute little long haired troll dolls and more akin to the trolls from Lord of the Rings albeit with a ubiquitous triathlon race top on.

They troll the forums finding topics to lambaste and ridicule all the while maintaining a hazy air of anonymity. To paraphrase Brad Pitt from Se7en, they likely sit in their own feces masturbating to triathlon magazine.

Wow! I must really be upset to compare a harmless yet annoying peanut gallery to the serial killing Kevin Spacey. And I am.

What are they making fun of her for? Her running stride? Stature? No worse than that. One of her friends wanted to help support her trip to Kona and maybe allow her to get out there early enough to actually acclimate. That friend  set up a Go Fund Me account to help raise some money for Am. Another one of her friends, naively, but good intentionally posted it to Slowtwitch. And then the trouble began. Which wouldn't have been an issue except that Amber read about it and all of the nasty comments these trolls were making.

Seriously? Bad mouth Amber? Stupid, stupid trolls!

She called me crying while I was in Jackson Hole and it took all my energy not to write scathing responses to each and every troll response out there. Serenity now...

I get it. If you cannot be good at something tear down everything good around you. But Amber? There is nothing bad to say about her either on or off the field(or whatever turf you describe triathlon). My hope is that all these negative comments just add fuel to the fire and get her even more stoked to kick some butt at Kona and in the 2015 triathlon season.

And trolls beware: While she's not apt to slap your asses as she passes your slow over-indulged asses she may hurt you made deeply as she cheers you on as you finish despite the fact she may have, herself, finished several hours earlier.

Up Next: Hopefully no more hurtful comments on Slowtwitch and six weeks of intense training for Amber.

2014 Kona Women Pro Start List

The list of professional women who have qualified for Kona has been released. Because the previous winners of the last five years are all automatic qualifiers(as long as the validate their spot with a Ironman finish), there will be 39 women toeing the start line on October 11. Below are the 39 women and how they got their points to race at Kona.

