There is no friggin' way an average IMer can KQ.
For those who have already KQ'd, it seems 'easy' and everyone can do it. But let's be realistic now - KQ times now are so fast that they often exceed what qualified elite (pre-pro) class triathletes can do.
From having seen what a few local KQers achieved early on, you should be dominating your age group within a 1-2 years of serious training. If you're only training <12hrs per week, you should still be contending for your AG 1-2-3 in every race you do. Talent is definitely necessary now - maybe not before in certain age brackets, but definitely is now.
I consider myself very average in terms of physical ability, and have placed as high as on average top 2% overall in running races by running up to 100 miles per week. Even at that speed, I cannot compete against KQ qualifiers who are tri-training and running 1/3rd my volume - it's not even close in a standalone marathon, like a 10-15 minute differential in the M35 AG.
If you're familiar with the LA TriClub, one of the leaders of the bike groups has KQ'd before, but I recall was bumped out by a slot at Wildflower either last year or the year before. He's fast on all three sports, and runs a 2:35 or 2:40 standalone marathon, and bikes comparably fast and is no slouch on the swim. That's the type of guy you have to beat to KQ - talent is absolutely necessary to beat someone like that.
If you haven't trained 18+ hrs a week or run 100 miles a week, or comparable training in any of the single disciplines, you might think you can get amazingly better. But having done that, I can say with certainty that unless you have genetic gifts, and clear ones that manifest in the 1st 1-2 years of training (if not right out the door - I could crush Cat4 cyclists on my very first time on a bicycle yet I can't touch a KQ guy on a bike even with max training), it's not going to happen. Most KQ participants have awesome genetics AND are throwing down 15-20 hrs per week of training.
Coach Troy is on the very fast side of the KQ and was an ex-pro, but as an example, he came from a football background, and within 1-2 years was running pure 10ks around 32:00 even before he was a pro endurance athlete.
For those who have already KQ'd, it seems 'easy' and everyone can do it. But let's be realistic now - KQ times now are so fast that they often exceed what qualified elite (pre-pro) class triathletes can do.
From having seen what a few local KQers achieved early on, you should be dominating your age group within a 1-2 years of serious training. If you're only training <12hrs per week, you should still be contending for your AG 1-2-3 in every race you do. Talent is definitely necessary now - maybe not before in certain age brackets, but definitely is now.
I consider myself very average in terms of physical ability, and have placed as high as on average top 2% overall in running races by running up to 100 miles per week. Even at that speed, I cannot compete against KQ qualifiers who are tri-training and running 1/3rd my volume - it's not even close in a standalone marathon, like a 10-15 minute differential in the M35 AG.
If you're familiar with the LA TriClub, one of the leaders of the bike groups has KQ'd before, but I recall was bumped out by a slot at Wildflower either last year or the year before. He's fast on all three sports, and runs a 2:35 or 2:40 standalone marathon, and bikes comparably fast and is no slouch on the swim. That's the type of guy you have to beat to KQ - talent is absolutely necessary to beat someone like that.
If you haven't trained 18+ hrs a week or run 100 miles a week, or comparable training in any of the single disciplines, you might think you can get amazingly better. But having done that, I can say with certainty that unless you have genetic gifts, and clear ones that manifest in the 1st 1-2 years of training (if not right out the door - I could crush Cat4 cyclists on my very first time on a bicycle yet I can't touch a KQ guy on a bike even with max training), it's not going to happen. Most KQ participants have awesome genetics AND are throwing down 15-20 hrs per week of training.
Coach Troy is on the very fast side of the KQ and was an ex-pro, but as an example, he came from a football background, and within 1-2 years was running pure 10ks around 32:00 even before he was a pro endurance athlete.