Are you still up in Lake Placid? I know there was a wetsuit in the lost and found when I was working at the info table until 10 last night. When we closed up the table, the box of items was brought into the high school. Is that where you were sent to look?

Just so I understand this, you ended up with hypothermia after T1 correct? There's a lot going on in T1, and you're dealing with volunteers. I don't know how, if it's something of great value, you leave it in the hands of volunteers. I dump all my T1 and T2 bags stuff out and use assistance from the volunteers to an extent but I put my goggles and wetsuit into the T1 bag when I am done and tie it up. Same for helmet and shoes after the bike. Sorry to hear about your day, but if it's anything like the vultures picking through SN bags, I doubt it'll be turned in. Also don't see how they're liable you forgot to pack your bag.

That's said with the impression you made it through T1. If you were sent to medical during T1 then I would see how you could expect them to assume responsibility.

I made it through T1 , I am putting my bike gear on and the volunteer says, as he has done last year, leave it where it is , I will take care of it so I go and jump on the bike

I checked all lost and found

They are liable for me, ridiculous to say otherwise for me

I guess they should have left you shivering and unattended and looked after your wetsuit instead.

Perhaps your post is poorly worded or something but you are sounding a bit jerk like.

Put yourself in their shoes. Someone comes to them and claim that they lost a $700 wetsuit or $5,000 bike, without proof that it was lost or stolen, are they supposed to take your word for it? They ask you who you gave it to and your response is, "some volunteer dude." They ask, "what's his name?", and you give them a blank stare. Are they supposed to take the word of anyone who comes along and claim a lost?

I feel bad for you and don't doubt that you lost the wetsuit, but I'd be shocked if you get your money back.

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__________________________________________________________________________
My marathon PR is "under three, high twos. I had a two hour and fifty-something."

He wont' get his money back, end of story.

Life's a shit sandwich sometimes.

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The Home of Advanced Running
Advanced Running Instagram Page
My narcisstic training log

Check any official video of the swim exit and/or T1 area, to determine proof you entered T1 with said wetsuit.

I assume you name and contact number is written on your suit somewhere? My two latest wetsuits have a white patch on the zipper flap area for just this purpose. I aslo use a whiteout pen to put my details on the inside of one of the legs as well, just in case of such an event.

I now have 3 wetsuits with "TriDork" and my phone number in case it gets lost. Thankfully there aren't too many short fat people wanting a smelly top of the range wetsuit where I live ;-)

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TriDork

"Happiness is a myth. All you can hope for is to get laid once in a while, drunk once in a while and to eat chocolate every day"

I came down with hyperthermia on the bike , not in t1 , at all times I was very polite this morning , there was no accusation as you infer so take offence at the jerk comment , to be fair she saw my point , I really do struggle to see how it is not anything but their fault

My name and number is in the suit and yes I have photos coming out of the swim

As for asking the name of the volunteer to the poster who asked , that was a joke right ?

I don't see how it could be a joke. You pretty much just handed a random stranger $700? Pretty expensive lesson about responsibility. I kinda feel bad about the predicament you're in, but loose a little compassion when you don't accept any of the blame. Unless you're a FOP trying for a Kona slot I don't see why you wouldn't take the extra 10-15 seconds and secure your bag before leaving T1.

If you get your money back let us know. Next WTC race I do I'll hand my Ferrari key to a volunteer in an IM shirt and walk off because he said he'd take care of it :)

Did you have hyperthermia or hypothermia? Seems like the latter based on your frozen nuts?

Lost suit really sucks but I don't see how it's on them... it's a completely foreseeable outcome of the chaos of the event (especially when you land in the med tent). If you don't put it in the bag yourself you assume the benefit (time savings) and risk (potential misplacement) that come along with that.

Try filing a home insurance theft claim?

Agreed, asking for a volunteers name has got to be a joke.

