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Minimum Swim needed / Slowest possible swim for Kona Qualify
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Here is a question for you all.
What is the minimum swim needed for qualifying for Kona? As this is very subjective and individual, do anyone know what the slowest swim times someone have managed and still do a KQ (in the 35-40 AG or similar)?

Background is that for different reasons (logistics as well as general lack of interest) I swim around once a month / once every two months. Each time around an hour in a 50 meter pool. This is around 3500 meter incl some drills.. So how much does one need to be better on the B/R combo to still make up for it?
Totally I will average from 10 to a max of 14 hours of training per week, so it will be a stretch anyway, but thats a different story - lets focus on the swim for now.
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Re: Minimum Swim needed / Slowest possible swim for Kona Qualify [Pjorsen] [ In reply to ]
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Wild guess, based on nothing, I'm going to say you need to make up 20-30 mins on B/R even if you are a former swimmer and can pull off a decent time on no training. Some of that time will be the actual swim deficit and the rest will be because you will get out of the water tired while the ones that actually trained their swim will get out feeling fresh and ready to work the bike. Basically you will get out of the water already in a hole with a long bike and run to try to dig your way out.
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Re: Minimum Swim needed / Slowest possible swim for Kona Qualify [Pjorsen] [ In reply to ]
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If you can do 3500M in a 50M pool in an hour, then I don't see that you're really that far behind on the swim. That's faster than I've ever swum in a 25m pool and I qualified with a 1:08 swim, 5:05 bike and 3:30 run at Frankfurt. In Kona I swam 1:09.

What do you reckon you would do for 3.8k open water?
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Re: Minimum Swim needed / Slowest possible swim for Kona Qualify [Pjorsen] [ In reply to ]
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At IMLP in 2013 Josh Beck swam a 1:17 and won his AG and the overall amateur race by 8 minutes. He also biked a 4:40, which was the fastest bike split of the day, and ran a 2:57, which was the third fastest run split of the day, so that helped. It's one of the most impressive AG wins I can remember.

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Re: Minimum Swim needed / Slowest possible swim for Kona Qualify [Pjorsen] [ In reply to ]
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Picking the right course will be the most important part.

There is a lot more to being a crap swimmer than losing chunks of time in the water, but if you're trying to sneak into that last KQ slot, those minutes matter most.

You're going to need to be significantly stronger as a cyclist or a runner than the guys that are 3-5 miles up the road from you when you get back to shore.

@christopher_borden •
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Re: Minimum Swim needed / Slowest possible swim for Kona Qualify [Pjorsen] [ In reply to ]
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In Placid my teammate swam just around 1:12, forget the exact time, then took second in the 18-24 an KQed

Tim Russell, Pro Triathlete

Instagram- @timbikerun
Last edited by: Timbikerun: Jul 1, 15 4:45
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Re: Minimum Swim needed / Slowest possible swim for Kona Qualify [Pjorsen] [ In reply to ]
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I know a guy who swam a 1:40 at IMTX and KQ'd. He crushed the run and bike. He was in the 50-54 AG.

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Re: Minimum Swim needed / Slowest possible swim for Kona Qualify [Pjorsen] [ In reply to ]
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You want a slow swimmer who KQed? Try Laurent Jalabert: qualified in 2007 in 35-59 at Ironman Zurich with a 1:16 swim.

Of course, having the fastest overall bike (4:39) and doing a 3:11 run sorta helped him get to Kona.

(fun fact: at Kona, he passed more than 1,000 people on the bike)

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Re: Minimum Swim needed / Slowest possible swim for Kona Qualify [klehner] [ In reply to ]
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This isn't the answer you're looking for, but the swim time is irrelevant unless it's in the perspective of your bike/run/overall time. The KQ time is based on your finish time not any splits. If you want to go to Kona then look at what finish time you think you need and work from there based on your splits.
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Re: Minimum Swim needed / Slowest possible swim for Kona Qualify [Nobbie] [ In reply to ]
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Nobbie wrote:
If you can do 3500M in a 50M pool in an hour, then I don't see that you're really that far behind on the swim. That's faster than I've ever swum in a 25m pool and I qualified with a 1:08 swim, 5:05 bike and 3:30 run at Frankfurt. In Kona I swam 1:09.

What do you reckon you would do for 3.8k open water?

What I was thinking. In fact the troll meter went on.
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