the 2012 USAT regional and national age group championships

I was planning on starting another training plan for an Iron after IMAZ this year, but my wife asked me not to because our schedules are so full. We just don't have enough time in our lives for me to be training 20 plus hours a week. She's never asked me to rein back on my triathlon obsession before so I was glad to oblige.

It didn't take me long after her request for me to figure out what I wanted to do in 2012. I'll be training and racing for one of the USAT regional triathlon championships in hopes of qualifying for the USAT 2012 age group national triathlon championships. USAT hasn't announced where the USAT 2012 regional or national age group triathlon championships will be held yet, but I'll let you know as soon as they've posted it online.

Here is how USAT says I can qualify for the national age group triathlon championships:

•Special Qualifying and Regional Championship races will qualify the top 33 percent or top five finishers (whichever is greater) in each age group.

** Note: If there are 35 athletes in an age group and an athlete places 12th or higher, they have qualified for the 2011 Age Group Nationals. If an athlete places 13th out of 35 they have not qualified.

•A non-championship USAT sanctioned event in one of the specified qualifying distances (as explained above) will qualify the top 10 percent or top finisher (whichever is greater) in each age group.

** Note: If there are 25 athletes in an age group and an athlete places 3rd or higher, they have qualified for the 2011 Age Group Nationals. If an athlete places 4th out of 25 they have not qualified.

•The top 33% or top five (whichever is greater) athletes in each age group at the USAT Age Group, Sprint and Long Course Triathlon National Championships in the current and/or previous year automatically qualify. Qualification can no longer be met at any other National Championship.

•The top 10 finishers in each age group from the 2010 USAT Age Group National Championship automatically qualify.

•Any athlete who has competed as a member of Team USA in Sprint, Intermediate or Long Course Triathlon within the past three years will automatically qualify. Qualification can no longer be met for any other Team USA participation or from participation more than three years prior.

•All-American and honorable mention All-Americans from the 2010 USAT National Rankings automatically qualify.

Note: All qualification is based on the number of athletes that start the race in the age group, not the number that actually finish or have registered.

Athena and Clydesdale
There are no qualification standards for the Athena and Clydesdale division at the Age Group National Championship in Burlington, Vt. It is an open division in which athletes may register without prior qualification.

What do I do once I Have Qualified?
Once qualification is met, athletes do not need to do anything special except indicate where and how they met qualification on the Age Group National Championship online race registration system. There will be no other steps required. Athletes will not receive a notification from USAT on their qualification as each athlete is responsible for letting us know in which race they qualified when they register online (see: Race Registration to register).

USA Triathlon will do an audit of those who have met qualification shortly after the athlete registers online. If an athlete does not get a written request for more information within two weeks of registering online, the athlete can rest assured that the entry has been accepted. From there, the athlete's name will appear on the participant list.