How to enter race-realistic paces
- Swim: use your CSS pace, not a 100m max effort. Add 3–5 sec/100m if it's a non-wetsuit swim.
- Bike: the speed you can hold at ~65–70% of FTP for 5–6 hours on race terrain. Most age groupers overestimate this by 1–2 km/h.
- Run: open marathon pace + 30–60 sec/km (or +48–96 sec/mi) for off-the-bike fatigue. Expect walking aid stations after km 25.
What a "good" Ironman time looks like
- Sub-15h: respectable first-timer. Roughly 50th–70th percentile age-group.
- Sub-12h: strong age-grouper, top 25–35%.
- Sub-10h: top 5–10%; many slots Kona-qualify here.
- Sub-9h: elite age-group / podium territory.