So how do you apply for a professional triathlon racing licence. Well in Australia you do it by applying to Triathlon Australia. Their website spells the process out quite well actually.
Tri Australia Professional Licence information
Following the process on the website, I wrote an application and submitted it. As part of the policy it spells out that there are automatic and non automatic qualification criteria. Unfortunately I didn't meet any of the automatic criteria. I used to a little while ago, but the policy has changes since then. Since I no longer met any of the automatic criteria I followed the non automatic criteria route. This involved spelling out what races I have done, how I did etc. I e-mailed my application off and low and behold got a reply within the week saying it had been accepted. For anyone interested I have a Category B licence which means I can race long distance races but not ITU, which suits me fine.
After the acceptance there were a few things that needed signing (Professional Licence Conditions) and the difference to be paid between a standard licence and a professional one (a pro licence costs $550 per year). And that was it.
To race with organisers like Challenge that is all there is to it. Get your TA licence and you are away. However, in order to race Ironman races there is an extra little hurdle to jump. To race Ironman you need an Ironman Professional Licence. Applying for one of them is another process, but if you already have an approved National Body licence it is a bit of a formality, it seems like they take that as evidence enough. However, if you don't have a professional licence from your National Federation it looks like you can still apply by putting forward some evidence. I am not all that sure about that process since I didn't follow it. The Ironman Licence costs about $800, which sounds like a lot, but it covers your entries for a year, so as long as you race, then you recoup the costs fairly quickly.
The Ironman licence is where I have struck a bit of a speed bump, but more on that tomorrow.
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