This has been announced for Dec 2022 - https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU2008/S00035/2022-ironman-703-world-championship-coming-to-taupo-new-zealand.htm
What are realistic qualification times for this, given travel for the race and roll-down?
I’m light years away but I have a lot of family in NZ and would love to go and see them. To go and race would be incredible.
When would be the latest to qualify? Next Dec?
If Nice is anything to go by, that race in early September was still having qualifying races with slots for Nice through to about July last year. For Kona in October, the early August races are normally slots for that year.
So two options as I see it. They stick with the normal 70.3 worlds cut off, so as not to create a “short season” for the 2023 event, in which case you’d be looking at events up to July 2022. Or they extend the window to reflect the December race date, in which case you could be looking at all events up to October time.
A couple of years ago some 70.3 events were offering slots for 2 finals, one that year and one the year after. Edinburgh rings a bell.
As for the standard required, I would imagine if you choose the right European qualifier you could get a slot by turning up to the roll-down party - if they have them anymore.
For Taupo 2020 qualification dates were the same as Nice 2019, the date of the race didn’t matter so as to create the same season every year. Think last races were end of July, maybe first week of August.
And yes I’d imagine lots of races from all of Europe will have plenty of rolldowns
Pretty much what is said above. The only spanner would be if St George 21 doesn’t go ahead.
And for most European races turn up and you’ll likely get a slot given the distance and costs. (this isn’t a slur on your racing ability BTW!) Also not sure what age group you are in. M40 upwards might have slightly shorter roll-downs.
@Chriswim is this off your radar now?
I’m 42 now and slow AF. My best 70.3 has been a 5:03 but it was a long time ago when I always blew my stack on the bike and cramped on the run.
Can swim a 31-33
Have biked a 2:35 in the past
Need to get my run sorted as my PB of 1:33 (standalone) was a long time ago.
My current run is shocking but I’ve had a year of virtually zero running and am only just working my way back.
2 year plan to get close to a 4:30.
If you can do a 5:03 I don’t think you’ll be far off TBH even in that age group.
Depends on the course, and the people that show. I qualified for Nice with 4:28 in Bahrain in M30, and just scraped in with 9th, and lots of slots. I wouldn’t have made the top 25 in M35 (which is what I ended up being by the time of Nice), and would have been 9th in M40. So it can very much depend on who turns up in your AG.
Clearly NZ might be different to Nice. SA in 2018 was a case of “who wants to go”, so it can be quite volatile.
Plan to give yourself 2/3 dabs at it; 70.3 is not like Kona and easily gamed.
Early 70.3 Q races tend to be have less roll down as those that are really targetting a place tend to be there. But having a backstop quite near to the Q cut off is handy insurance as not many can go to NZ with relatively short notice and most others who really targetted it will probably have Q’d already if they are decent.
Issue is the Taupo is a smallish place so you may be last turkey in the shop for accomodation, unless willing to gamble in advance of any late Q attempt.
To be fair, long haul travel in the post Covid world may be less attractive/more expensive etc so slots may be easily found at any race.
Cheers for advice. It’s a long way off and I’d need to save a lot of money even if I did get a slot.
Ive loads of family about 2 hours from there and have wanted to visit them for a long time so I’d have free accommodation and a massive support on course.
I was 10th 50-55 at Deva 2019 with 4:39… being honest I was shocked and thought it was nailed in for at least 9th… or higher.
Fast course on a fast day, winner went sub 4, even though he’s a very very good athlete a few were surprised at that.
Never occurred to hang around for roll down but a few had already qualified apparently.
Sad that I’ll probably never go that fast again but I’ll be ducking trying for sure.
??
Deva is not an Ironman race, so what rolldown would you be thinking of? They have a little awards ceremony, but that’s only for the top 3 from when I was there in 2018
It was a qualification for something …?!
I’m sure it was…?!
Must have been euros or worlds? Non Ironman , is there really a difference in branded and non branded champs?
Ironman brand means nowt to me, the one chance I had to go to Kona I’ll most likely never get another … I’m glad I didn’t to be honest
Same folk there I’m guessing ?
How did it compare to Bahrain and cotswolds time wise?
Someone said it was the fastest 70.3 course in the country?!
I only did the Olympic distance at Deva. Although I had friends doing the middle distance so I went to awards anyway.
I think it was a qualifier for the standard distance ITU AG worlds in both 2018 and 2019. I got a slot on roll down, but that’s all automatic, not at awards. I didn’t take it up.
Done the standard 3? Times.
Doesn’t seem as fast a course, never did crack 2:10…
I was talking to poet about it saying that 10 th with that time for a virtual pensioner was shocking, he commented that it was a qualifier for something or other… so the big guns would be there ?
I’ve (foolishly and prematurely I think) entered Taupo March 2021. But it has deferral to taupo March 2022, or any Oceania race for 2021. I’m still hoping to move to Aus August 2021 so would transfer to an Aus race next autumn.
Don’t think I have the love for Ironman brand to go for world champs, but if I did end up doing an Australian 70.3 that qualified for it I’d consider if I wanted the chance to compete. Depends how much I’m participating vs competing.
probably the British middle distance champs
Mid December as well.