Here is my calculation of the KPR at the end of July, deciding 40 male and 28 female slots (in addition to the Automatic Qualifiers). My results are unofficial, the official results will be posted on the Ironman website at http://eu.ironman.com/triathlon/triathlon-rankings/points-system.aspx (but as far as I can tell will show the same data). I do not count AQs and athletes that haven’t validated in my rankings, therefore it is a bit easier to determine the Top 40 male and Top 28 females. I will update this post with new information regarding declined slots and rolldown.

There is going to be a second cutoff in August, adding another 10 male and 7 female slots. Once the field has been completed, I will work on this year’s version of the Kona Rating Report, looking at the field and each athlete’s chances for a good result. The free report will be released in time before the Kona race, you can already pre-order your copy.

July 27th: For now, the tables below contain the athletes that I consider safe for a July slot before the final races this weekend. The remaining races will decide the final spots, check out the geeky details about who’s currently in and who can still make in this post (“Kona 2018 Qualifying Before the Last July Races“). I will update this post as soon as each of the races is over with the implications.

July 28th: There are two impacts from 70.3 Santa Rosa for Kona Qualifying:

• Tyler Butterfield finished third, adds 540 points for a total of 3.705 and moves up #31 in the points rankings.
• Thiago Vinhal finished tenth, adds 115 points for a total of 3.700 and moves up to #32 in the points rankings.

For both Tyler and Thiago it’s not quite enough to call him safe (so they don’t yet show up in the table below), but both are strong candidates for July slots now. The final decisions still depend on the remaining races.

July 29th (afternoon): After IM Hamburg and IM Switzerland the female rankings are finished, so the table shows the top athletes. For those that are beyond the Top 28 ranks, I show their ranks in brackets, they have to hope for a rolldown. (As Liz Lyles is likely to decline her slot, I also show #29 – Anne Haug – without brackets.) The male rankings will be finalized after IM Whistler later today, so I show only the athletes I now consider safe for a slot and will update as soon as Whistler is completed. 

July 29th (late): Even though Ironman Whistler is not finished yet, there aren’t going to be any significant changes. Marino has been running in twelfth place (he may still improve), so his total will be slightly higher than his current 3.600. (A twelfth place would be 85 points.) In addition, Mark Bowstead cannot finish on the podium, so he can’t move into the Top 40 anymore. Even if he is going to finished sixth (he is currently running in eighth), he would still end up with less than 3.000 points.

July 30th: The male rankings are now updated to reflect the outcome of IM Whistler. Ironman will now contact the athletes if they want to accept their slots, if one declines the slot will roll down to the next athlete. Depending on the number of declines and the “length of chain declines”, this process can take up to a week and longer. 

July 31st: The first slots have been accepted and “Q”s start to appear next to the names on the Ironman KPR website. There is one interesting development: Cam Brown has accepted his slot, deciding one of the questions around potential rolldowns.

August 1st: Denis Chevrot is now also listed with a “Q” and I’m now showing him without the brackets. I’m assuming that it was Marino who declined his slot, but as I can’t be sure I show his “D” (for decline) with a question mark. As expected, Terenzo accepted his slot even while still recovering from his accident.

August 2nd: As expected, Anne Haug has received and accepted a rolldown slot. However, this slot may also be courtesy of Lucy Gossage wh0 announced on Twitter that she’s not accepting her slot. This means that an extra slot is likely to roll down to Melanie Burke.

August 3rd: As expected, Melanie Burke has also received a rolldown slot.

August 10th: One more slot has rolled on the female side: Lisa Roberts has decided to tackle other races in the fall and declined her slot. Sara Svensk has accepted a slot, also impacting August qualifying. On the men’s side, there are still three athletes who have not accepted their slots: Ivan Tutukin, Bart Aernouts and Joe Skipper. Today is the last day for making a decision.

August 12th: All male and female July slots have been accepted with new rolldowns. I have posted an “Always Up-to-date 2018 Kona Startlist” that will be updated with the August slots and any other new developments.

Male KPR Rankings

There could be a few rolldowns, for example it is unclear wether Marino Vanhoenacker and Cam Brown are interested in taking their slots. In that case, the next athletes (the ones currently with ranks in brackets) would get a rolldown slot. (Update: Cam has accepted his slot; Marino has probably declined.)

Denis Chevrot and Callum Millward have the same points total, but Denis is ahead by the tie-breaking best single race score. (Denis’ best score is 2.090 from IM Cairns, while Callum’s best is 1.600 from IM Louisville.)

Boris Stein is not eligible for a Kona slot as he hasn’t finished an Ironman outside of Kona this season. He had a bike crash shortly before his planned race at IM France and is still recovering. He hopes to secure his slot at IM Copenhagen in August.

Female KPR Rankings

Liz Lyles has announced her retirement and it is therefore expected that she will decline her Kona slot once she is “formally” asked by Ironman after the end of July qualifying. Is she declines, her slot would roll to Anne Haug who is ranked in the #29 points slot. (Update Aug 3rd: Two slots have rolled, one of them from Liz and another from Lucy Gossage.)