Why go pro? A good question, particularly at a time when there seems to be dwindling support of professionals in the sport by one of the largest and arguably most influential brands in triathlon, Ironman. While the announcement of professional prize purses at Challenge races brightened my day, I am not in it for the money (or the fame). Of course I would love to earn a paycheck by doing what I love-one of the reasons I am going into medicine-but I know as a professional triathlete you don’t just get a paycheck by showing up to work. With the restructuring of prize money and some companies pulling back on their financial support of professional athletes, cash is going to be a lot harder to come by, especially as a first year pro.