She has reached the pinnacle of cross triathlon but a chance to hunt down government funding could see Penny Slater jump ship to the more popular version of the sport.
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Slater hopes a nomination for the women's athlete of the year at the Canberra Sport Awards will lay the platform for more sponsorship backing having spent about $20,000 to chase her dream this year.
The 22-year-old has made a name for herself in the off-road version of the sport set in bushland with an open water swim (1500m), mountain bike (30km) and trail run (10km).
But now Slater is considering taking the "cross" off cross triathlon, and shifting into the traditional format in a bid to receive government funding and plug the hole in her bank account.
"All of the funding within Australia is based on Olympic and Commonwealth Games sports, and you can understand that," Slater said.
"That's why next year I’m looking at converting into a little bit more road triathlons when I’m at home, just so I can see if I can potentially go down that road if I wanted to.
"Australia itself doesn’t have that much funding for sports, so the little they do have, they put into gold medals.
"I’d love for it to become an Olympic event. In the future I really hope it is, but at the moment we’re building on the sport."
Slater spends her week balancing a job at a butcher's shop with university studies and a gig as a teacher's aide, all while chasing her cross triathlon dream.
Working two jobs while balancing study and training is a frustrating task Slater has no choice but to manage, such is the nature of her sport in Australia.
Slater raced about 20 times this year and has 10 races lined up for next year in the hope that a lighter workload will allow her to finish higher and get her hands on more prizemoney.
"This year I’d estimate I’ve spent about $20,000 racing. Basically I work full-time when I’m home from racing so I can save enough money to then go away and race," Slater said.
"It’s really tough but it’s what I love to do. You have to go to the big races to get some good results and also get more backing for sponsorship.
"I’ve been pretty skint a fair few times this year and had to ask my parents for a bit of money when I was stranded in an airport in Copenhagen after my flight got cancelled.
"That’s just what comes with the nature of the sport as you’re still establishing yourself. Obviously funding can’t go to every professional triathlete in Australia and I understand that. Going out on your own, that’s the risk you take, but I love it.
"The problem is, a lot of the girls I am racing against are full-time athletes, which makes it really difficult because you think ‘maybe I could be better if I could train full-time and have enough time to recover and all the little things right’.
"In saying that, I think it makes me a tougher athletes. In the long run, hopefully when I can do it full-time, it’ll mean it’s even more sweet."
Slater is vying for the women's athlete of the year gong with Laura Peel (snowsports) and Chloe Hosking (cycling), with the winner to be named at an awards evening on November 30.
