This morning I received an e-mail from World Triathlon Corporation.  The e-mail was an invitation for me to participate in the Ironman World Championship in St. George.  It never even crossed my mind to accept this invitation.  I will not be in St. George in May.

Ever since I started doing triathlons, I have dreamt of qualifying for the Ironman World Championship.  As a result of the pandemic, Ironman is holding two World Championships this year.  One in St. George in May and the traditional one in October in Kona, Hawaii.

So, am I turning down my invitation because it is for the race in St. George, and not the one in Kona. No, that is not the reason.  The reason I am not even considering it, is because I didn’t qualify.  I didn’t place high enough in my age group at Ironman Chattanooga.  The only reason I “qualified” for St. George, is because I am a Silver level “All World Athlete”.

While being an “All World Athlete” is not necessarily a trivial achievement; you become one by placing well at multiple Ironman events during the year. It hardly compares to truly qualifying at a race.  This offer by World Triathlon Corporation is clearly a business decision, made to maximize the revenue they can generate in St. George.  Well, they are not getting my money.

I still dream of qualifying for the Ironman World Championship in Kona.  Who knows if I will ever realize that dream. It could happen but is quite unlikely.  If I do ever make it to Kona however, I want to truly earn it.  Earning it, to me, is the biggest part of the dream.