We compared the IRONMAN 70.3 results of 22 GRA athletes with about 7,300 age-group athletes under 40 who raced the same 116 events between 2021 and 2026. Each comparison is between two races by the same athlete, one to five years apart, measured against the median age-group finisher at each race so course and weather do not skew it. The average athlete line uses athletes of your gender at your level, placed by their average across both races so one lucky or unlucky day does not distort the result. Raw times on the same course a year apart give the same answer. Matched this way, GRA athletes improved about 1.7 times as much as similar athletes. The best GRA result line is the biggest improvement any GRA athlete has made within that many seasons, averaged over at least two race comparisons, applied to your level. It shows what is possible, not what is typical. The shaded band is the range we are 90% confident the GRA average falls within. World Championships and shortened races are excluded. Source: race results via CoachCox.