I have three transition stories, all better than losing a wetsuit . Back in 2004 I was at a tri camp run by Hamish Carter (top bloke by the way) and met a guy Graham O'Grady, better known as GOG. He too is a good guy. Anway at IMNZ 2004 at T1, GOG screamed out to me to strip my wetsuit. Normally I do my own, but went over to say hi. I laid on the ground. Gog took one sleeve and another guy took the other sleeve and pulled like crazy. sure enough, they both got thwacked in the face by the wetsuit coming off. Later I watched the official video. Sure enough, a short fat guy appeared, writhing on the ground. My family was in stitches, wetting themselves with laughter! I never even noticed the camera in my face. LOL. It wouldn't have been so bad except the very next person getting their wetsuit stripped was a hot chick with lovely tan. It made me look even worse!

At the same race, in T2, in the mens change tent, a lot of the volunteers with university GIRLS. The guy beside me was older so a girl came to help. He was sitting on a plastic chair and she was on her knees in front of him, emptying his T2 bag. Well, he stood up, dropped his bike shorts and just about whacked her in the face with his generously sized male member. The poor girl had an incredible look on her face. I have no idea what she thought was going to happen in a mens change tent, but she learned something that day. Me? I couldn't compete in that male review show, so turned around and changed quickly as she scurried away. I bet the poor girl is still getting therapy, and she's still looking for a boyfriend to equal that well hung old man. Life will be an ongoing disappointment for her. LOL

BAck in 1995 a friend had his wetsuit stolen from over his bike, in T2. He was a slow runner and when he finished, he noticed it stolen. Damn. Anyway,he dejectedly headed for the car and drove home. Yup, you guessed it, the wetsuit spot prize was his to claim.........if he was there. Several people let him know he'd missed out. Poor bastard. He's probably still competing in a budgie smuggler.

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TriDork

"Happiness is a myth. All you can hope for is to get laid once in a while, drunk once in a while and to eat chocolate every day"

If you have emailed the RD with the question, why are you now posting it here?

Remember the waiver we agree to before we're allowed to sign up and never read? Here's a piece of it:

- I am voluntarily participating with knowledge of the risks. Therefore, I assume and accept full responsibility for myself, for the inherent and other risks (both known and unknown) of the activities, and for any injury, damage, death or other loss I may suffer, resulting from those risks, including the risk of my, a co-participant’s, and/or a third party’s negligence or intentional or other misconduct, or any of the Released Parties’ negligence.

Sorry for the loss you suffered, but they're not responsible.

 

I am the RD at a very small XTERRA race in So Cal that was run this past Saturday. It's a 2 transition race so the athlete bags up their swim gear in T1 and we transport it to the finish line in numbered bags. We only had about 150 participants and 3 of them left their wetsuits behind. This happens every year despite our constant reminders for people to pick up their gear bags. When I called the athletes they were all totally surprised that they left their wetsuits behind.
Now multiple my 150 athletes times 20 and add a couple hundred volunteers over a 17 hour event and you can see how complex the problem can be.

All that said, you will most likely get it back. If it's there they will find it. If someone took it home and it has your name in it they will probably get in touch with you. Lost and found is a 2 part process. Give it a little time.

/

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Gary Mc
Did I mention I did Kona

I don't have as many great stories as TriDork, but I do have a lost wetsuit story that turns out well. At IM Cabo this Spring, I also finished minus a wetsuit in my bag. No drama of a medical tent was involved however.

The next day, I went to Lost and Found and Peter Anderson (I can't remember his ST handle) turned it in. My name was in the suit and I am elfin in size, so very few people would fit into my wetsuit anyway.

Peter took time out of his vacation to return the wetsuit to a different hotel from where he was staying after a volunteer didn't know what to do with it.

Good people are out there. Just give them time and I bet your wetsuit will find its way back to you. Not many people want a used and pee'd in wetsuit ;-)

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DFL > DNF > DNS

Have you ever done an IM?

UKINNY had a helper in T1 offer to pack his bag for him as he headed out on the bike leg. That's pretty standard practice. You would hope that the volunteer packing the bag put everything in so that when you collected your T1 bag after the you would get cap, goggles and wetsuit back, wouldn't you?

