More slots than there used to be, but it also changes the way the slots are selected. Used to be that each service got to make the decision who would get to represent, but now that's not the case.

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IG: idking90

I love the part in bold:

The 2014 SUPERFROG Triathlon on September 28 inCoronado, California will offer 20 qualifying slots to the Military Division of the 2015 IRONMAN World Championship. The slots are reserved for current military personnel from any nation. Registration is open for the race at www.superfrogtriathlon.com.

I'm kind of glad the services don't get to pick...Earn the slot, pack your bags b/c you're racing in Kona.

@Dev, that part is cool. I suspect Canadian military participation in SUPERFROG will go up! ;)

so an ISIS member is eligible for kona?

But the control of the services, while not at all foolproof, allowed for a little more flexibility. With Superfrog being late Sept, you're not gonna see any of the best military IM athletes this year because it's only two weeks before Kona...so you have people missing it also because of deployment, etc to ensure you get the best representatives of each service. Instead, now it's just a different way to qualify.

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IG: idking90

that's a consideration, for sure.

also, the military would "sponsor" you (put you on orders) if they chose you to represent them to go to Kona. that means, they'd pay for airfare, hotel, food, etc...this way, you're footing your own bill.

WTC doesn't negotiate with terrorists.

Only Challenge does.

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Pink? Maybe. Maybe not. You decide.

You knuckleheads...ssshhhhhhhh! j/k This is a nice little (not so) secret and I'M GONNA BE THERE!

I just happen to be taking a class there on my way to Kona. Hopefully a quick snatch and grab for next year:)

Couple questions sent to WTC by my "contact" that are waiting for answers:

-Active duty vs reserve vs retiree. Who can and cannot compete?
-M vs F slot allocation?
-If you qualify here or at the other two races, are we then in a military specific category at Kona vs AG?
-Are we all in our own wave at a qualifier to at least be directly competing against similar?
-What are the other 2 races and when?

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Sub-9 IM. Navy SeaBee deep sea diver. Can Do!

heyyyy-ohh! we're treading on LR material now.

but for-realsies, dan just posted something in the bahrain thread wondering about who could travel to the US to do a race. i suppose all service members would be service members of UN recognized nations, sorry PLO. maybe this cracks the door for a military member of democratic people's republic of korea? i suppose we could split hairs but like someone else alluded to in that thread, kona tix are first-world problems not even on the radar for these people.

I would venture to guess that you'll be the only 2014 military Kona athlete at that race. Which is silly

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IG: idking90

I agree. as someone who's been selected and as someone who's qualified straight up, I think it's most fair and most in keeping with the military ethic of qualifying straight up.

that said, 20 slots for military only is not *quite* straight up, but it's an improvement .

OTOH, this will likely be US military only at first, then grow as other countries hear about it, and then get spoiled when every country but the US is sending ringers who are in military service in name only. I'm talking to you, Renaldo Colucci!

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Eric Reid AeroFit | Instagram Portfolio
Aerodynamic Retul Bike Fitting

“You are experiencing the criminal coverup of a foreign backed fascist hostile takeover of a mafia shakedown of an authoritarian religious slow motion coup. Persuade people to vote for Democracy.”

What would the oldest AG for military be? Since you're eligible to retire from military service after 20 years, I am guessing the older military AGs are going to be smaller and smaller...unless they allow current (active, reserve, nasty guard), former, and retired military to compete in that division.

It's funny...at 39, I feel like a grandfather when I am on duty at Reserve weekends.

they're going to have to clarify that.

If it were me, it would be active duty only, and no full-time athletes, so in other words amateurs only of people who are in full-up active service.

But you could make a case for retirees, reservists, inactive reservists, etc. All depends on how you look at it. As an active duty guy I'm biased of course. WTC's perspective is the bottom line, so in their case they'll probably open it up to everybody.

That said, being military there will be no need for age groups. Top "X" go to Kona, slots allocated by gender proportional to the amount of men and women competing of finishers.

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Eric Reid AeroFit | Instagram Portfolio
Aerodynamic Retul Bike Fitting

“You are experiencing the criminal coverup of a foreign backed fascist hostile takeover of a mafia shakedown of an authoritarian religious slow motion coup. Persuade people to vote for Democracy.”

Didn't WTC state they would not allow qualifying on a half anymore?

I'd hope they open it up to any military member, be it active, reserve, or ng. I am guessing you'd prefer it stay on the active side since we reservists are in better shape. ;)

Top X would be my preference. I could see a disproportionate amount of slots going to males, though, since I'm guessing there aren't many military females that would do this event.

ISIS is the extreme of course, but to other nations the wtc military friendly countries (usa for sure) would be terrorists in the eyes of other countries.

As one who looks down at WTC, It is good news that they is partnering with grass roots races such as super frog (costs 200$) for their championship , making it a more legit championship.

I am just unsure of the military route they are pushing, as this opens questions up such as why no clydesdales being allowed, giving an advantage to us military, etc etc etc.

Guess this means Superfrog finally went down the USAT sanctioning path. Good to see, I'll be interested to see WTC's answers to the questions irontri posed. Especially the retiree part!

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The secret of a long life is you try not to shorten it.
-Nobody

on that note, will the run course be extended from 12.8 mi to 13.1? the sand makes the times similar to a road 13.1, at 12.8 mi

I'm guessing it's not going to change. Has it been the same distance since when it started in 1979?

I am not one who normally advocates for special treatment of the military despite being active duty myself. I also don't particularly foresee myself ever racing an IM so this is largely irrelevant to my personal racing.
However, Ironman began from military roots, and triathlon in general has always been strongly tied to the military in its early days.
There was a military division at Kona for a loooong time that used combined scores for the best service team. That gradually shrank until 2014 where it will not exist at all.

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IG: idking90

Speaking of ringers, when I competed in the first Military Games triathlon, the top 4 guys were Hellriegel, Stadler, Dmitri Gaag and Olivier Marceau. 6 weeks after the World Military Games, Hellriegel put the ultimate fear of the uberbiker into Mark Allen and beat him to Kona to mile 23....he just needed a 23 mile Ironman to win Kona that year (and the next year). Finally in 1997, the German Infanteer Hellriegel wins Kona. That's as fast as we've seen servicemen go....

Being a reservist, I actually think I have a shot at this now... at least before they turn this to an International Military Games. Did they say they are going to have slots available on the other event Superseal? As I recall, the other event is an olympic distance.

Superseal has an olympic and sprint.

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The secret of a long life is you try not to shorten it.
-Nobody