Qualifying for the Ironman World Championships is the goal for many Age Group triathletes. "How fast do I need to go to qualify?" is an often asked question, the answer to which is..."it depends!"

Ironman races around the world (and a few Ironman 70.3 events, such as St. Croix), have an allocated number of Kona slots allocated to them (which varies by race - Ironman UK has 50), and then those slots are allocated to the Age Groups of that event, on the basis of a) one slot must be available for any Age Group that has an entry, and b) the remaining slots are allocated pro-rata depending on the number of entrants per Gender / Age Group. As a result of this process, the male Age Groups 35-39 and 40-44 often have the most slots available, as they regularly have the most athletes competing.

After that, you need to 'tick the box' and finish within your Age Group within the number of slots available - or hope for a roll-down from someone above you, who chooses not to take their spot. Simple(ish). Finishing position, not time, is the key.

So, how did that work out at Ironman UK 2013? Here are the 50 qualifiers who accepted (and paid for...) their tickets to the Big Island in October.

Kona Qualifiers from Ironman UK 2013 - 4th August

Ironman UK 2013 Coverage

• 10 things to do the week before an Ironman
• 2012 Champ Eimear Mullan's pre-rac advice
• 2014 date and venue confirmed
• Race report: Halksworth and Gossage win Ironman UK 2013
• Dan Halksworth: post-race interview
• Men's Pro finish line video
• Lucy Gossage: post-race interview
• Lucy Gossage: finish line video & celebrations
• Joanna Carritt: second place Pro race report
• Ironman UK 2013: The Video - highlights mega montage
• Ironman UK 2013 Gallery
• Ironman UK 2013 Kona Qualifiers