Old professional athletes, there are not that many. In triathlon terms, there are only a handful of names that crop up, the recently retired Cameron Brown being the most notable. But what about former elite triathletes trying to re-enter the professional after a lengthy hiatus? Are there any examples?'Since I began working towards my goal, Bob McRae earned his pro license aged 52 and competed in one pro race the following year,' says Jonathan Barber. 'Bob was unable to amass enough points to get his pro card renewed. Besides Melanie McQuaid who raced at Kona in 2023 aged 50, Bob is the oldest athlete to qualify as a professional that I know of'.
Ten years ago, Jonathan Barber was working towards a pretty lofty goal – earn back his USAT professional triathlon license. A past provincial champion and elite competitor from South Africa, Jonathan had continued to race abroad in the elite category after moving to the United States in the mid-1990s. Amassing some 74 wins over his career (44 in the US), he moved on to a real job in 2005, and hence a decade long sabbatical from top level sport.
Had Jonathan been successful in his quest to regain his USAT Elite License, he would have been the oldest pro triathlete by far. No easy task by any means, given the strict criteria employed by the national governing body. But it all went quiet, until recently when Jonathan checked in stating that he was now once again attempting the seemingly impossible, this time at the age of 57!
Last time we spoke you were working towards an attempt to earn your pro license back again. Give us an update – were you successful?
In short – no. I had actually been working toward the goal for two years before sharing my plans with you – so it has been 11 years since I started this process. But I have not succeeded – yet.