I wish had your ambition when I was 22! IMO, do the full IM next year as a qualifier. Rumors abound that IMNA will not give slots at half IMs next year. Also get some half IM in this year to dial in your race pace.

Dreams without goals is wasted time. Train right (correctly) now since you young pups can recover quicker. Watch out though 20-25 AG is tough!

Train hard- You've got a great goal, but you're gonna have to train hard.

Here's the reality of the age groups 20-24, 25-29, and 30-34, and even 35-39. THESE GUYS BEAT THE PRO'S. At a 1/2IM IQ, you MUST be able to do a 2:10-2:15 bike on a flat course like Blackwater, and then run a 1:20-1:22. There is no way around it. Every year there is a new stud who dominates (See Blackwater and Ryan Jones, m20-24,- he's on my team and OUTBIKED TIM DEBOOM).

People who get slots in these age-groups at a full IM are doing a sub-1 hour swim, 5:15-5:30 on the bike, and a 3:15-3:30 on the run.

You are strong in the numbers you posted, and those are great times. Be happy, b/c that puts you into a competitor in the age groups for most races. However, when you make a race IM or a IQ, the gloves come off, and people come from everywhere hungry for a slot-

It's a dog eat dog world, and all those racers have milkbone underwear!

Hope this gives you an idea of where people are at in the AG. GOOD LUCK! I hope you make it! It's a dream I hope comes true.

Good luck!

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http://www.reathcon.com

I am not what you might call an "experienced IM competetor", however, I was (am still) in your shoes, so to speek. I have never raced further than a sprint triathlon. I have never done a pure road race over 5K. I have never done a pure cycle race at all. And, while I am a good swimmer, the only pure swim event I've ever been in--since highschool--is a 5 mile open water swim last summer.

That being said, in December 2002 I signed up for IM Brazil 2003. Basically I thought, "what the hell, we only live once...may as well live all the way." I believe my comitment level and training regimine were sound. As one of the other responders said, you have to go sub 1:00 on the swim--I went :55 (top 20 overall). You have to go sub 5:15 on the bike--I went 5:30 (top 70 overall). You have to go sub 3:30 on the run--I went 3:45 (finished "runner-up" to qualifying for Kona). The only thing I lacked was LUCK. Some might call it experience, but I call it luck of the draw to have been that good and not make the cut.

So, to you I say go for the IM qualifier. Don't hold back. Don't leave anything to chance...except luck.