Kona Qualifying Races: How 2012 Season Compares with 2005

The number of ironman events offering Kona slots seems to change each year, as do the number of slots offered by many races. For a comprehensive look, we compared ironman races offering Kona slots in 2005 and 2012. (also see our detailed analysis of 2011 and 2012 Kona Qualifying Slots per Race)

In 2005, 27 events (19 Ironman races, 8 half ironman races) offered 1500 slots, a total that allocated approximately 75 slots to pro athletes. In 2012, it is estimated that 35 events (28 Ironman and 7 half Ironman) will offer 1662 slots, not including about 85 pro slots that are allocated separately. 

For more, see our Complete Ironman Kona Coverage.

Chicago Triathlon 2012 Results Analysis

Congratulations to the more than 3000 triathletes who finished the 2012 Chicago Triathlon in an average time of 3:09.  We've run the numbers overall,  by split, by age group and by year. Results are below. 

Also see Our Complete Chicago Triathlon Coverage and our portfolio of 2012 Race Photos. For more, see our Comprehensive Stats/Results/Analysis page with links to our more than 200 race analysis posts. For everything else, see our Home Page/Index.

The 2012 result was 6 minutes faster than 2011's 3:15 average finish time, but it appears that nearly the entire difference occurred in the Monroe Harbor swim. The even faster 3:06 average time in 2009 was achieved with a 3-4 minute advantage on the 10k run; better run times usually are an indicator of cooler weather conditions.

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Ironman 70.3 World Championship 2012 Results Analysis

After battling extreme heat on the bike and run courses, 1,674 triathletes (after 17% DNS and 7% DNF) finished the 2012 Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Las Vegas with an average time of 5 hours, 44 minutes. Conditions on the bike course were apparently particularly challenging, as evidenced by a relatively slow 2:57 average time, but athletes seemed to find extra energy on the run course, with an average 2:03 run split.

After battling