Ironman Lake Placid 2010 Photos

Here's how we saw the race. Samples below; set of more than 200 photos at Ironman Lake Placid 2010 by Raymond Britt.

Ironman Races in 2010 and Kona Slots Per Race

[Also see Ironman Races 2011-2012 and Kona Slots per Race]

Each year, more than 50,000 triathletes compete in races all over the world hoping to earn one of roughly 1800 golden opportunities of a lifetime: the right to race with the best in the world in Kona.

The allocation of those 1800 slots is roughly as follows:

• 1500 slots earned at qualifying races (see estimates below)
• 200 awarded in an official Ironman lottery held each Spring; thousands apply; see www.ironman.com for details and registration
• The rest go to previous Kona winners, last year’s Kona age group winners, NBC broadcast subjects, sponsor and manufacturer representatives.

Other than trying your luck – against very long odds --at the lottery, if you want to go to Kona, you need to qualify. An overview of the qualifying slot distribution process:

• The 1500 slots are allocated among 25 Ironman qualifying races and Ironman 70.3 California
• The slots each race gets (e.g., Wisconsin = 72 slots) are allocated among age-group divisions and pros (e.g., M45-49 age group gets 6 slots)
• The slots in each race’s age-group division are reserved for the top finishers (e.g., the top 6 finishers in M45-49 are entitled to take a slot)
• It may happen that some athletes will choose to not accept a slot they earned for some reason; any slots not accepted ‘roll down’ to the next finisher(s) who also have the option to accept or pass on the slot.
• The ‘Roll Down’ process continues until all slots are taken
• Note: see official race rules for details and timing

Ironman Lake Placid: Finishers and DNFs by Race Division

Only 5% of the field did not finish the 2010 Ironman Lake Placid. Women in most age groups were more likely to drop out. Still, the number of DNFs is relatively low, compared with most Ironman races. Very favorable conditions certainly encouraged triathletes to push on to the finish. For more analysis, return to our exclusive Ironman Lake Placid coverage.