	Q 1.	Rachel	Joyce	GBR	4	10,240*
Race Name Points Ironman World Championship 7,200(2nd Place) Ironman Cozumel 2,000*(1st Place) Ironman 70.3 Boulder 640 (2nd Place) Ironman 70.3 Kansas 400 (2nd Place)
	Q 2.	Meredith	Kessler	USA	5	10,100*
Race Name Points Ironman World Championship 4,250(7th Place) Ironman New Zealand 2,000*(1st Place) Ironman Arizona 1,600* (2nd Place) Ironman 70.3 St George 1,500 (1st Place) Ironman 70.3 Vineman 750 (1st Place)
	Q 3.	Liz	Blatchford	AUS	5	9,985*
Race Name Points Ironman World Championship 6,480(3rd Place) Ironman Cairns 2,000*(1st Place) Ironman 70.3 Wiesbaden 785 (5th Place) Ironman 70.3 Putrajaya 400 (2nd Place) Ironman 70.3 Mallorca 320 (3rd Place)
	Q 4.	Caroline	Steffen	CHE	3	9,750*
Race Name Points Ironman World Championship 5,250(5th Place) Ironman Melbourne 4,000*(1st Place) Ironman 70.3 Phillipines 500(1st Place)
	Q 5.	Mirinda	Carfrae	AUS	5	9,688*
Race Name Points Ironman World Championship 8,000(1st Place) Ironman 70.3 Brasilia 750(1st Place) Ironman 70.3 Muskoka 500(1st Place) Ironman 70.3 St. Croix 435(4th Place) Ironman Florida 3*(Walk the course to validation Kona Slot)
	Q 6.	Gina	Crawford	NZL	5	9,325*
Race Name Points Ironman World Championship 3,445(9th Place) Ironman Frankfurt 2,890*(3rd Place) Ironman new Zealand 1,600*(2nd Place) Ironman 70.3 Sunshine Coast 750(1st Place) Kraichgau Triathlon 640(2nd Place
	Q 7.	Yvonne	Van Vlerken	NLD	4	8,595*
Race Name Points Ironman World Championship 5,835(4th Place) Ironman Florida 2,000*(1st Place) Kraichgau Triathlon 540(3rd Place) Ironman 70.3 Austria 220 (7th Place)
	Q 8.	Linsey	Corbin	USA	5	8,140*
Race Name Points Ironman World Championship 3,100(10th Place) Ironman Los Cabos 2,000*(1st Place) Ironman Austria 2,000* (1st Place) Ironman 70.3 Timberman 640(2nd Place) Ironman 70.3 Raleigh 400 (2nd Place)
	Q 9.	Caitlin	Snow	USA	5	8,005*
Race Name Points Ironman World Championship 4,725(6th Place) Ironman France 1,600*(2nd Place) Ironman 70.3 Eagleman 640(2nd Place) Ironman 70.3 Monterey 540(3rd Place) Ironman 70.3 Florida 500(1st Place)
	Q 10.	Elizabeth	Lyles	USA	5	7,860*
Race Name Points Ironman Frankfurt 3,400*(2nd Place) Ironman Western Australia 2,000*(1st Place) Ironman World Championship 1,100(16th Place) Ironman Lake Tahoe 960*(4th Place) Ironman 70.3 Boise 400(2nd Place)
	Q 11.	Daniela	Ryf	CHE	5	7,810*
Race Name Points Ironman Switzerland 2,000*(1st Place) Ironman Copenhagen 2,000*(1st Place) Ironman 70.3 World Championship 1,770(6th Place) Ironman 70.3 Wiesbaden 1,500(1st Place) Ironman 70.3 Cozumel 540(3rd Place)
	Q 12.	Amber	Ferreira	USA	5	7,365*
Race Name Points Ironman Mont Tremblant 3,400*(2nd Place) Ironman Lake Placid 2,000*(1st Place) Ironman Texas 1,280*(3rd Place) Ironman Florida 405*(7th Place) Ironman 70.3 Eagleman 280(6th Place)
	Q 13.	Melissa	Hauschildt	AUS	4	7,250*
Race Name Points Ironman 70.3 World Championship 3,000(1st Place) Ironman Australia 2,000*(1st Place) Ironman 70.3 Mandurah 1,500(1st Place) Ironman 70.3 Racine 750(1st Place)
	14.	Leanda	Cave	GBR	5	6,770*
Race Name Points Ironman World Championship 2,240(12th Place) Ironman Sweden 2,000*(1st Place) Ironman 70.3 Wiesbaden 1,275(2nd Place) Ironman 70.3 World Championship 715(13th Place) Ironman 70.3 St. Croix 540(3rd Place)
	Q 15.	Sara	Gross	CAN	5	6,620*
Race Name Points Ironman Mont Tremblant 4,000*(1st Place) Ironman Brazil 2,000*(1st Place) Ironman 70.3 St. Croix 280(6th Place) Ironman 70.3 Muskoka 240(4th Place) Ironman 70.3 Calgary 100(7th Place)
	Q 16.	Catriona	Morrison	GBR	4	6,240*
Race Name Points Ironman 70.3 World Championship 2,185(4th Place) Ironman 70.3 New Zealand 1,500(1st Place) Ironman Lake Tahoe 1,280*(3rd Place) Ironman 70.3 Pan American Champs 1,275 (2nd Place)
	Q 17.	Mary Beth	Ellis	USA	5	6,210*
Race Name Points Ironman Melbourne 3,400*(2nd Place) Ironman Frankfurt 1,070*(8th Place) Ironman 70.3 St George 920(4th Place) Ironman 70.3 Pan American Champs 500(7th Place) Ironman 70.3 Raleigh 320(3rd Place)
	Q 18.	Melanie	Burke	NZL	5	6,190*
Race Name Points Ironman Mont Tremblant 2,090*(5th Place) Ironman Cairns 1,600*(2nd Place) Ironman Australia 1,280*(3rd Place) Ironman Western Australia 720*(5th Place) Ironman 70.3 Mandurah 500(1st Place)
	Q 19.	Åsa	Lundström	SWE	4	6,090*
Race Name Points Ironman Melbourne 2,090*(5th Place) Ironman Lake Tahoe 2,000* (1st Place) Ironman Cairns 1,280*(3rd Place) Ironman Arizona 720*(5th Place)
