Slot Ironman

This year (2012), more than 100,000 triathletes will compete in 37 Ironman events across the globe, many of them hoping to earn one of an estimated 2,150 coveted Ironman Kona Triathlon World Championship Slots.

The Iron Man slot forms part of Playtech's Marvel slots series which are - to be honest - raising the bar for online slot games. Well some of them anway. Like the excellent Hulk slot, the graphics are stunning and Iron Man also features stacked wilds and a free spins bonus. Don't they all these days? Win a Race Slot to the Ironman Championship Each year we offer a chance for attendees to enter a drawing to win a chance for a race slot for the following year's Ironman World Championship.

Qualify for Kona (or win the lottery) and you earn the right to race with the best triathletes in the world. We've conducted extensive research to assemble what is perhaps the only comprehensive listing of estimated Kona qualifying slots on the web.

Want to go to Kona? Here's where you want to start. Be aware that WTC, owner of Ironman, often adds new events with additional slots (e.g., Cairns, Sweden), and occasionally subtracts slots from existing races, sometimes without notice.

[Also see our comprehensive analysis of Kona Qualifying Slots and Times by Ironman Race and Age Group]

(Also see how races offering slots have changed over time: Kona Qualifying Events 2005 vs 2012)

Slot Romance

Lottery: 250 Slots. About 250 slots are distributed by 5 lotteries:

• 5 for physically challenged
• 24 for residents of the Big Island, Hawaii
• 20 for Hawaii state residents, not including Big Island

If you are selected in the lottery, you must validate that entry by completing a WTC-owned Ironman or Ironman 70.3 event within an established timeframe. We have not come across information regarding a 2012 lottery process as of mid-August.

Pro Division: 85 Slots. Beginning in 2011, pros earn Kona slots via a pro ranking system. Approximately 85 slots are expected to be awarded to pros this year. Additionally, pros who have won the Ironman World Championship within the previous 5 years are automatically granted entry.

Slot Ironman Championship

Ironman Executive Challenge (XC): 25 Slots. Select business executives (roughly 12 to 16 per race) compete with age groupers in one of several Ironman or Ironman 70.3 races for the chance of winning Kona slots specifically reserved for the executives. In the 2011 season, Ironman XC included Ironman events in Arizona, Coeur d'Alene, Florida, Germany, and Louisville (typically 3 or 4 slots per race), and Ironman 70.3 events in California, Mallorca, New Orleans and Switzerland (1 slot per Ironman 70.3 event).
Other than trying your luck – against very long odds -- at the lottery (we estimate 7,500 enter the lottery), if you want to go to Kona, you need to qualify. An overview of the qualifying slot distribution process in 2011:

Slot Ironman Nice

• The 1500+ race slots are allocated among 27 Ironman qualifying races and 6 Ironman 70.3 events (was 5, but 30 Ironman China slots were awarded to Ironman 70.3 Philippines), as shown above, race by race
• The slots each race gets (e.g., Wisconsin = 65 slots) are allocated among age-group divisions
• Each age group in a race gets one slot; the rest are allocated based on number of participants per age group (e.g., if 20% of athletes are M30-34, that AG gets 20% of the remaining slots)
• The slots in each race’s age-group division are reserved for the top finishers (e.g., the top 6 finishers in M45-49 are entitled to take a slot)
• It may happen that some athletes will choose to not accept a slot they earned for some reason; any slots not accepted ‘roll down’ to the next finisher(s) who also have the option to accept or pass on the slot.
• The ‘Roll Down’ process continues until all slots are taken

See official race rules for details and timing. It's very important to know who, where, when and how much, if you've qualified or have a shot at a rolldown.

Iron Man Slot Machine

Slot Ironman 70.3

Anticipating that the 2020 Vega IRONMAN World Championship will take place as scheduled on October 10 in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii if restrictions on public gatherings due to the Covid-19 pandemic are lifted, IRONMAN announced changes to slot allocations for qualifying events impacted by the coronavirus.
To start with, the qualifying window for 2020 World Championship has been extended from August 23 to August 30. Thus the 2020 editions of IRONMAN Canada-Penticton (August 30), IRONMAN Kazakhstan (August 23) and IRONMAM Vichy (August 23) will offer 60 qualification slots apiece to the World Championship in addition to the qualifying slots they offer for the 2021 IRONMAN World Championship.
IRONMAN races that have been postponed from an earlier date in the 2020 season and are rescheduled to take place on or before August 30 will remain in the 2020 IRONMAN World Championship qualifying season. Events that have been postponed to take place after August 30 will be added to the 2021 IRONMAN World Championship qualifying season.
In addition, the IRONMAN World Championship Legacy Program has been allocated more slots for the 2020 event. IRONMAN announced that “every eligible waitlisted Legacy athlete [will have] the ability to race the 2020 IRONMAN World Championship.”
IRONMAN specified that Legacy athletes who accept their slots will participate in the Kukui division of the 2020 IRONMAN World Championship. IRONMAN added that this invitation is valid for 2020 only and may not be deferred to another year.
A Slowtwitch reader placed on the Slowtwitch Forum his notification of a Legacy invite, and asked Ironman about the refund policy if the 2020 Kona race is canceled. He is awaiting an answer.
The Legacy program is one of four ways to qualify for Kona. They also include: Earning a slot at one of the full distance qualifiers, winning an entry at the IRONMAN Lottery Program, purchasing an entry through the IRONMAN Foundation’s charitable eBay Auction.
To be eligible for the Legacy Program, athletes must have completed a minimum of 12 full-distance IRONMAN branded races in their career, have never started the IRONMAN World Championship, have completed at least one full-distance IRONMAN event in each of the last two years, and be registered for a full-distance IRONMAN event in the current year.