Last updated 22 Nov 2023

There are several ways for triathletes to qualify for the Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii, or Nice, France:

1. Do well in an Ironman Qualifying Race: Athletes can qualify for Kona by finishing in one of the top spots in their age group at one of the designated Ironman qualifying races held throughout the year.

These races award a certain number of Kona slots to the top finishers in each age group.

Tip: Look for races that have extra slots for your age and or gender. For example, if you’re a woman, your chances have improved as in 2023 Ironman opened up more spots.

2. Try your luck at rolldown: Even if you don’t finish top of your age group, you can still go to the rolldown ceremony where the spots are announced (and sold!) to try your luck.

If there are three slots for your age group, for example, and you finished fourth, all you need is one of the three athlets ahead of you to not take his or her slot, and that third one rolls down to you.

I’ve seen it roll down quite far in some races.

Tip: Compete in a race towards the end of the season when all the faster athletes have taken most of the World Champs slots. This will mean there will be a higher chance for more rolling down.

3. Come close to qualifying in an earlier race: What? You mean even if you don’t qualify you can…qualify?

Yep, Ironman may extend the number of slots they allocate to more athletes after a race is long over.

In fact, I received an invite months after my race, and I was quite far from being a qualifier. I think Ironman was desperate to fill spots.

4. Win Your Age Group at Hawaii 70.3: Although only a 70.3, this race gives out a total of 45 Kona slots out to its age group winners.

Sounds a lot easier than earning it from a full, but I bet it’s competitive!

5. Be a Resident of Hawaii: If you raced the Hawaii 70.3 and didn’t get a slot, simply being a resident of the 50th state will entitle you to a drawing where you can win one of 26 slots.

Tip: Move to Hawaii 😅

6. Go via the Legacy Program: Athletes who have completed a certain number of Ironman races – 12 to be exact – are eligible for a slot to the World Championship race.

7. Bid for a Bib: If you’re willing to bid $25k you may have a chance. Ironman Foundation’s annual Charity Bib Auctions are held each April, and benefit the non-profit.

Along with entry to the race, the winner receives two Silver VIP passes and exclusive activities before the race.

Over the last 20 years, the World Championship Charity Bib Auction has raised more than $3 million supporting organizations like Hospice of Kona, St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital, and many more.

8. Get Special Entry: Athletes who are unable to qualify through the above methods may be given a special entry into the World Championship under certain criteria like being a professional athlete, humanitarian reasons, medical hardship and etc.

That said, most pros have to qualify the same way age-groupers do.

I remember in St. George 70.3 World Championships meeting an athlete from Afghanistan. She was admitted via special entry.

The number of slots available at each Ironman qualifying race varies and can depend on the total number of athletes competing and the size of the field in each age group.

Here is the Ironman’s 2023 breakdown of how many slots they’ve allocated:

