Hawaii Slots Ironman Frankfurt
Ironman Frankfurt is a large race and as a championship event comes with 80 age group Kona slots, but competition for them is high. Normally a fast course, but when conditions are as hot as they were at the weekend the pace slows. June has been a tough month for Ironman racing, like Cork the week before DNF rates were exceptional in Frankfurt. Anticipating that the 2020 Vega IRONMAN World Championship will take place as scheduled on October 10 in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii if restrictions on public gatherings due to the Covid-19 pandemic are lifted, IRONMAN announced changes to slot allocations for qualifying events impacted by the coronavirus. Nearly 1,200 athletes completed the race, which serves as a qualifier for both the Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Nice, France and the Ironman World Championship, help annually in Kona. There were 94 slots available — 40 for the 70.3 worlds, and 54 slots for Kona — 24 reserved exclusively for Hawaii residents who finish as the top Aloha.
- Propelled by the fastest bike of the day, Justin Riele took home the top overall honors at the half-Ironman event — also known as Honu — completing the 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike and 13.1-mile run in 4 hours, 14 minutes and 34 seconds.
KOHALA COAST — When Justin Riele spotted a sea turtle cruising below the surface at Hapuna midway through the swim at the Ironman 70.3 Hawaii on Saturday morning, he knew it was a good omen.
It turned out to be that and a little more for Riele’s record-setting race on the Big Island.
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Propelled by the fastest bike of the day, Riele took home the top overall honors at the half-Ironman event — also known as Honu — completing the 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike and 13.1-mile run in 4 hours, 14 minutes and 34 seconds.
“It’s not everyday you get to see a turtle during the swim” said Riele, who set a personal record by almost eight minutes. “Best racing day of my triathlon career so far, for sure. I’m still pretty shocked. Heck of a day.”
Riele’s time was the fastest at the race since it moved to an age-group exclusive event in 2015, eliminating the pro field. Tim Rea’s mark of 4:18:33 in 2016 was the previous best.
“I like this distance and love this course,” Riele said. “You can really lay it all out on the line.”
Riele, a 25-year-old based out of San Francisco, is relatively new to the sport, picking it up just two years ago. He recently started working with a coach and joined the Every Man Jack triathlon team, both of which he said were factors for his stellar showing.
“It’s been a huge motivator for me,” he said. “I think the PR showed that the hard work is paying off.”
Riele’s bike was the highlight of the day, battling through some head wind during the ride to Hawi on the northern half of the Ironman World Championship course.
“I knew if I biked my way into the race I would be in the overall running,” Riele said. “My dad told me at around Mile 12 of the run I had a shot and I just let it rip.”
Kona Slots Ironman Frankfurt
Nearly 1,200 athletes completed the race, which serves as a qualifier for both the Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Nice, France and the Ironman World Championship, help annually in Kona. There were 94 slots available — 40 for the 70.3 worlds, and 54 slots for Kona — 24 reserved exclusively for Hawaii residents who finish as the top Aloha State athlete in their age group.
Riele had already earned a spot in France for the 70.3 championship in September, but thanks to the win, he can book a return ticket to the Big Island for the Kona World Championship race.
“That will be my first full Ironman,” Riele said. “I don’t think a lot of people can say that about Kona. Hopefully I don’t melt on the marathon.”
As it did last year, the event utilized a rolling swim start within the age groups, with a buzzer every five seconds signaling the athletes — who self-seeded based on perceived finishing time — to enter the water.
It’s proven effective to increase safety, reduce anxiety and allow athletes to swim at their own pace. It also opens up the bike segment of the race, reducing drafting.
But what it also does it add some extra anxiety around the end because the first athlete to the finish line isn’t necessarily the top overall finisher, which is usually celebrated by breaking through a banner.
Daniel Stubleski was the first to the Fairmont Orchid’s Honu Pointe, busting through the finishing tape with a time of 4:17:06. He did not have any company for quite some time and he had reason to be comfortable with a maile lei around his neck because his finish also would have broken the barrier as the fastest time since 2015.
