Iron men earn nod during this year’s Ironman

By design, the men’s professional field will be loaded at Ford Ironman Coeur d’Alene later this month while women pros will be nearly non-existent.

In an attempt to bolster competition, Ironman North America has opted to pool the men’s and women’s prize money to create a $50,000 purse for the top 10 men’s pro finishers at Coeur d’Alene. Previously, the top five men competed for $25,000, as did the top five women. Female pros will compete for $50,000 at Ironman Lake Placid in late July.

It’ll alternate next year with prize money designated for female pros at Coeur d’Alene and male pros at Lake Placid.

“One of the things we’re trying to do is promote a little more competition, and we found that as we added more events it watered down the field more,” said Shane Facteau, vice president of marketing and development for Ironman North America. “This is another way to promote elite level competition. I think it’s better to get the elite athletes going head-to-head. That gives them more incentive both financially and prestige-wise. It’s something we’re going to try, and I think it’ll be successful.”

There was only one event, Ironman Canada, in North America in 1998, Facteau said. Now there are eight, including six Ironmans and two half Ironmans. The growth has been tremendous for the sport, but it also expanded the number of options for pros, leading to some mediocre fields.

Ironman North America consulted with many male and female pros about changing the payout system and heard favorable response, Facteau said.

“They said let’s try it and see how it goes,” Facteau said. “It’s something worth giving a shot.”

The men’s winner in Coeur d’Alene will receive $14,000 compared to $10,000 previously. The 10th-place male will earn $500.

Coeur d’Alene drew 17 female pros last year, so the effect on the overall race numbers is negligible. No female pros had entered Coeur d’Alene as of Wednesday afternoon, but a formidable field is shaping up for Lake Placid, Facteau said.

The Coeur d’Alene men’s field is stout with 2004 champion Chris Legh, 2003 winner Michael Lovato, 2004 Ironman Lake Placid champ Simon Lessing, two-time Ironman Wisconsin champ Dave Harju and Montanan Matt Seeley, who has placed second and third, respectively, in Coeur d’Alene.

The Coeur d’Alene event, which takes place June 26, will still dole out 80 qualifying berths for the Ironman world championship in Hawaii. Those are based on the number of entrants in each age group, Facteau said.