Russ Cox is the man with the data when it comes to Kona and 70.3 Worlds qualification. In this episode we discuss the new qualification system announced by Ironman in July 2025, and the implications for athletes wanting to qualify.
HIGHLIGHTS AND KEY TOPICS:
- A detailed view on the inner workings of the new qualification system work
- How do the "Kona standard" and "70.3 standard" (coefficients for normalised age-graded times) work?
- Common misconceptions about the new system
- Pros and cons of the new qualification system
- Fairness
- Are there winners and losers with the new system?
- Implications of the new system for athletes wanting to qualify for Kona or 70.3 Worlds
- Can you predict the time needed to qualify?
- Optimising race selection under the new qualification system
DETAILED EPISODE SHOWNOTES:
- We have detailed shownotes for all of our episodes. The shownotes are basically the podcast episode in written form, that you can read in 5-10 minutes. They are not transcriptions, but they are also not just surface-level overviews. They provide detailed insights and timestamps for each episode, and are great especially for later review, after you've already listened to an episode. Naturally, as great as they are, they do not cover absolutely everything in as great detail as we can do in a 45-90 minute podcast episode.
- The shownotes for today's episode can be found at www.scientifictriathlon.com/tts467/
LINKS AND RESOURCES:
WHAT SHOULD I LISTEN TO NEXT?
If you enjoyed this episode, I think you'll love the following episodes:
You can find our full episode archives here, where you can filter for categories such as Training, Racing, Science & Physiology, Swimming, Cycling, Running etc.
You can also find separate archives for specific series of episodes I've done, specifically Q&A episodes, TTS Thursday episodes, and Beginner Tips episodes.
LEARN MORE ABOUT SCIENTIFIC TRIATHLON:
HOW CAN I SUPPORT THAT TRIATHLON SHOW (FOR FREE)?
I really appreciate you reading this and considering helping the show! If you love the show and want to support it to help ensure it sticks around, there are a few very simple things you can do, at no cost other than a minute of your time.
- Subscribe to the podcast in your podcast app to automatically get all new episodes as they are released.
- Tell your friends, internet and social media friends, acquaintances and triathlon frenemies about the podcast. Word of mouth is the best way to grow the podcast by far!
- Rate and review the podcast (ideally five stars of course!) in your podcast app of choice (Spotify and Apple Podcasts are the biggest and most important ones).
- Share episodes online and on social media. Share your favourite episodes in your Instagram stories, start a discussion about interesting episodes on forums, reference them in your blog or Substack.
SPONSORS:
- Precision Fuel & Hydration help athletes personalise their hydration and fueling strategies for training and racing. Use the free Fuel & Hydration Planner to get personalised plan for your carbohydrate, sodium and fluid intake in your next event. That Triathlon Show listeners get 15% off their first order of fuel and electrolyte products. Simply use this link and the discount will be auto-applied at the checkout.
NEW BASE TRAINING PLANS - 60% LAUNCH DISCOUNT
We have just launched a set of brand new base training plans. There is a low-volume (7 hours per week average), mid-volume (10 h/wk) and high-volume (14 h/wk) version available.
For a limited time only, until the 31st of August 2025, these plans are available on a massive discount of 60%, meaning you can purchase a plan for 30$ instead of the regular price of 75$. Use the code "BASE1" at checkout to apply this discount code.
The plans are only available on TrainingPeaks. You can learn more about each of the plans (and purchase them, if you so desire) through the links below.