Hopefully it all gets sorted in the next day or so and it turns up.

hardly the same is it - WTC need to stop telling their volunteers to tell us that they will take care of it - if they cannot promise that and it seems they cannot then they should not despite the small print disclaimer we all sign

as it happens i was looking to qualify for Kona so the seconds do matter for me

sums up my shitty day if it is not returned thats for sure - i will wait to see what the RD says

So sorry for your tough day - bummer. And, losing your wetsuit is a double bummer. I sure hope it turns up. HOWEVER, there is no way there are liable . . . if you stay on that tack you are just wasting time, emotions, and frustrations.

Best wishes,

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David
* Ironman for Life! (Blog) * IM Everyday Hero Video * Daggett Shuler Law *
Disclaimer: I have personal and professional relationships with many athletes, vendors, and organizations in the triathlon world.

i know ,i know but i look forward to such a debate with the RD, i have mentally written my sarcastic reply

I have done an IM, and packed my bag in T1 and T2. It takes 10 seconds to stuff your things in your bag and tie a knot in it. As stated when you sign up for an IM you sign your life away. Anything could happen and WTC isn't liable, per the waiver nobody reads. Had he packed his bag himself and knew the wetsuit was in the bag, then it turned up missing, I'd have sympathy.

Who says WTC tells their volunteers to say what your volunteer did? They're volunteers. Their policy you're asking about is that "small print disclaimer we all sign"

who trains the volunteers ? they don't all unilaterally decide to say the same thing

i get the legal position and my earlier posts were borne somewhat of frustration on a really crappy day

my point is they cannot ask us to sign a waiver then have all of their volunteers saying something else - i.e. off you go, i will take care of it

i am not blaming the volunteers, its crazy in there, i get it but i still feel they have to think about this

I have no dog in this fight, but that language seems awfully vague. Maybe David can give his thoughts on this matter. I wouldn't try to fight it because of the costs (unless I was paralyzed or something) but I doubt that would hold up in court.

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Pink? Maybe. Maybe not. You decide.

One cannot waive one's right to claim damages due to negligence. Sorry.

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"Go yell at an M&M"

Don't race anything you won't risk parting with. Stuff gets lost, stuff gets broken, cost of doing business.

I've served on numerous race committees and as transition coordinator at some large races.

One of the things that we always try to do is communicate with the RD about any competitors who have abandoned the race out on the course and try to keep their gear together for family or a friend to pick up later. Obviously safeguarding bikes is a particular focus. Even with our best efforts, with the scattering of gear in a typical transition area you can't guarantee that you'll get everything, especially if there is no label or identification on the article.

That being said, I'm always amazed at the volume of abandoned gear we accumulate after a race. Not only the small stuff you would expect like goggles, swim caps, sunglasses, etc., but stuff like wetsuits, shoes, clothing, aerohelmets, and even bike wheels. Then the best part is when someone calls the RD a couple of weeks later asking if we have their stuff and can we send it to them?

I feel sorry for the OP losing their wetsuit, but stuff happens sometimes and things get "lost". Still, the RD needs the feedback about what happened to hopefully prevent similar recurrence in the future. A civil dialog between the OP and the RD would seem to me to be the best way to resolve the situation. Ranting on a public forum probably isn't going to accomplish very much.

Mark

Don't race with anything you can't afford to lose or replace.... or carry insurance with a deductible you can afford, to hedge yourself.

I wish I could afford a $700 wetsuit. I'm happy scavenging for a pro's old wetsuit from before he changed sponsors to replace my 17 year old sleeveless suit that doesn't fit all that great. When the race management goofed at Kansas 70.3 and brought all the transition stuff form T1 to T2 in a dozen or so giant plastic bags bags kind sort of organized by bib number range (yes they did this), I waded through piles of $400+ B70 & TYR's, looking for my Aquaman museum piece. I joked, that maybe this was a perfect opportunity to upgrade. At least mine was easy to find.

You won't see a dime. I think there's also a waiver and signs posted that tell WTC is not responsible for lost items. Someone would need to actually witness the item being taken away or catch them with it away from the race site.

