Ironman Sweden 2014: Past Performances and Kona Qualification

Latest statistics for Ironman Sweden

The final round of 2014 Kona qualifiers is upon us with 4 Ironman races offering slots for the World Champs over the next two weeks. First in line is Ironman Sweden offering 50 Kona slots to the fastest age groupers on Saturday. Results from two years of the event have ranged from the fast in 2013 to the exceptionally fast in 2012. There is no doubt that Kalmar offers a fast course, it’s just a question of how fast on the day.

More detailed age group specific statistics are available to download at the bottom of this page.

Median Splits by Age Group at Ironman Sweden 2012-2013
Median Splits by Category at 2013 European Ironman Races

First up a comparison of median splits from Ironman Sweden and across all of last year’s European races. It’s a broad view, but give some context for Sweden in the European series. What’s clear is that the major difference between Sweden and the other events comes on the bike where times tend to be notably faster. Other than this splits are quite comparable with the European average.

Distribution of Finisher Splits at Ironman Sweden 2012-2013
Distribution of Finishers' Splits at 2013 European Ironman Races

For a more detailed view we can also compare the distribution of splits at these races. Unsurprisingly it backs up the observations from the medians. Sweden trend faster overall and this can be largely credited to the bike. In fact the swim at Sweden has tended to be slower than other races and the run comparable.

Predicted Kona Slot Allocation for Ironman Sweden 2014
  Number of Athletes Number of Slots
F18-24 13 1
F25-29 43 2
F30-34 63 2
F35-39 75 2
F40-44 60 2
F45-49 45 2
F50-54 19 1
F55-59 10 1
F60-64 4 1
M18-24 39 1
M25-29 175 3
M30-34 305 5
M35-39 375 6
M40-44 460 7
M45-49 340 5
M50-54 187 3
M55-59 60 2
M60-64 28 1
M65-69 8 1
M70-74 2 1
M75-79 1 1
Total 2312 50

The table above estimates the distribution of Kona slots amongst the age groups based on the start list currently available on the Ironman website. Actual numbers will vary dependent on starters. It’s a very typical distribution of slots – heavily weighted around the M40-44 age group, the largest in the field.

Top Twenty Male Performances and Kona Qualification by Age Group at Ironman Sweden
Top Twenty Female Performances and Kona Qualification by Age Group at Ironman Sweden

Two very different years leaves qualifying times wide open. They will be fast, but the question is how fast? In good conditions Sweden has attracted a very strong field and seen an exceptional number of age groupers break 9 hours. The potential is there for a very competitive race, but this is also dependent on whether it attracts the same depth in the age group field as it did in its inaugural year.

Some more detailed stats are available in the documents below.

Detailed Age Group Statistics

Age group specific Ironman Sweden results analysis. More charts and more detailed timings and splits for top age grouper and Kona qualifiers.

Select an age group to view or download PDF

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I’ve a couple of athletes to follow in Sweden this weekend. A full analysis will come shortly after the race.

Latest statistics for Ironman Sweden

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