Ironman Kona Hawaii Finish Times 2002 to 2012 by Age Group

We've run the numbers on Kona since 2002, our first year qualifying for and racing in Kona, to the present. Highlights of our analysis through the years are below.

Ironman Kona 2012 Results Analysis

Ironman Kona 2011 Results Analysis

Ironman Kona Hawaii 2011 Results Analysis

Ironman Kona 2002 to 2010 Results Analysis

When conditions are tougher than usual in Kona you'd expect to see slower average finish times and higher DNF rates. Even with a consistently best-of-the-best field of triathletes each year, the course and conditions dictate results. Between 2002 and 2010, the race in 2004 stands out as most challenging., while 2010 stands out as the fastest.

In 2004, the winds on the bike were fierce, and the run course felt hotter than a furnace. Not that 2002 or 2003 were no picnic, but in comparison, 2004 featured average finish times on the order of 30 to 45 minutes slower than in other years, and the DNF Rate was a remarkable 9%. By comparison, 2005 and 2006 were among the relatively easier Kona races since 2002.  For more, see our Complete Ironman Kona Hawaii Coverage.

• The average finish time: 11:14

• DNS and DNF rates: 4% each

• Low DNF/ fast finish regression model

• Correlation between bike and run splits

Ironman Kona 2010: Correlation Between Run and Bike Splits

It's the most consistent challenge in all long-distance triathlons: how hard to ride the bike, while still leaving enough in the tank to have a great run. When it comes to balancing the bike and the run, there are four groups: 1. Fast and Balanced; 2. Energy to Spare for a fast run; 3. Left it on the Bike Course; 4. Smooth and Steady for a slow bike and slow run. You want to be #1 or #4.

With the best-of-the-best triathletes racing Kona, a clear majority are in quadrant #1 and #4. Outliers in #2 and #3 were either racing too cautiously or rode too hard and suffered on the run, respectively. Kona's bike/run split correlation is more uniformly positive, compared to other Ironman Triathlon bike/run splits charts (Canada, Louisville, Wisconsin, e.g.).

Chicago Marathon: Number of Runners per Age Group

More than 36,000 runners proudly finished the 2010 Chicago Marathon. Of the finishers, nearly 20,000 were men, more than 16,000 were women. Here's how the 2010 Chicago Marathon finishers were distributed by age group. [Also see Average Finish Times by Age Group and our exclusive Chicago Marathon Coverage]

Women are far more represented in the younger age groups -- notably, the largest group of runners is women aged 25 to 29 --  while the men's age groups are generally equally represented in the under-40 divisions.  But the finish line doesn't ask your age, and it most impressive that hundreds of men and women over 60 are crossing the finish line each year.