I understand that last year the top 16 in each age at the Nationals in Shreveport have qualified for the world championships. Does anyone know if it will it be the same this year or will only the top 6 finishers qualify for the worlds?
Here’s what it says on the USA Triathlon website but it’s still not clear to me:
"The 2004 and 2005 U.S. Age Group National Championships will be the qualifiers for the 2005 ITU Age Group Triathlon World Championships in Honolulu, Hawaii, tentatively scheduled for Oct. 10, 2005.
The 2004 Age Group National Championships will qualify six people per age group for the 2005 world championships. The 2005 Age Group National Championships will qualify 10 people per age gorup."
In 2005 the top ten in each AG go unless they qualified in 04. then the slots will roll down.
I’ve qualified and raced in both triathlon and duathlon worlds. If you qualify go, it’s an awesome experience.
It’s all confusing becasue the 2004 AG Worl Championship race is so early this year, (1st week of May in Madiera), because of the Olympics in Athens, (or will they go to Sidney again???). This meant, (for Canadians, and probably Americans), that the 2003 National AG championship was a qualifier for the 2003 Worlds in NZ, and the 2004 Worlds in Madiera. Because Madeira is in May, it’s not reasonable to hold a national championship early enough to give the Northerners a chance to qualify fairly, and to book travel and all that stuff.
So now they have to keep some incentive for the 2004 Nationals. They can’t give qualifying slots to the 2004 worlds, b’cause it’s after the fact. So some of the slots for the 2005 worlds will be earned in 2004. The reaminder will be earned in 2005.
What nobody in triathlon Canada has been able to explain to me is how they will handle the Age Group change. My father will race as a 74 year old in Kamloops, but will be 75 for the 2005 worlds. Does that mean he has earn his slot against guys that won’t be in his age group in 2005???
And why are the 2005 elite world championships a separate event from the AG championships. I think it is really cool that the AG and Elites are at the same event at the same time on the same course for Madiera.