Breaking down the numbers

▶ Based on the most recent data, during the 2022/2023 qualifying season, approximately 70,967 people will compete at 47 Ironman events. Of that, 30 per cent (21,143) will be women, 70 per cent (49,824) men. (There are three events which serve as qualifiers for the hand cycle division.)

▶ In a typical year there are 2,598 qualifying slots offered for the Ironman World Championship, which means athletes typically have a 3.7 per cent chance of qualifying.

▶ There will be 17 events offering a total of 1,260 Women for Tri slots for the 2023 Ironman World Championship.

▶ With two days of racing next year, a total of 3,858 qualifying slots are available for the Ironman World Championship.

▶ Thanks to the Women for Tri slots, 58 per cent of the slots allocated for next year’s race will be for women, 42 per cent for men.

▶ That means women will have a 10.6 per cent chance of qualifying for Kona, men will have a 3.2 per cent chance.

▶ A select number of races will offer a much greater chance to qualify for Kona

We’ve done the analysis, based on the latest registration and entry data for Ironman events around the world. With the world opening up more as the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic seem to be easing, these numbers could certainly change. Here’s the story: