Qualifying for Olympic-Distance Age Group Nationals
Have you qualified for Olympic-Distance Age Group Nationals? The following information will explain the qualification process. Please read all of the following information before contacting USA Triathlon to inquire about your qualification status. The picture on the right is a sample of the email you receive when you qualify.
What events qualify for Age Group Nationals?
To qualify for Olympic-Distance Age Group Nationals, you must finish a USAT Sanctioned Age Group Triathlon of any distance. Distances can be as short as super-sprint and as long as ultra-distance (full Ironman). These events can include on-road and off-road triathlons. Olympic-Distance Age Group Nationals is the only USA Triathlon National Championship which requires this strict qualification.
Qualification cannot be met by participating in a duathlon, aquathlon, or aquabike event.
There is no qualification required to participate in Age Group Sprint Nationals.
What Category Must I Participate In To Qualify?
To qualify, you must participate in an age group category. Participating in an Elite, Open, Athena, Clydesdale, etc. category will not qualify you. Qualification is based on the finish in the athlete's age group, not where the athlete is extended an award. For example, if an athlete wins an overall award at an event and is removed from their age group, they will be placed back in their respective age group for purposes of qualification and the USAT rankings database.
If Jane Doe is the overall female champion at an event and does not take first place in her age group at that event (because the race director removes her), Jane Doe will be placed back in her respective age group in the results that the race director submits to USAT for qualification purposes.
What Age Must I Be To Qualify?
To qualify for 2017 Olympic-Distance Age Group Nationals, athletes must beat least age 17 as of December 31, 2017. Athletes can be age 16 on the day of the event as long as they are going to turn 17 by December 31.
What is the Qualification Period for 2017?
The qualification period for 2017 Age Group Nationals began on July 14, 2016. The qualification period will end eight days before the event occurs on August 12, 2017. Registration will close eight days before the event occurs or when the event sells out (whichever comes first).
What is the Qualification Period for 2018?
The qualification period for 2018 Age Group Nationals will begin on July 7, 2017. The qualification period will end eight days before the event occurs on August 11, 2018. Registration will close eight days before the event occurs or when the event sells out (whichever comes first).
Please note: If the event you qualified in falls in both qualification periods (2017 and 2018), then you qualify for Olympic-Distance Age Group Nationals in both years. You will be able to register for the 2018 event once registration opens. After registration opens for 2018 in late-summer/early-fall 2017, qualified athletes will receive the same qualification emails as they did for 2017, but with a new link for 2018 registration.
How Do I qualify?
There are five different means of qualification.
Qualification Path #1: General USAT Sanctioned Age Group Triathlons
The first way to qualify is through a normal USAT Sanctioned Age Group Triathlon. These events include all non-championship events. To qualify, athletes must either place first or in the top 10% of their age group.
** Note: If there are 25 athletes in an age group and an athlete places third or higher, they have qualified for the 2017 Olympic-Distance Nationals. If an athlete places fourth out of 25 they have not qualified.
Qualification Path #2: Regional Championships and Special Qualifiers
The second way to qualify is through a USA Triathlon Regional or National Championship event or special qualifier.
Regional championships and special qualifiers will qualify the top 33% or top five (5) finishers in an age group (whichever is greater) in only the Olympic-Distance race at that event. No other distance at regional championships or special qualifiers will allow for qualification. Regional championships and special qualifiers are listed on this page.
** Note: If there are 35 athletes in an age group and an athlete places 12th or higher, they have qualified for the 2017 Olympic-Distance Nationals. If an athlete places 13th out of 35 they have not qualified.
Qualification Path #3: Last Year's Age Group National Championships
The third way to qualify is by participating in the previous year’s Sprint, Olympic, or Long Course-Distance USA Triathlon Age Group National Championships.
The top 33% or top ten (10) finishers (whichever is greater) in each age group at the 2016 USA Triathlon Sprint, Olympic, or Long-Course Age Group National Championships will automatically qualify for 2017.
Qualification Path #4: Team USA and All-American Status
The fourth way to qualify is to be a member of Team USA or be an All-American.
Any athlete who competed as a member of Team USA in 2016 in Sprint, Intermediate/Olympic or Long Course Triathlon will automatically qualify. Qualification can no longer be met for any other Team USA discipline or from participation more than one year prior.