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TrainingBible Coaching
http://www.trainingbible.com

Actually you can depending on what the state law allows. A waiver of intentional conduct is not likely to be enforced however. In California you can't waive gross negligence but you can waive ordinary negligence. Assuming NY law applies I'd bet it is similar

Thanks for the clarification. I'm not a lawyer, don't play one on TV, and didn't stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night, either.

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"Go yell at an M&M"

:). As to the op's question. It sucks to lose a piece of expensive gear, hopefully he gets it back. But in a race the size of an IM my philosophy is that anything I hand off to someone else I take the risk I won't see it again. If it's a $700 wetsuit that I absolutely cannot afford to lose/ replace I put it in the bag myself.

Even then it's not guaranteed. Who knows, maybe the volunteer got it in the bag but someone else stole it?

it s your responsability to put all your gear in your swim bag after the swim. It dosnt matter what a VOLUNTEER tell you...they are no professional and they do there dam best.
WTC isnt on the hook for that one...you are.... It suck, but we all know it s our responsability to put gears in the bag...if you let someone else do it, it s a your own risk.

I personally take the risk everytime and never put my gear in the bag.... but i m aware it s a risk of mistake happening...

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Jonathan Caron / Professional Coach / ironman champions / age group world champions
Jonnyo Coaching
Instargram

Hyperthermia - Too much heat.
Hypothermia - Too little heat/too much cold.

(Basically).

John

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Top notch coaching: Francois and Accelerate3 | Follow on Twitter: LifetimeAthlete |

Basic question- was your wetsuit labeled with your name or bib number? It's organized chaos in an Ironman changing tent and things do get left behind, but if your name or number is on anything you want back, there's an excellent chance of it getting into your bag once things calm down on raceday. The volunteers do everything they can to make sure athletes get all their gear back, including walking misplaced gear back to the gear bag area and putting it into the bag after the racers leave for the bike.

And wetsuits disappear all the time at races of all distances- I've heard plenty of stories of wetsuits disappearing from next to people's bikes in regular transition areas.

I have worked the change tent for a couple of IMs for both T1 and T2 as well completed 4 IMs.

T1 is the most chaotic by far as majority of athletes come in withing a 15' window. Stuff gets left, misplaced, and bags get tossed into the pile to be put back. The volume of stuff and bags is overwhelming. For the most part the volunteers do a great job. But on the floor can be piles of many peoples stuff that can be easily confused even when the athletes are still sitting there.

One year they ran out of sunscreen to put on athletes in T2 and we started scavenging sunscreen from athletes bags.

Volunteers do the best they can for nothing other than to improve your race day and make your race a bit easier. Who know where the wetsuit went missing? Someone could have taken it out of your bag even if the volunteer put it in it.

thanks john, that is really helpful, honestly it is :)

i won't be making the same mistake again

summing up cost of my weekend:

4 nights accommodation for a swim and 8 mile bike ride

lost swim suit

one extortionate entry fee

lost swim suit and new goggles

zipper on pearl Iz speed suit broken (hoping for a refund there), clearly you should not swim in that

all in all, a truly wonderful weekend ! when is the next one, sign me up now

Here's ridiculous. You decide NOT to be responsible for putting your gear in your T1 bag. Then feel WTC is liable because a volunteer didn't pack ALL of your items. You consciously made that choice because you felt you had a chance to KQ.

YOU are responsible for having all your gear, getting all of your gear into transition, changing your gear throughout the day, your hydration and nutrition and retrieving your gear. If you accept an offer of assistance to mitigate handling your own responsibilities, well, that is a risk you assume.

Just like with the volunteer wetsuit strippers. You have a choice to use them at your risk or not to use them. If they rip your wetsuit getting it off or yank your knee out of socket, that is on you. If you decide that risk is unacceptable to you then by all means remove your wetsuit yourself.

I always put my stuff in my bag. Transitions are cluttered and confusing and it is darn hard to tell whose stuff is whose. Sounds like you expected valet service.

Well what you think they should morally be liable for, and what they think they are legally liable for, are two vastly different things.

