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2026 Ironman 70.3 World Championship Slot Allocation Tracker
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While having separate slot allocations for men and women guarantee the 70.3 Worlds will have a 50:50 split, the introduction of a new allocation system will still impact how slots distribute through the age groups. This tracker page will keep an update total on where slots are going as the season progresses and compare that to where slots would have gone under the previous system.
Note: all allocations have been calculated assuming no roll down (as this is unpredictable). Numbers represent the initial allocation based on the athletes at the race.
The table, pictured above, contains the key data we need to track how the allocation system is performing and how that compares to the old system. For each age group we have the number of athletes who started the race. The number of slots that would have been assigned to the age group under the old system. The number of slots that would go to each age group based on the new performance system. And then the difference between the two indicating if it’s a loss or gain compared to the old system.
To calculate these allocations and the total numbers allocated I take the results form each completed race of the 2026 season and apply both allocation methods to the data. The old method uses the number of athletes starting and distributes slots in a way that’s proportional to age group size. The new method uses adjustment factors for each age group derived from results at 70.3 World Champs to attempt to normalise performance across age groups. Results are ranked on the adjusted values and after age group winners get a slot they roll down the newly ranked results.
Roll down in the old system would largely keep slots within the same age group. Slots would only move age group if nobody was available to claim a slot from the current age group. Where an initially allocated slot could not be claimed due to no finishers the slot is passed to the next appropriate age group in that gender. Roll down in the new system is potentially a lot more impactful on how the actual final distribution of slots looks, but it cannot be modelled and excluding it helps highlight where groups are gaining.
Controls for this data are simple. A single drop down allows you to select whether you view the total allocation from all races, or if you view the allocation data for a single race.
As the 2026 season continues new results will be included and the comparison will update.