All-Americans from the 2016 USA Triathlon National Rankings automatically qualify.
Qualification Path #5: Race Score Earned based on Age (New for 2017!)
The fifth way to qualify is by earning a race score equal to or greater than the score listed in the table at the bottom of this page for your current age group and discipline. For instance, in 2017 if your race age is 49, you are a man, and you participated in an Off-Road Triathlon, you would need to earn a score of 96.618. The table at the bottom of this page is based on national rankings scores earned by All American athletes in 2016, for that gender, age group, and discipline. To check your score from a race you have completed, please click here, then search for your name or your race.
Scroll to the bottom of this page to see the table.
Note on Rounding:
When performing qualification calculations, USA Triathlon will round to the next whole number. For instance if there are fifteen (15) people in and age group and only the top 10% qualify, the top two (2) finishers in that age group will qualify. This is because 10% of 15 = 1.5. Therefore, we will round up to second place (2).
How Do I Know If I Have Qualified?
If you have qualified through the above criteria, you will automatically receive the “You’ve Qualified” email from USA Triathlon (see sample picture at the top of this page). One to two business days later, you will then receive a separate email directly from Active.com with your unique registration link. That link will be valid until registration closes.
I Believe I Qualified, But I Have Not Received Notification
If you believe you have qualified, but have not yet received notification, please first check your email and spam or junk folders. Once you have checked your email and confirmed that you have not received notification of qualification, please consider the following:
- Results are not submitted instantly to USA Triathlon. Race directors have fifteen (15) days to submit results to USA Triathlon. Regardless of when the race director submits results, you cannot qualify until USAT receives official results from the race director. Once results are received by USAT, they are processed by the rankings department within a few business days. Qualification emails will then go out automatically. Please wait at least fifteen (15) days before contacting USAT to see if results have been submitted for your event.
- Athletes in your age group may have been removed for an overall award. If an athlete in your age group won an overall award (I.E. overall male, overall masters, overall grand masters, etc.), they will be placed back in to their respective age group for qualification and rankings purposes. If you placed first in your age group at your race, but the overall winner is normally in your age group, they will be placed back into your age group and you will have officially finished in second place for qualification purposes.
- If you competed in an elite, open, Athena, or Clydesdale wave at an event, you cannot qualify. The only category you can compete in to qualify is an age group category.
- The only events that can qualify must be USA Triathlon Sanctioned. If the event you competed in was not sanctioned by USAT, you cannot qualify. If an event is sanctioned by USAT, you will know this because you should have either signed the USA Triathlon waiver for a one-day membership, entered your annual member number at registration, and/or showed your USAT annual membership card to pick-up your race packet.
- If none of the above options apply to you, please email the National Events department.
How Can I Check The Results USAT Currently Has On File?
To view all USA Triathlon sanctioned events that you have participated in, please click here. Then, either enter your full name or USAT annual member number. Please note: if results have not yet been submitted by the race director, they will not appear on this database yet.
Can I Defer My Qualification To Next Year?
No. Qualification cannot be deferred to the following year. Athletes must re-qualify each year. Additionally, USA Triathlon has a strict no transfer, deferment, or refund for any reason policy that you must agree to in order to register for the event. Please note: when registering for the event, you can purchase registration insurance in Active through Alliance Insurance.
Note on Athenas and Clydesdales
Since ITU does not support a division for Athenas and Clydesdales at its Sprint and Olympic-Distance World Championships, USA Triathlon will not be supporting an Athena and Clydesdale division at the Age Group National Championships. If the athlete’s intent is to qualify for either the Sprint or Olympic-Distance World Championships, they will need to compete in the wave corresponding with their age group at the USA Triathlon Age Group National Championships. Again, since the Age Group National Championships will no longer support the Clydesdale and Athena division, all athletes will need to meet qualification in the athlete’s respective age group at a Sanctioned Event when qualifying.
Note on Event Changes Due to Unsafe Conditions
If a triathlon is changed to a duathlon more than 24 hours before the scheduled start of the event, it will be considered a duathlon and will not qualify for Age Group Nationals. If the triathlon is changed to a duathlon less than 24 hours prior to the scheduled race start, it will still be ranked as a triathlon and will qualify for Age Group Nationals.