However, Stubleski started in the first wave of the day (male 40-44), 25 minutes ahead of Riele, relegating him to second overall. He did still win his age-group by almost 10 minutes, edging John Newsom, a New Zealand athlete who finished seventh overall and won the race in 2017.
Stubleski was still in good spirits post-race.
“How can you not like this race? It’s amazing,” he said, looking at the ocean behind him. “I wanted to swim as fast as I could, bike as fast as I could and then have enough room on the run. The run is what I’m most proud of from this race.”
Much of the run takes place on the Francis H. I’i Brown golf course, which Stubleski — who will race in his seventh Ironman World Championship in October — noted as a scenic route.
“It’s the first time I’ve run on a golf course,” Stubleski said. “It’s so nice. You can just look around and take your mind off running.”
Rounding out the top three on the male side was California’s Brian Mancini (4:21:31).
On the women’s side, South Africa’s Natia Van Heerden took home the title with a time of 4:50:20. She edged Oahu’s Carly Killam, who notched her second consecutive runner-up finish at the event in 4:52:24
Killam faced a similar situation to Stubleski, being first to the finish line but settling for second.
“That’s the thing about this race,” Killam said with a smile. “You never know.”
However, Killam did earn a Kona spot thanks to her stellar time — her second consecutive.
Sarah Cameto was the third female finisher, with a time of 4:55:58.
Wild goes flat, finishes strong
David Wild made no secret about his goals heading into Honu. He wanted to win. And not just his age group, or among Big Islanders — he wanted to win the whole thing.
“That’s what I wanted to do,” Wild said. “I had high hopes and felt really good coming in. No injuries or anything and I was sleeping good all week.”
Wild had reason to believe he could do it. He finished in the top 10 in all four of his previous tries, making in into the top five twice. He recently won his first Lavaman Olympic distance triathlon in March and the stars seemed to be aligning for Wild to reel in another landmark victory.
Wild, a math teach at Konawaena High School, even took the final day off of school to prepare for the race — something that wasn’t easy for him to do.
“It’s super sad,” he said. “I’m going to miss all those kids, but I knew I had to do it to stay focused.”
Wild got the start he wanted to give himself a shot, but around Mile 20 his plans hit a snag. He got a flat.
Wild whipped out his equipment to take care of the issue, admitting that he didn’t even know if some of it worked because he’d only got two flats during a race in his career.
“I stayed unemotional and just followed protocol,” Wild said. “I was able to get through it.”
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Wild got back on the course and started picking off bikers the remainder way and then the run. Despite the flat costing him what he estimated around 10 minutes, Wild clocked a time of 4:35:35. He finished as the top Big Islander and earned a Kona slot.
“I can’t wait to have a beer after this,” he said. “It’s really been a great year.”
Some of the most commonly asked questions about the process and requirements of age group Kona qualification and the statistics I provide on this.
Select a question below to learn more.
How do you qualify for the Ironman World Championship in Kona?+To qualify for the Ironman World Championship you will normally need to place highly in your age group at an Ironman race. Each race will carry a number of qualifying slots for age group athletes which will be allocated across the age groups present on race day. Qualifying slots will be offered to the fastest athletes in each age group following the race through a roll down process.
For example, if you are M40-44 and there are 5 slots on offer for your age group at your race, then placing in the top 5 within your age group would ensure you a slot. Not everyone takes a slot and unclaimed slots are offered to subsequent finishers in finishing order. So, in the example, 6th place might claim a slot if third place doesn't take one.
While Ironman races are the primary method of qualification a handfull of 70.3 events also carry qualifying slots. These include the Hawaii 70.3 and a number of races in China.
You can find a list of qualifying races and access statistics on them from my Kona qualification page.
How many slots are available at each Ironman race?+
The number of slots given to each race varies. Forty slots is the standard offering for the majority of races. There are a few exceptions, most notably regional championships carry 75 slots in the current qualification season. Each race will allocate those slots across their age divisions.
Slot numbers are usually known well in advance, you'll find details on the current allocation of slots on my upcoming races page.
