RunTri: Ironman Kona 2013 Results Analysis: Finish Times and Splits by Age Group, Comparisons 2009 to 2013, and more

RunTri's Ironman Kona Results Analysis and Photos

by Raymond Britt

Ironman Kona 2013, the 35th anniversary Ironman Triathlon World Championship, was remarkable in several notable measures:

Average Finish Time: 11:06 -- easily the fastest pace since 2009 (why so fast? see our Kona Legacy Lottery Theory)
Splits: swim 1:11; bike 5:35 (at 51%, consistent with our 50% rule); run 4:09; transitions 0:09
Finishers: a record 1,972 (2012 = 1883);
DNF: a lower than average 4.2% -- 1.1% on the bike, 3.1% on the run
Bike vs Run Correlation: notable for a preponderance of faster runs after fast bike splits
Women's Course Record: Mirinda Carfrae's record marathon vs Top 10 Women Finishers

Here's the tale of Ironman Kona 2013 in 13 charts: overall, by age group, by split, by year, by participants, by bike/run correlation, by Geography and by Top 10 finishers by country and age group.

For more, see our complete Ironman Kona Coverage, Qualifying for Kona, Kona Qualifying Race Schedule 2013/2014, our analysis of Top 30 Toughest/Easiest Ironman Events, and the site's archive of more than 200 Stats/Results/Analysis posts.

What could be the reason for these impressive improvements? Weather conditions usually account for most differences. However, the gains were so impressive, we have a different theory:

Beginning in 2012, the Ironman Legacy Lottery reallocated slots 100 (which used to be distributed among all general lottery entrants) to athletes who have completed 12 or more Ironman Triathlons.
Proportion of change in the field: 100 slots is about 5% of finishers
Triathletes with 12 or more Ironman finishes are certain to race more efficiently and faster than a novice.
Impact of 100 Ironman Legacy Lottery Slots: seems to have added most athletes to: M40 +49, M50 +28, M45 +22