It's very hard to qualify for Kona, but it's certainly much, much harder to qualify for the Olympic team.

I'd forgo either of them. My Walter Mitty fantasy would be to win the TDF.

   

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!

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Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

<<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. >>

I thought all he had to do was job the prelims to get on the Olympic Long team. I thought 4 people get on the long team, then that gets cut to 3 people for the Olympics. The first criteria is the top 4 people with A qualifing times at the trials - currently there are only 3 Americans with an A time and 1 of them is focusing on the 800m. Then it is the top runners with B times. Then the fastest runner with out a B time.

So as it stands now if he just jogs the first round in the trials he makes the Long team. Or atleast thats how I understand it.

Matt

You may be right. I think that the US has softened the harsh top-3-or-you-are-out, criteria that they had used for years in track, swimming and a few other sports. More than a few times potential finalists and medalists missed the cut and had to miss the Olympics. From the sounds of it they seem to be more concerned now about ensuring that THE top people make the team. That's good news.

Still in certain events in certain countries, the National Olympic trials may be more competitive than the Olympic final itself - say the Kenyan 5000m trials, or the US 400m sprint event.

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Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

If he jogs the trials he will go only if

A) He is one of only three athletes who have an A qualifier.

AND

B) None of the athletes who finish ahead of him at the trials gets the A qualifier before the games.

For instance if he finishes last in the trials, but only three americans (including him) have the qualifier he goes.

If 3 athletes ahead of him at trials have A qualifiers and one or more decide not to compete in the games - he goes.

If he finishes last in trials and only two athletes ahead of him have the A, then the others that finished ahead of him at trials have until the Olympics to get a A. If they do they move in front of him and he sits.

qualifying for IMH as an age-grouper is not that big a deal. Anyone know what kind of time a male in the 30-34 age group needed at CDA to qualify? How about the 35-39 age group?

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"People think it must be fun to be a super genius, but they don't realize how hard it is to put up with all the idiots in the world."

"I know that this will sound outrageous, but qualifying for IMH as an age-grouper is not that big a deal. "

Sorry, but you really have no idea what you are talking about. A 40 year old male would have to go 10:15 at CDA this year to got to Kona. Thats not easy, and thats about the easiest NA race to qualify at.

The only point that I was making that limiting nations to two entries in swimming affects primarily the United States and also, but to a lesser extent, Australia. This particular rule was specifically enacted to limit the number of US entrants in swimming and is anti-American. It is therefore much different from limiting all nations to no more than three entrants in Track & Field event because that rule affects different countries differently in different events.

It is similar to limiting the number of gymnasts in a particular event, but each nation can have more than two gymnasts per individual event and the rule also affects more than one or two nations as there are several countries (China, Russia, one or two eastern European countries and the US (at least for womens' gymnastics). Moreover, I think that everyone in the team competition has a chance to qualify for both the all around and individual event medal competitions (although I am not sure about this), which means that each country has about five or six gymnasts that could compete in these events.

Thank you for your response. I knew that I would get this type of heat. Note that I was comparing qualifying for IMH compared to qualifying for the Olympic Games. Compared to trying to make it to the Olympic Games, getting a spot in Kona is relativly speaking not that hard.

Indeed, going 10:15 for IM is no small feat, but it's achieveable with time, talent and a great deal of work - and even a bit of luck if you make it on the roll-down at certain races. The Olympics on the other had are absolutly ruthless - even some of the very best atheletes at the top of their game may not qualify. You must achieve extraordinarily hard time/performance standards and then you have to qualify racing against the best in your country or submit to some form of jury selection.There is no roll-down!

P.S. FYI. I know a thing or two about qualifying for IMH - I qualified for IMH every year for 10 years in a row from 1987 - 1997. Only went twice.

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Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

Susan Williams makes the Olympic squad, with zero chance of medaling, while the world's #3 athlete, Laura Reback, USA, stays home.

That's a joke.

Just like 2000 when soon-to-be #1s Siri Lindley and Barb Lindquist stayed home.

Get REAL, USAT!

An easy enough debate to settle..ask Barb Linquist about Sydney then ask her about every other race she has done since..Olympics is the far harder to qualify for

Well that's my point exactly about the challenges, the difficultly and the ruthlessness, of trying to make it to the Olympic Games.

For IMH - if you miss out at one race, you can go to another qualifier and have a go there. You can even roll the dice and try the lottery or have a spot fall in your lap unexpecdetly, on the roll down.

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Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

Another point to be made..you miss out on HI this year..train harder and next year try again...miss you Olympic qualifier and you have to wait another 4 before you can try again...chances are you won't get more than 2 chances to be in your prime before you can no longer compete at that level...not so for HI. Yes IM is brutal to qualify for..but the Olympics is darn near impossible

10 years in a row qualifying is pretty damn impressive. As far as going to the next qualifier for another shot, they are sold out. Its a once or twice a year attempt. As far as the lottery goes, I would never take that route. Bet the 8 years you said no thanks made somone happy a bit further down.

The reason everyone wants to go to the Olympics is it obviously a much much bigger accomplishment. To make a fair comparison, you'd have to limit IMH to 2 or 3 slots from each country (and no age groups) then only hold the race once every 4 years.

It is a great accomplishment for an age grouper to qualify for Kona but don't kid yourself. Olympic level competion in any sport is not just another world, its a completely different galaxy.

It may not be anti-American, but it sure is anti-competition.