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What age group do I qualify in?+Qualification is based upon your age group at the qualifying race.
As the qualification season overlaps calendar years it's possible to qualify in one age group and then race Kona in another. You always qualify in your current division. If you are M35-39 at your qualifier you compete for M35-39 slots even if you would be M40-44 at the Ironman World Championship.
How many slots are available in my age group?+Every age group present on the start line will receive 1 slot. After that, slots are allocated in proportion to the size of each age group. The method has varied over the years and not always been clear, but currently slots are allocated using the D'Hondt method as I've outlined here.
You can find details n the most recent slot allocations for each age group and on qualification times within those age groups on my Ironman Age Group pages.
How does the roll down process work?+Kona slots are awarded by a roll down process. Starting with the winner of an age group and working back qualifying slots are offered until all the allocated slots have been claimed. If an athlete turns down a slot the opportunity will pass further down the age group.
There is no restriction on how far back a slot can roll. There have been instances where a slot has carried back dozens of places within an age group as nobody was present to claim it.
If an age group has no finishers or no finishers who claim a slot, that slot will pass to another age group within the same gender. This will be the next age group that would have been allocated a slot.
As roll down is unpredictable I don't factor it into the statistics and data I generate on this site. Slot allocations and times assume all slots are claimed.
How do I qualify at an Ironman 70.3 race?+For those Ironman 70.3 races that have Kona slots the qualification process is essentially the same: slots are awarded through a roll down in finishing order within each division. However, athletes cannot accept slots for both the Ironman 70.3 World championship and for Kona. So, if an athlete accepts a 70.3 slot their Kona slot will roll down in their age group.
How fast do I need to be to claim a slot?+How fast depends on a wide range of variables, including, but not limited to:
- The race course. Ironman Austria is a course that always produces fast qualifying times, while Ironman UK will always be a significantly slower course to qualify on.
- Race conditions. Ironman Frankfurt is usually a fast qualifier, but when there's a heatwave qualifying times slow.
- The competition. Ironman Frankfurt is known for drawing a competitive field. Ironman Argentina is more remote and doesn't draw the same competitive strength.
- The number of slots. Typically the biggest age group will have 5 or 6 slots, but a championship race might see some age groups receive 10 or more slots. Pushing further back in the field potentially means slower times and with more slots there's more chance of roll down.
Every race will give a different answer and even when the number of slots and levels of competition are quite consistent it's possible for conditions to throw a curve ball. You can develop a feel for the likely times by looking at past results. My Kona qualification page is a good starting point and can direct you to qualifying statistics for individual age events and age groups.
What's the best race to qualify at?+Aside from the many factors that determine how fast qualification is, there's also the matter of an athlete's strengths, weaknesses and preferences. If they've broadly achieved the level of fitness necessary to have a shot at qualifying there will be a number of suitable races.
Some races may be better than others for qualification, it's just that the differences are small.
If you're looking to determine your best options then downloading and reviewing your age group qualification statistics is a good starting point. Each booklet presents a summary of average qualifying times across all Ironman races and then more detailed statistics for each to give some indication of splits and results history. This can help establish which races are potential qualifiers based on times, then you'll need to research further to determine is the course is suitable. Slow qualifying times don't mean an easy qualifier.
Of course every would-be qualifier is considering the same data as you. A race that looks like a great qualifier in 2019 has the potential to become more competitive in 2020.
If you're still not sure I offer consultancy and bespoke results analysis for race selection. Find out more ⇨
If I can't qualify, how else can I race in Kona?+Ironman Frankfurt Hawaii Slots 2018
There are a number of other ways to get to Kona outside of direct qualification. First and foremost is the Legacy program for athletes who have completed 12 Ironman races and never been to Kona. One hundred such athletes get places at the Ironman world Championship each year.
A handful of slots are auctioned for charity on ebay; if you have sufficient funds you can gain a place on the start line. Or alternately, if you are an executive, you can pay to be part of the Ironman Executive Challenge where you compete against other executive for your own small set of Kona slots.
If you're interested and want to know more about any of my coaching services get in touch below.