Since I haven’t been working out and I have no races planned, I sorta figured there was nothing to write about. But who am I kidding? I have endless opinions on just as many topics, so I tried to think about what really has me irked these days. It didn’t really take me much time to figure out what’s been on my mind lately. It’s the Ironman North America Scam!
Let me back up a minute and give a brief overview. There are 6 Ironman North America full races: Arizona, Canada, Coeur d’Alene, Florida, Lake Placid and Wisconsin. Typically, registration for these races for the next year opens the day after the current year’s race. I’ve only been doing Ironman races for 3 years, but I remember the first race I signed up for closed registration within 4 hours. These races are not cheap, I believe the 2008 rate is now close to $500 per race. (and you must tack on the $18.00+ “processing” fee for online registration).
Fast forward to 2007 where, if you are participating in this year’s race, you have the option of signing up for next year’s race EARLY – the day before this year’s race! Now, the day AFTER the race, entry opens to everyone who is ON SITE at the race. When I drove by the line this year after Florida, it was an obnoxiously long line, probably 3+ hours of waiting. OK, now the online registration used to open at 10am for the next year’s race. This year, they’ve delayed the online registration so they could take all the entries from the people who are on site first. So the online registration opens hours past the announced time…then fills EXTREMELY fast…I think IMFL 2008 filled in 15 minutes or something.
This is ridiculous. All this points to is that if you are not on the race site the day after the race, it’s highly unlikely you will get in. So, if I want to get into Lake Placid for 2009, I’d have to go to Lake Placid in 2008 just to stand in line and HOPEFULLY (there is no guarantee) get a spot. Are you kidding me? Who has the time and the funds to do that? Well, I guess some people do, but I just don’t think it’s fair. I believe Canada has worked this way for years. As much as I’d like to do Ironman Canada, I don’t think I should have to take a trip up there the year before just so I can maybe get a spot.
I can complain about it until the cows come home, but there will still be those die-hard Ironman fanatics who will jump through whatever hoops necessary to get in their race of choice. Same goes for the astronomical rising cost of these races that far exceeds the rate of inflation. I get that – you can charge what the market will bear. If people do it and you’re still able to sell out your races in record time, you must be doing something right.
I’ve now had the opportunity to participate in an iron-distance race that was NOT Ironman North America. I’ve gotta say, there is a big difference. I can only hope that these smaller, no-name iron-distance races grow in number, locations and participation. Most other sports, you can sign up the DAY OF the race, no problem. Try that with an Ironman! It would be great if we didn’t have to commit an entire year out (and fight for that entry, nonetheless) and didn’t have to be ON THE RACE SITE to get that entry. Oh yeah, if something happens to you in that year that you signed up, like an injury, the most you could get back would be $150 and that needs to be requested a full 6+ weeks out.
So I’m all in support of the up and coming Iron-distance events (you can’t use the word Ironman, they have it trademarked, WTF?). Yes, it will take time and practice to get it right, but it will give the athletes more options. There are many of us who do this simply as a hobby – it’s not our entire existence! – and we just shouldn’t have to make a trip to a race just to sign up for the following year.
I can’t complain about the IMNA races. They’re well organized, plenty of volunteers, great venues and courses, blah, blah, blah…but there has to be a better way to have registration.