Someone at WTC may take pity on you and compensate you to keep you happy, but the odds of that are slim. But they aren't legally liable and are under no obligation to compensate you. Basically you left your wetsuit behind. That's what happened.

Have you ever volunteered at a WTC event? I have. Training? Uh, virtually none. They assign very simple tasks, like provide security in T1. They tell you to make sure only participants enter. There is no need for elaborate training.

This.



You are responsible for your shit. Not them, not the volunteers.

I have done 14 Ironmans, and every time I have entrusted the volunteers to put my stuff back in my bag as I run off to do my thing. If something was missing I would be upset, frustrated and pour through the lost and found, but in the end, it's my choice to save 30 seconds by not putting my stuff back in my bag.

At Kansas - that's a slightly different situation as they deviated from what they had published, but I had the foresight to label my stuff, which made it easy to find.


Edit: I see jonnyo more or less said what I said, before I said it :)

My wife walked right into transition and grabbed my bags and bike. When exiting she asked a volunteer if she needed to check out or show them the ticket, said they didn't really pay much attention.

course i did not expect valet service, don't be an arse - i get the message however, i was pissed off yesterday hence i was a little blinkered in my responses

i am sure i won't be the last to do this

i have a cooler head today

lesson learned

I have seen loose transition security in a couple of local races. That is an exception rather than a rule though. Usually it's pretty tight even at local races. They want to see body markings and/or bib match the bike number, or they want to see the ticket. I have seen people get turned around, or asked to show ID, because their body markings rubbed away. One local race has a huge hired goon guy in a security uniform to watch over transition exit. It was obvious he was no volunteer.

The same thing happened to me last year at IMPL, only they lost my whole T1 bag and contents. Brand new Zoot Prophet wetsuit, googles and swimcap. They never found it, I checked lost and found a few times. I didn't even bother to try to get them to replace it. But had a good race, so I wasn't as pissed off as you. I wished they had lost my T2 bag because I was looking for an excuse to get a new a aero helmet.

some of you people have shit for brains.

don't race with anything you can't afford to lose? that has to be the dumbest most pompous statement i have ever heard. maybe you shouldn't drive a car you can't afford to lose, maybe you shouldn't live in a house you can't afford to have burnt down.

who cares what his stuff costs. the fact is that it was lost or stolen at a race where the race is entrusted ensure the safety (from theft) of people's belonging.

for starters, my WHOLE family was in t1 in 2011. i finished the swim 30 mins ahead of schedule and my mother panicked and thought i drowned. my whole family (mother, sister, aunt and FIVE cousins) were in transition running around looking for me and checking to see if my transition bags were still there. we still joke about it these days. they had absolutely ZERO difficulty getting in there.

they also were able to retrieve my transition bags afterwards with no tags (i got my bike myself).

the reality is that we don't know what happened to the wetsuit. for all we know it was placed (hung) on top of the transition bags (that's how mine was) and someone snagged it.

i have complete sympathy for this guy. a volunteer said don't worry about it and that he would pack things up for him. i've done over 20 traithlons and i've always entrusted these amazing volunteers to do the task they told me they would do. it's like going to a club and giving your coat over to coat check and they lose it. same difference. volunteers in T1 is a service provided by the wtc.

you're gonna get screwed, it's just too bad.

Hmmm. I have insurance to protect me against both of those potential occurrences. Problem solved.

What does your race in 2011 have to do with this situation? People are merely pointing out that we all run the risk of having things lost or stolen when we race. Fortunately, it's never happened to the vast majority of us. I think WTC makes it pretty clear that they are not responsible for this stuff and we agree to all of that legal shit when we sign up. On Sunday at IM Canada, T1 was so full that some guys were changing outside the tent. A volunteer told me that he would take care of my stuff but I didn't want to risk it so I put everything in the bag myself. If I hadn't, anything that got lost would have been on me. I have some sympathy for the guy but I don't think anyone owes him anything if his wetsuit is never returned.

Or just a different opinion than yours. There are facts and then there are opinions. Fact is WTC is not legally liable for a lost wetsuit. Try suing them and see what you get. Are they morally obligated to compensate for a lost wetsuit? That's an opinion and everyone's got one.

