Qualify for Ironman Kona Hawaii: Qualifying Times, Slots, Races, Analysis, Motivation, and Advice

By Raymond Britt -- It requires tremendous commitment and determination to qualify for Kona. More than 60,000 triathletes try each year, but only about 2000+ win coveted Kona Slots (1600+ qualifiers, plus lottery winners, etc.).  We know what it takes; we've qualified for Kona three times. Kona is everything you expect and more. It takes hard work to get there, but it's worth it. 

Here's what you need to know, qualifying times, slots, races, analysis, training and racing tips and more. Contents here include excerpts from the book Qualifying for Kona. 




Also see our analysis of how allocations by race have changed over time: Kona Qualifying Events 2005 vs 2012.

For a high-level overview, we first defined the range of 2010 (2011 will be published soon) Kona Qualifying Times across all 25 Ironman events. Below are the fastest, average and slowest qualifying times by division. These represent the best times, selected from many different races.  



Kona Qualifying Times and Slots by Division, for Each Ironman Race: 2010 Season

Here are the details, the last qualifying times for each division, for each race. 

Qualifying Times 2010

Qualifying Slots 2010 illustrates how slots are allocated within each race.

Note that slot allocation is finalized race by race, usually within 24 hours of start time. Check your race website for details.

Age Group Slot Allocation Charts


 

Kona Lottery Winners 2011