How to Qualify For Nationals and Worlds for 2015

We are lucky this year to have a number of championship races in the Midwest in easy driving distance. It can be a confusing process to know how to navigate the process of qualifying for nationals and world championships.  Our resident, Ron Rasque, has created a cheat sheet for our team.

FAQ

Q. Do you need to qualify for nationals and worlds. 
A. For worlds yes you have to qualify at on of the national races.
A. For nationals it depends. Some are open for anyone like the sprint distances in Milwaukee Check the chart below for what races require qualifications.

Q. How fast do I need to be to go to a championship race?
A.  Qualifying is by age group, so you need to look at the last few years for your age groups to have a feel if you will be fast enough.  If you are worried about qualifying, look for races that have slower age groups, but are still sanctioned to be qualifying event.  Many times you can find a small race, or a race that happens the same weekend as a more popular race and that will be less competitive and you will not have to race a bunch of other people that are trying to qualify. Many national events have a qualifying race and a open race, so you do not have to qualify to still experience the excitement of going to nationals.

Q. Why is the age group at worlds off by one year?
A.  The age-up rule is applied for qualification for world championships due to the fact that the world championship will be held the following year when you are 1 year older. The national qualifying race, your current age group will be used for placement in that race.  so if you are 39, you will place at nationals in the 35-39 age group, but will qualify for Worlds in the 40-44 age group.

Q. Where can I find more information 
A. Go to www.usatriathlon.org for more information on USAT championship races and registration links

National and World Races this year in Triathlon and Duathlon 

USAT Olympic Triathlon National Championship 2015
Location: Milwaukee, WI
Date: 8/8/2015
Cost: $165.00
Format: 1.5K swim - 40K bike - 10K run
How to Qualify: 
1.  Competed as a member of Team USA in 2014 at any distance triathlon
2. Finish any USAT sanctioned triathlon within the top 10% of age group between 8/1/14 and 7/3.1/15.
3.  Finish in the top 33% of any USAT special qualifier or Regional Championship triathlon between 8/1/14 and 7/31/15.
How to Qualify for Worlds: top 18 racers in next years age group qualify for

ITU Intermediate Course Triathlon World Championship in 2016 
Location: Mexico
Format: 1.5K swim - 40k bike - 10K run
Date:  date yet to be announced

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USAT Sprint Age Group National Championship 2015
Location: Milwaukee, WI
Date: 8/9/2015
Cost: $95
Format: 0.75K swim - 20K bike - 5K run
How to Qualify: 
Open to everyone that is a USAT member
How to Qualify for Worlds: top 18 racers in next years age group qualify for

ITU Sprint Course Triathlon World Championship 2016 
Location: Mexico
Format:  0.75K swim - 20k bike - 5K run
Date: date yet to be announced

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USAT Long Course Age Group National Championship 2015
Location: Oklahoma City, OK (Redman Triathlon half)
Date:  9/26/2015
Cost: $250
Format: 1.2 mi swim - 56 mi bike - 13.1 mi run
How to Qualify: 
Open to everyone that is a USAT member
How to Qualify for Worlds: top 18 racers in next years age group qualify for

ITU Long Course Triathlon World Championship 2016
Location: Oklahoma City, OK
Format: 4K swim - 120K bike - 30K run
Date: 9/24/2016

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USAT Duathlon Long Course National Championship 2015
Location: Ft. Worth, TX (Bronda's Duathlon @ Texas Motor Speedway) )
Date: 11/14/2015
Cost: $95
Format: 10K run - 42K bike - 5K run
How to Qualify: 
Open to everyone that is a USAT member
How to Qualify for Worlds: top 18 racers in next years age group qualify for

ITU Long Course Duathlon World Championship 2016
Location:  yet to be announced
Format:  10K run - 150K bike - 30K run
Date: yet to be announced

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USAT Duathlon National Championships 2015
Location: St. Paul, MN
Date: 6/6/2015
Cost: $110
Format Sprint:   3K run - 23K bike - 3K run
Format Standard: 5K run - 34.5K bike - 5K run
How to Qualify: 
Open to everyone that is a USAT member
How to Qualify for Worlds: top 18 racers in next years age group qualify for

ITU Sprint & Standard Distance Duathlon World Championships 2016
Location:  yet to be announced
Format Sprint: 5K run - 20K bike - 2.5K run
Format Standard:  10K run - 40K bike - 5K run
Date: yet to be announced