All World Athlete, or AWA status is an accolade given to Ironman athletes each year. It comes with a digital certificate, an aluminum bag tag, stickers, and express check-in queues at events.
To achieve “All World Athlete” status in Ironman racing, you need to accumulate points by competing in Ironman and Ironman 70.3 races throughout the calendar year (January 1 to December 31). The number of points you earn will determine your ranking and status.
Here are the basic steps to achieving All World Athlete status:
- Register for Ironman or Ironman 70.3 races that are designated as qualifying events for All World Athlete status.
- Finish the race within the designated time limit.
- Earn points based on your finishing time and the size and competitiveness of the field.
- Accumulate enough points to achieve All World Athlete status, which requires finishing in the top 10% of your age group.
- Maintain your ranking throughout the year by continuing to participate in qualifying races and earning more points.
17% of athletes worldwide earn AWA status.
The top 2% of athletes in each age group will earn Gold status, the next 5% will earn Silver status, and the next 10% will earn Bronze status. All World Athlete status is awarded for a 12-month period and resets each year.
The exact number of points required to achieve All World Athlete status varies depending on the competitiveness of the age group and the number of participants in each race. However, the general rule is that the top 10% of finishers in each age group will earn All World Athlete status.
You can track your progress and see where you stand on the All World Athlete leaderboard, which is updated after each qualifying race. Read more on the Ironman website here.
The cynic would say that the AWA program is about who can spend more money racing more.
Because unless you’re very fast and competitive, you’ll need three races to reach AWA status. This means you have to do three races in a year, which is a decent time and financial commitment.
But if you can do four, five, or six, your races with the fewest points will get thrown out, pushing you up the rankings.
Still, you have to finish relatively well to achieve AWA status – but your odds go way up if you do many races throughout the year.
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