Stop the Central Planning: How to Fix Kona Qualification

Triathlon Forum
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Originally published at: Stop the Central Planning: How to Fix Kona Qualification - Slowtwitch News

Last year I wrote an article here on Slowtwitch advocating for a single day of racing in Kona, where men and women could race together. That was the right position then (for the reasons I gave), and it continues to be the right decision now. IRONMAN agreed with me.

But…

Like the central planners of some erstwhile people’s republic, IRONMAN screwed up the implementation, trying to come up with formulas and figures to determine which racers at IRONMAN races (I’ll leave the IRONMAN 70.3 races for another day) qualify for the world championship in Kona each year.

You can read all about the past history and Ironman’s rationale for change.

Because of this system, we are now faced with the statistically correct, but optically terrible, reality of women who finish in the top-10 overall missing out on qualification for Kona, while a bunch of fast, middle-aged, men waltz in to the big dance. It is even true, had they not won their age group, that many women, under the new central-planning-committee regime, would not have qualified for the new Kona Standard pool, even with their age-group winning time. I did the math.

IRONMAN’s answer? Another (central) committee?

Dear IRONMAN. Let’s stop the complicated calculations and get to some reality. Women shouldn’t have to compete against men. Age-group athletes shouldn’t have to compete against those in other age groups. Here is a very simple fix.

The Kona Qualification Standard (Suggested)

Each age group, both men and women, will get three slots. The top-three finishers in each age group will get first dibs, and these slots will roll down until taken. The slots won’t roll over to other age groups. The slots won’t go from women to men. Each age group, either male or female, will only race against the members of that age group. Nothing could be more fair.

There are 40 IRONMAN races each year. There are 13 age groups, per race, for men and women (though, sometimes there are a couple fewer for the women). If all slots are given, this would lead to approximately 3,100 athletes racing on a single day in Kona. But, with fewer age groups for women, and the fact that not all slots are taken, we are likely talking about 2,800 slots per year. Equal slots for men and women. Age-group athletes racing against their peers, in their own age group.

IRONMAN should stop trying to manage outcomes with formulas and handicaps. They should get back to the business of running great races and attracting (back) the numbers of racers we all want, women and men, to make IRONMAN racing great.

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way to down play others performances. ouch!!!

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You really needed to create yet another I have a better way to do it thread bc your insights are so much better than the 10000000000s of other posts on this topic?

You mean “while a bunch of fast, middle-aged, men SPRINT THEIR ASSES OFF in to the big dance.” Nothing waltzy about the men who are qualifying.

Pure clown article, offensive on so many levels.

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frankly this is an awful idea.

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lets lower the basketball hoop depending on which player has the ball.

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I like it, I like maintaining the slots within the AG and not leaving for other AG’s or genders.

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That’s the old method .

If you give 3 slots to 70 -74 and 18-24 you give 12 kona slots to 36 -56 total participants yet the mens age group with 300-400 gets only 3 .

Why would Ironman do this to their core customer.

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Which I liked the best. :slight_smile:

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This suggests 3 per age group no matter the numbers per age group.

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No, I get it, it would be a huge problem for the biggest AG’s.

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This “very simple fix” is so simple, facile even, that it should be added to the great discussion in the ‘main’ thread, rather than standing on it’s own. Maybe the author @admin doesn’t engage in forum chat. I’m sure they’d get some useful feedback.

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And judging by the replies we know who the 50 to 59 year olds are here on Slowtwitch, :laughing:.

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As a 57 year old I say give us less slots! You know how I approach a qualifying Ironman? I’m winning my AG at this motherfucker, suck it performance pool bitches! :slight_smile:

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That would mean like 2x120 70 year olds on Kona. Ironretirees. Fun times.

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Yup and we now know what website Feisty is now sponsoring.

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Full transparency i am also in the pool of 50 to 54 but I would be good knowing there’s 3 slots instead of wondering until everybody finishes the race.

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I have no problem with going back to the old way. But let’s not shit on the fast ass men who are earning their spot when comparing them to women who are finishing far far far far back of the winners of their age groups. I wish I could waltz anywhere near as fast as those men are racing, it’s damn impressive.

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Stop the central planning and get rid of the math nerds! Anywho here’s my central plan and the math behind it…

This is the dumbest plan I’ve seen yet. And that’s really saying something.

  • ~Everyone 70+ gets to go to Kona just by finishing
  • ~1-2% of the core customer base gets to go to Kona

Nothing could be more fair.

Oh and let’s also overbook Kona like an airline, and cross our fingers that we guessed right. What could go wrong? If only we hadn’t kicked out the stats nerds, they might have been helpful for that part…

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There’s just not that many 70 year olds who race IM (and likely take slots).

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And then proceeds to propose a system that restricts KQ to top 3 AG, which would have sent IM Copenhagen bib #107 (4th overall and 4th AG) home empty handed, whereas the new system recognized her as top-10 in the whole race age-graded and she got a slot.

A perfect example of the new system delivering as promised – 4 objectively badass women show up in a single AG? They can all get slots now.

Sometimes I’m not sure if “slow twitch” refers to muscle fibers or neurons.

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