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Maybe you watched NBC's coverage of the Hawaiian Ironman World Championships and "got the bug" to do it yourself. Wondering how you enter?

Well, just getting into the Hawaiian Ironman is perhaps as big of a challenge as the 140.6 miles of the race itself. There are a couple ways for amateur triathletes to do it - qualify or be chosen in a lottery.

QUALIFY
The company that owns and manages the Hawaiian Ironman, World Triathlon Corporation (WTC), sanctions about two dozen events worldwide that serve as qualifiers. All are Ironman-distance events (2.4 mile swim, 112-mile bike, 26.2 mile run). Most of the athletes who race in Hawaii get into the race through a qualifier.

In the U.S., qualifying events currently include:
- Ironman Arizona in May
- Ironman USA/Coeur d'Alene in June
- Ironman USA Lake Placid in July
- Ironman Louisville (a new event for 2007) in August
- Ironman Wisconsin in September
- Ironman Florida in November.

Be warned - these events themselves are a bit of a challenge to enter. Registration opens up a year in advance of race date, and depending on the event, may sell out in as little as an hour or two!

So here's how it works: WTC allots each race with a limited number of qualifying spots. Those spots, in turn, are awarded to the top finishers in each age group at a particular race. The competition for these spots is VERY competitive: the people gunning for them are among the top amateur triathletes in the world, and their performances often rival those of the pros!

ANNUAL LOTTERY
For "the rest of us" with dreams of racing in Hawaii, WTC offers an annual lottery. Anyone can enter - $50 gets you a single entry, $80 gets you two. Registration for the lottery typically opens early in the year, closes on February 28, and winners are announced around mid-April.

WTC allots 150 lottery slots for U.S. athletes and 50 for international athletes. Figure thousands of hopeful triathletes register for the lottery, and you realize that, as with qualifying, competition for the lottery is very competitive.

Bottom line: There are two ways to get into the Hawaiian Ironman: by competing in one of about two dozen qualifying events, or through the annual Hawaiian Ironman lottery. Either way presents challenges, but if your abilities are "middle of the pack," you're more likely to have success with the lottery.

For more information, go to http://www.ironman.com

Learn more about this author, Matt Collister.
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