Let’s talk facts—not feelings. I was the female athlete who received the sole age-graded performance slot at IRONMAN Maryland. If I hadn’t earned it, that would’ve been on me. If I had bonked, that slot would’ve gone to a male. Should I argue that he doesn’t deserve it? Of course not. We earn it by how we race, not by what we wish had happened.
IRONMAN is doing its due diligence with the new slot allocation system, whether everyone wants to agree or not. The coveted Kona slots are being awarded based on performance, starting with age group winners. If there are unclaimed or unallocated slots (such as when certain AGs have no finishers), those roll down into a larger age-graded performance pool. From there, it’s anyone’s game.
Take IRONMAN Maryland as the example. There were 22 age group (AG) slots awarded to top AG finishers. That brought the total number of awarded slots from 55 down to 33 after AG winners were accounted for. The remaining slots were then distributed based purely on age-graded performance, regardless of gender. This isn’t a quota system. That part already happened with the AG slots. Once it moves to age-graded rankings, it’s no longer about age or gender—it’s about performance.
By the way, the AG slots for women accounted for just under 20%—the same percentage of the total field that showed up to race. That’s not discrimination or favoritism—that’s proportional representation based on actual participation. And that is what we hope will be reflected in Kona in 2026, that the percentage of women present reflects the percentage of women who raced in the calendar year.
And here’s a theory—just a theory, yet to be proven: With 2025 being the final year of the women-only Kona event, we haven’t yet seen the full return of that pool of female athletes into the regular co-ed count. Once they’re back in the mix, I believe we’ll start seeing more women ranking even higher in the age-graded results. Performance drives results—and those women will be coming in hungry.
And in Maryland, the last age-graded slot went to athlete #55 or 56 (cannot remember). The guy just behind this last slot, who missed a Kona spot, that’s the guy who should feel disappointed. But is he here complaining or justifying? No. He’s likely out there asking himself the hard questions: Should I have walked that aid station? Did I spend too long in transition? Could I have skipped fixing my goggles? That’s the mindset. That’s what this sport is about, owning the outcome. And maybe this new allocation process will help curb the massive pelotons on the bike course—because now, the athlete you’re sitting behind or pulling for miles might be the one who takes your Kona slot.
In fact, I wish IRONMAN would consider removing the age and gender fields when displaying the age-graded results, just show bib number, finish time, and age-graded time. Because at that point, that’s all that matters. We’re no longer comparing men vs. women—we’re comparing athletes. Period.
This is not the NBA vs. WNBA. It’s not men’s tennis vs. women’s tennis. This is IRONMAN. We all race the same course, on the same day, under the same conditions.
So when a woman earns an age-graded slot beyond the AG winner pool, it’s not a threat or a fluke—it’s damn impressive. And next time the sea of green caps lines up in the water, I hope every athlete—man or woman—glances around and sees a pink cap and thinks, “That could be my competition.” Because that, ladies and gentlemen, is exactly how it should be. And to the women out there: that’s freaking awesome.
And yes, I know someone out there is thinking, “Would you still feel this way if you missed the slot?” The answer is: absolutely. We don’t wake up before sunrise to train, sacrifice time with our families, or push our limits just to be handed an “atta boy” or “good effort” or to be tiptoed around and handed extra slots just because we’re women. We show up to race hard and earn it—no exceptions.
Race hard. Race fair. Celebrate others.