	Q 20.	Beth	Shutt	USA	5	6,090*
Race Name Points Ironman Mont Tremblant 2,890*(3rd Place) Ironman Wisconsin 1,600*(2nd Place) Ironman Los Cabos 960*(4th Place) Ironman 70.3 Syracuse 320(3rd Place) Ironman 70.3 Muncie 320(3rd Place)
	Q 21.	Michelle	Vesterby	DNK	5	6,025*
Race Name Points Ironman World Championship 3,825(8th Place) Ironman Arizona 1,280*(3rd Place) Ironman 70.3 Budapest 500(1st Place) Ironman 70.3 Switzerland 240(4th Place) Ironman 70.3 Muskoka 180(5th Place)
	Q 22.	Kristin	Möller	DEU	4	5,750*
Race Name Points Ironman Frankfurt 2,455*(4th Place) Ironman World Championship 1,375(15th Place) Ironman Lanzarote 960*(4th Place) Ironman Switzerland 960*(4th Place)
	Q 23.	Lucy	Gossage	GBR	3	5,600*
Race Name Points Ironman Wales 2,000*(1st Place) Ironman Lanzarote 2,000*(1st Place) Ironman South Africa 1,600*(2nd Place)
	Q 24.	Amanda	Stevens	USA	5	5,430*
Race Name Points Ironman World Championship 2,635(11th Place) Ironman Cozumel 1,280*(3rd Place) Ironman 70.3 Brasilia 540(3rd Place) Ironman 70.3 Puerto Rico 540(3rd Place) Ironman 70.3 Timberman 435 (4th Place)
	Q 25.	Jodie	Swallow	GBR	5	5,390*
Race Name Points Ironman Frankfurt 1,335*(7th Place) Ironman South Africa 1,280*(3rd Place) Ironman 70.3 St George 1,275(2nd Place) Ironman 70.3 South Africa 750(1st Place) Ironman 70.3 Boulder 750 (1st Place)
	Q 26.	Sophie	Goos	BEL	5	5,365*
Race Name Points Ironman Brazil 1,600*(2nd Place) Ironman Copenhagen 1,600*(2nd Place) Ironman Austria 960*(4th Place) Ironman 70.3 Puerto Rico 640(2nd Place) Ironman World Championship 565(19th Place)
	Q 27.	Natascha	Badmann	CHE	5	5,355*
Race Name Points Ironman Frankfurt 1,670*(6th Place) Ironman World Championship 1,620(14th Place) Ironman Switzerland 1,600*(2nd Place) Ironman 70.3 Pan American Champs 400(2nd Place) Ironman 70.3 Austria 65(12th Place)
	Q 28.	Julia	Gajer	DEU	4	5,310*
Race Name Points Ironman Arizona 2,000*(1st Place) Ironman Texas 1,600*(2nd Place) Ironman Wales 960*(4th Place) Kraichgau Triathlon 750(1st Place)
	Q 29.	Lisa	Roberts	USA	5	5,285*
Race Name Points Ironman Los Cabos 1,600*(2nd Place) Ironman France 1,280*(3rd place) Ironman Lake Placid 1,280*(3rd Place) Ironman Brazil 720*(5th Place) Ironman Arizona 405*(7th Place)
	Q 30.	Corinne	Abraham	GBR	2	5,280*
Race Name Points Ironman Frankfurt 4,000*(1st Place) Ironman Lanzarote 1,280*(2nd Place)
	Q 31.	Simone	Brändli	CHE	5	5,240*
Race Name Points Ironman South Africa 2,000*(1st  Place) Ironman Austria 1,600*(2nd Place) Ironman Florida 960*(4th Place) Ironman 70.3 South Africa 540(3rd Place) Ironman 70.3 Austria 140(9th Place)
	32.	Jackie	Arendt	USA	5	5,170*
Race Name Points Ironman Wisconsin 2,000*(1st Place) Ironman Louisville 1,600*(2nd Place) Ironman Canada 960*(4th Place) Ironman Cozumel 305*(8th Place) Ironman Texas 305*(8th Place)
	33.	Mareen	Hufe	DEU	5	5,165*
Race Name Points Ironman Western Australia 1,600*(2nd Place) Ironman Melbourne 1,335*(7th Place) Ironman Copenhagen 1,280*(2nd Place) Ironman Florida 720*(5th Place) Ironman new Zealand 230*(9th Place)
	Q 34.	Kimberly	Schwabenbauer	USA	4	5,050*
Race Name Points Ironman Melbourne 2,890*(3rd Place) Ironman Lake Placid 1,600*(2nd Place) Ironman World Championship 340(Somewhere between 21-30) Ironman 70.3 Eagleman 220(7th Place)
	Q 35.	Bree	Wee	USA	5	5,040*
Race Name Points Ironman Canada 2,000*(1st Place) Ironman new Zealand 960*(4th Place) Ironman Texas 960*(4th Place) Ironman Cozumel 720*(5th Place)_ Ironman 70.3 Hawaii 400(2nd Place)
	Q 36.	Jessie	Donavan	USA	4	5,000*
Race Name Points Ironman World Championship 1,900(13th Place) Ironman Cozumel 1,600*(2nd place) Ironman South Africa 960*(4th Place) Ironman Brazil 540*(3rd Place)
	Q 37.	Heather	Wurtele	CAN	4	5,000*
Race Name Points Ironman Coeur d'Alene 2,000*(1st Place) Ironman 70.3 World Championship 1,165(10th Place) Ironman 70.3 St George 1,085(3rd Place) Ironman 70.3 Monterey 750(1st Place)
	Q 39.	Kelly	Williamson	USA	4	4,975*
Race Name Points Ironman Texas 2,000*(1st Place) Ironman Coeur d'Alene 1,600*(2nd Place) Ironman 70.3 World Championship 1,290(9th Place) Ironman 70.3 California 85(11th Place)
	Q 40.	Katja	Konschak	DEU	5	4,915*
Race Name Points Ironman UK 1,600*(2nd Place) Ironman Wales 1,280*(3rd Place) Ironman Frankfurt 855*(9th Place) Ironman 70.3 Barcelona 640(2nd Place) Ironman South Africa 540*(6th Place)

