Qualifying for Kona( IMH) and for the Olympics in either triathlon or it's related endurance sports( running, cycling, triathlon etc.) are with respect, two completely different worlds. I know that this will sound outrageous, but qualifying for IMH as an age-grouper is not that big a deal. If you have a bit of talent and invest 3 - 4 years to it, it's do-able. People, from all walks of life, of all ages, with all kinds of demands outside of triathlon have qualified for IMH. The Olympics on the other hand are supremely difficult to qualify for in triathlon, running, swimming or cycling. It's a full-on, full time pursuit that takes years and years to do and then, sometimes even "the best", don't make the grade for one reason or another. As an example, in Canada, our best woman and man marathon runners with PB's of 2:31 and 2:13 respectivly, have not been able to qualify for Athens this year! Or here's another possible example: Allan Webb, despite having an incredible season so far with world leading 1500/mile times, still has to finish in the top three at this weekends US Olympic trials. If he does not, he will be sitting at home watching the Games on TV with the rest of us. Compare this to an age-grouper "qualifying" for IMH if he misses out at one IQ race he can go to another, or another or can even get into IMH by happenstance on the roll-down at yet another IQ event!
Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog