Last year was supposed to be a big one for Angela Naeth. The 33-year-old from British Columbia finished fifth in her first full Ironman triathlon late in 2013 and sixth in her second in the spring of 2014, then signed with Red Bull that June. During the summer she cut back on competing to focus on a season-ending trip to the spiritual home of triathlon: the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii. But one thing stopped Naeth from making that journey: She’s a woman.
Since 2011 the World Triathlon Corporation, which runs Ironman, has enforced a 50/35 split between the 85 male and female pros qualifying for Kona. Ranked No. 40, Naeth would have made the cut if she were a man.
“If someone like Angela Naeth has to extend her season to make it [to Hawaii],” says Julia Polloreno, editor-in-chief of Triathlete magazine, “there’s something that’s not right with that system.” Since missing out on Kona last year, Naeth has won two Ironman races, including a North American championship in May in The Woodlands, Texas.