* Note: Numbers 39 and 40 are actually 38 and 39 because the 38th ranked women didn't validate her Ironman spot so did not qualify even though she had enough points.

 

As you can see, racing at Kona is the likeliest chance(all the girls highlighted in red) you will race again at Kona as all the women that finished 1-16 all are back again this year. Then you have athletes traveling all over the world to get points. Which is advisable if you have deep pockets(or your sponsors do) because many of those races have somewhat less deep fields.

 But if you're like Amber who pays for her own travel expenses, you left with the last option which is to go head to head with strong competition at every race while trying to keep expenses low. This usually means work Monday-Thursday then fly out Friday, race on the weekend, and fly home Monday and work Tuesday-Friday.  It is amazing to me how well she does with all the extraneous(i.e. not triathlon-related) work she puts in on a daily basis.

Kona will likely be no different with Amber working up until the week before. While some women are already out there or will be shortly acclimating to the heat and humidity, there is a possibility that Amber may have to do some of her rides on the trainer due to the cold. Not an ideal situation.

And yet, I have hope! Nietsche, and subsequently Kelly Clarkson, said that what doesn't kill us makes us stronger and I like to think that all of the stress that Amber has been through this year is going to make her a stronger and more resilient athlete going into Kona.

Continue to send her all your good vibes(as well as any reiki and sponsorship dollars you may have ;)  ) as she starts back from recovery from IM Mont Tremblant and gets ready for her last big build to Kona.

Kona Baby!