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Will almost half the women’s field at Ironman Mont-Tremblant qualify for Kona next year?

Based on this year's numbers, as many as 42% of the women's field at the Quebec race could qualify for Kona

Photo by: Kevin Mackinnon

Ironman has recently announced a dramatic expansion of the women’s field for the Ironman World Championship in 2023 thanks to the addition of another day of racing dedicated to the women’s field in Kona. There will be an additional 1,200 qualifying spots for the race on the Big Island through the Women For Tri initiative.

You can find a full list of qualifying events and slot allotment for the 2023 Ironman World Championship at www.ironman.com/im-world-championship-2023-slot.

Raymond Britt from RunTri.com has crunched the numbers for qualifying events next year, and based on this year’s numbers from Ironman Mont-Tremblant, that event could see 42 per cent of the women’s field qualify for the Ironman World Championship in Kona. Here’s a look at the numbers for full-distance races in North America:

The high number in Mont-Tremblant is based on these numbers:

  • This year there were 287 women’s finishers in Mont-Tremblant
  • There would be 120 expected slots at the event in 2023 – 8 age group mandatory, 12 allocated and 100 Women for Tri
  • 120/287 = 42%

Related: Hardly half and Ironman: The world embraces 70.3 racing

Best shot at Kona?

Mont-Tremblant tops the list in terms of percentages by a long way. After that race the next-best chance to earn a qualifying spot for the Ironman World Championship, if you’re a woman, will be in Lake Placid (19.34%), Arizona (19.12%) Chattanooga (18.88%) and Coeur d’Alene (18.39%), based on Britt’s analysis.

Here’s a chart with the breakdown of the numbers:

Registration for Mont-Tremblant is not open yet. Next year’s race is scheduled to take place on August 20, 2023.

You can check out more stats from Raymond Britt at his website, RunTri.com