Half Ironman: How Many Athletes Sign up for a Triathlon?

In the last year, 67,500 triathletes registered to compete in 40 of the world's best half ironman distance events, or about 1700 per race, on average. But there are significant differences; 3000+ registered for a half ironman race in Augusta, Georgia; less than 150 signed up for the race in China.

The next question: how many actually start and finish a half ironman triathlon? More than 15% for most events. See our analysis here.

Sold Out Ironman Races: How Many Choose Not to Race?

Most north American Ironman races sell out on the first day of registration. After that, several hundred enter sold out races via a Foundation Entry, which double the fee, with 50% going to Ironman Foundation charities. With all the demand to enter these races, it's remarkable that hundreds ultimately will never reach the starting line.

Of those who do start a north American Ironman, about 95% finish. The exceptions in 2010 were Louisville and St. George, where several hundred triathletes did not reach the finish line.

Ironman Cozumel Results Analysis

The average finish time for all triathletes in Ironman Cozumel was 12 hours, 40 minutes, a 31 minute improvement compared to the 2009 race. Most age groups experienced faster average times, as well.

Almost the entire differential came from a 30 minute bike split gain, to an average time of 6:06; the swim was slower by 4 minutes, the run faster by about the same amount. Individual race results can be found at ironmancozumel.com