EVENT	RACE DATE	LOCATION	MALE SLOTS – NICE 2023	FEMALE SLOTS – KONA 2023
IRONMAN Argentina	December 4, 2022	Mar del Plata, Argentina	29	11
IRONMAN Western Australia	December 4, 2022	Busselton, WA, Australia	40	65
IRONMAN 70.3 Western Australia	December 4, 2022	Busselton, WA, Australia	1 (Hand Cycle Slot)	1 (Hand Cycle Slot)
IRONMAN New Zealand	December 10, 2022	Taupō, Waikato, New Zealand	40	25
IRONMAN New Zealand	March 4, 2023	Taupō, Waikato, New Zealand	50	50
IRONMAN South Africa – African Championship	March 5, 2023	Nelson Mandela Bay, Port Elizabeth, South Africa	75	65
IRONMAN Texas- The Americas Championship	April 22, 2023	The Woodlands, Texas, USA	100	100
IRONMAN Australia	May 7, 2023	Port Macquarie, NSW, Australia	50	50
IRONMAN Lanzarote	May 20, 2023	Lanzarote, Canary Islands	50	25
IRONMAN Tulsa	May 21, 2023	Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA	35	35
IRONMAN Brazil	May 28, 2023	Florianopolis, Brazil	40	40
IRONMAN 70.3 Hawaii	June 3, 2023	Kohala Coast, Hawai`i, USA	12	(52 Age group/13 Hawaiì Resident) Total: 65
IRONMAN Hamburg	June 4, 2023	Hamburg, Germany	175	80
IRONMAN Philippines	June 11, 2023	Subic Bay, Philippines	50	25
IRONMAN 70.3 Eagleman	June 11, 2023	Cambridge, Maryland	1 (Hand Cycle Slot)	1 (Hand Cycle Slot)
IRONMAN Cairns- Asia-Pacific Championship	June 18, 2023	Cairns, QLD, Australia	75	75
IRONMAN Kärnten-Klagenfurt	June 18, 2023	Klagenfurt, Austria	175	50
IRONMAN 70.3 Luxembourg	June 18, 2023	Region Moselle, Luxembourg	2 (Hand Cycle Slots)	1 (Hand Cycle Slots)
IRONMAN France	June 25, 2023	Nice, France	200	50
IRONMAN Coeur d’Alene	June 25, 2023	Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, USA	65	115
IRONMAN European Championship Frankfurt	July 2, 2023	Frankfurt, Germany	200	50
IRONMAN UK	July 2, 2023	Bolton, England	100	65
IRONMAN Kazakhstan	July 2, 2023	Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan	50	25
IRONMAN Switzerland	July 9, 2023	Thun, Switzerland	75	35
IRONMAN Vitoria-Gasteiz	July 16, 2023	Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain	100	50
IRONMAN Lake Placid	July 23, 2023	Lake Placid, New York, USA	65	100
IRONMAN Tallinn	August 5, 2023	Tallinn, Estonia	2024 Slots Only	25
IRONMAN Gdynia	August 6, 2023	Gdynia, Poland	2024 Slots Only	25
IRONMAN Kalmar	August 19, 2023	Kalmar, Sweden	2024 Slots Only	75
IRONMAN Ireland	August 20, 2023	Youghal/Cork, Ireland	2024 Slots Only	50
IRONMAN Mont Tremblant	August 20, 2023	Mont-Tremblant, Quebec, Canada	2024 Slots Only	100
IRONMAN Copenhagen	August 20, 2023	Copenhagen, Denmark	2024 Slots Only	50

So, a race with more spots could give you a better chance of qualifying.

But perhaps more critical is the number of spots allocated per age group, and this varies proportionate to the number of athletes competing in each age group.

Each age group gets at least 1 slot. Usually, the oldest age groups just have 1.

The biggest age groups, like 40-44, will have the greatest number of World Champs spots allocated to them. But of course, they’re the most competitive.

The number of slots awarded is also based on the time of the winner of the age group and the time difference between the winner and the last slot, so the field could be small and tight or big and generous.

Ironman isn’t very transparent about how many slots they offer per age group, but the table below (credit goes to Coach Cox) shows indicative allocations, by gender, age group, and region.

This is based on a race offering 80 slots, so one offering more would obviously have higher figures, but the proportions should be about the same.

	North America	Europe	Africa	Australia / Asia
F18-24	1	1	1	1
F25-29	2	1	2	2
F30-34	3	2	3	3
F35-39	3	2	3	3
F40-44	4	2	3	3
F45-49	3	2	2	2
F50-54	3	1	2	2
F55-59	2	1	1	1
F60-64	1	1	1	1
F65-69	1		1	1
F70-74		1
M18-24	1	1	1	1
M25-29	3	3	5	3
M30-34	6	7	9	7
M35-39	9	11	11	10
M40-44	11	13	11	11
M45-49	11	13	10	10
M50-54	7	9	6	8
M55-59	4	4	4	4
M60-64	2	2	2	2
M65-69	1	1	1	2
M70-74	1	1	1	1
M75-79	1	1		1
M80-84				1

Additionally, the rolldown process and the Ironman Lottery also limit the number of spots available.

In general, the chance to qualify for Kona or Nice is less than 10% for most age groupers, and for most of the IMQ events, it is less than 5%. That said, many triathletes consider the journey of training and competing in an Ironman event to be its own reward, regardless of whether they qualify for or not.

It’s also worth noting that even among professional athletes, it is not a guarantee to qualify for Kona, as it depends on their performance on that specific race day and how many slots available in their professional category.

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6 Tips on Qualifying for the 70.3 World Champs