Qualification Path #5 Table
| Discipline | Gender | Age Group | Final Score of All American |
|---|---|---|---|
| Triathlon | M | 0-15 | 85.85 |
| Triathlon | M | 16-17 | 92.23 |
| Triathlon | M | 18-19 | 95.808 |
| Triathlon | M | 20-24 | 95.702 |
| Triathlon | M | 25-29 | 94.923 |
| Triathlon | M | 30-34 | 93.252 |
| Triathlon | M | 35-39 | 89.838 |
| Triathlon | M | 40-44 | 88.405 |
| Triathlon | M | 45-49 | 87.455 |
| Triathlon | M | 50-54 | 85.589 |
| Triathlon | M | 55-59 | 82.674 |
| Triathlon | M | 60-64 | 80.133 |
| Triathlon | M | 65-69 | 75.617 |
| Triathlon | M | 70-74 | 70.681 |
| Triathlon | M | 75-79 | 64.533 |
| Triathlon | M | 80-84 | 55.357 |
| Triathlon | M | 85-89 | 51.903 |
| Triathlon | M | 90-94 | 47.512 |
| Discipline | Gender | Age Group | Final Score of All American |
| Triathlon | F | 0-15 | 87.937 |
| Triathlon | F | 16-17 | 89.271 |
| Triathlon | F | 18-19 | 89.515 |
| Triathlon | F | 20-24 | 91.642 |
| Triathlon | F | 25-29 | 91.849 |
| Triathlon | F | 30-34 | 91.141 |
| Triathlon | F | 35-39 | 89.531 |
| Triathlon | F | 40-44 | 87.506 |
| Triathlon | F | 45-49 | 86.294 |
| Triathlon | F | 50-54 | 84.458 |
| Triathlon | F | 55-59 | 81.700 |
| Triathlon | F | 60-64 | 78.171 |
| Triathlon | F | 65-69 | 73.824 |
| Triathlon | F | 70-74 | 71.864 |
| Triathlon | F | 75-79 | 64.290 |
| Triathlon | F | 80-84 | 52.219 |
| Triathlon | F | 85+ | 53.370 |
| Discipline | Gender | Age Group | Final Score of All American |
| Triathlon Off-Road | M | 0-15 | 89.329 |
| Triathlon Off-Road | M | 16-17 | 96.342 |
| Triathlon Off-Road | M | 18-19 | 94.440 |
| Triathlon Off-Road | M | 20-24 | 110.076 |
| Triathlon Off-Road | M | 25-29 | 103.932 |
| Triathlon Off-Road | M | 30-34 | 107.681 |
| Triathlon Off-Road | M | 35-39 | 101.338 |
| Triathlon Off-Road | M | 40-44 | 100.753 |
| Triathlon Off-Road | M | 45-49 | 96.618 |
| Triathlon Off-Road | M | 50-54 | 93.730 |
| Triathlon Off-Road | M | 55-59 | 94.072 |
| Triathlon Off-Road | M | 60-64 | 86.257 |
| Triathlon Off-Road | M | 65-69 | 80.591 |
| Triathlon Off-Road | M | 70-74 | 71.420 |
| Triathlon Off-Road | M | 75-79 | 55.683 |
| Triathlon Off-Road | M | 80+ | 40.800 |
| Discipline | Gender | Age Group | Final Score of All American |
| Triathlon Off-Road | F | 0-15 | 73.562 |
| Triathlon Off-Road | F | 16-17 | 93.632 |
| Triathlon Off-Road | F | 18-19 | 85.608 |
| Triathlon Off-Road | F | 20-24 | 99.490 |
| Triathlon Off-Road | F | 25-29 | 93.335 |
| Triathlon Off-Road | F | 30-34 | 99.163 |
| Triathlon Off-Road | F | 35-39 | 102.667 |
| Triathlon Off-Road | F | 40-44 | 103.150 |
| Triathlon Off-Road | F | 45-49 | 92.475 |
| Triathlon Off-Road | F | 50-54 | 91.245 |
| Triathlon Off-Road | F | 55-59 | 84.488 |
| Triathlon Off-Road | F | 60-64 | 88.109 |
| Triathlon Off-Road | F | 65-69 | 83.869 |
| Triathlon Off-Road | F | 70-74 | 60.109 |
| Triathlon Off-Road | F | 75-79 | 53.774 |
| Triathlon Off-Road | F | 80+ | 48.823 |