There’s a small gap in my Kona qualification data – a selection of Ironman 70.3 races that carry Kona slots for their fastest age groupers. Over 100 qualification slots are available this way and are not included in any of my analyses. I’m going to start correcting this omission with a quick review of results from Ironman 70.3 Hawaii, which took place back in June. I’ve collected over a decade of results from the race to examine how this year compares.
Jumping straight into the distributions it’s clear this year’s race trends slower than the amalgamated data from the previous decade. This is mainly due to a bike that’s slower at the median along with a little help from a slower run. Swim times trend slightly faster at the mid point, but are consistent at the front of the field.
DNF data is available for the last decade and shows that in recent years the run DNF rate has risen for the Hawaii race. Perhaps a change in course or timing had some impact here? Overall, this year’s race appears to have typical levels of DNF for the race at present.
Slower age group bike medians are the only clear difference compared with the past decade. Other numbers vary more and don’t show a strong trend.
There’s a lot of variability in age group times for specific positions over the last 10 years. This year does push towards the slower end of the range for many age group positions. As is often the case the impact is less noticeable at the front of the field where times are more consistent across the years of racing.
Based on the start numbers I’ve applied what appears to be the current Ironman allocation method to the 30 age group Kona slots on offer. From that I’ve calculated automatic qualifying times. Roll down will affect these times and in the case of Ironman 70.3 racing it should be noted that athletes must choose between qualifying for Kona or the 70.3 Worlds. You can look at other Kona statistics on my Kona qualification page.
Times for the top twenty in each age group vary but often trend behind the average, particularly for the younger age groups. The top placings, those close to the Kona slots, are more likely to be average or above. Further back in the field this year appears to have been slower.