People calling those with different opinions "shit for brains"? Those people have shit for brains....

I raced at IMLP this past Sunday and can only say that I've never seen a better, more dedicated set of volunteers, each of whom braved the lightning, cold, rain, and (a few) unappreciative athletes. The circumstances were exceptional, given that the swim was cut short for safety reasons. That forced the density of athletes all to come into T1 during a small window of time -- the top of the bell curve, so to speak. The volunteers were overwhelmed but professional in every regard. The fact that any of us got anything back in those conditions, except perhaps our bikes, is amazing.

What's next? Should athletes be complaining that the volunteers didn't double-tie their bags, which caused all of our gear/clothes in our transition bags to be soaked from a full day's worth of rain?

I'm sorry, but I find myself liable for anything that's missing. The policy is consistent whether it's WTC or not. And, neither the WTC nor the RD said anything at the briefing (which I attend at 95% of my IMs) that volunteers would be responsible for lost or stolen property.

I agree - the volunteers were great at LP this weekend. I'm sorry the OP lost their wetsuit and sorry they had a rough weekend but sometimes there is no blame - there is just bad luck. My advice would be give it a few days and see what happens, deal with the RD and WTC with respect and if you need to buy a new wetsuit in the end so be it, the luck will come back around.

shit for brains was referring to people who shouldn't race with things they can't afford to lose. that's just dumb.

every time you get off your bike at t2 do you run it to the bike stands or do you give it to a volunteer? what if the volunteer tosses it down a flight of stairs or trips because he forgot to tie his shoe laces and snaps your frame in half? what if a volunteer had to go take a piss and forgot to notify someone else and your bike is stolen? is WTC not responsible?

look at your next athlete guide. in the past it has said that bike transition has security through the night, it states that you have to show proof of ownership to go in and out/take things in and out.

the OP might have said the volunteer "didn't put my wetsuit in the bag" but he could have said my wetsuit was not in transition when i went to pick it up. there is only 2 things that could have happened.

1) it was misplaced (very possible, await lost and found)
2) it was stolen

if it was stolen it SHOULD be on wtc as they are the ones that are enforcing who gets to go in and take what out of transition.

look, i'm not saying that i personally would sue or do what the poster is doing. i'm saying that i think he has a right to feel the way he does. that and saying that you shouldn't race with things you can't afford to lose is stupid as shit. i don't know how many people can "afford" to lose a multi thousand dollar bike.

My wetsuit was missing after a race last year. I had my name and phone number on the white tag, and I got a call 5 days later from the lady who had been racked next to me and accidentally grabbed it. She said her housekeeper unpacked her bags and noticed that there were 2 wetsuits, but she forgot about it and was just getting around to calling me. She didn't have time to go to the post office and mail it, which is another story, but I did get it back. Hope yours turns up!

Diane

You're making a moral argument, not a legal one. I'm pretty sure the legal stuff you agree to when you sign up says that WTC is not responsible for lost or stolen stuff. If my bike went missing, I would definitely be upset that someone stole it but I don't believe WTC would be obligated to reimburse me. If it was my call and a bike was stolen from transition, I would probably work with the athlete toward some reimbursement. If the bike was damaged, that's another story because I wouldn't know how and when it was damaged. A wetsuit is a different story. You can't really accidentally misplace a bike the way you can a wetsuit. The guy's wetsuit could have ended up in another athlete's bag by accident. I don't think he/she ever replied if their name is on the wetsuit. If it's not, shame on him/her. If it is, there's probably a good chance he/she will get a call in the next few days like what happened to another poster. In either case, I disagree with you that it should be on WTC. Like it or not, this is a risk we all run.

Fine....I'll be the blunt one. This guy sounds like a dim bulb (based on his illiteracy here) and an immature and entitled goof.
The sarcasm sounds like that of a pimply 15 year old. Grow up.

There is always one who has to get personal

You know nothing about me - self entitled ?

Well done you for spotting my spelling mistake, you must have gon to skool - your mum must be proud (note the sarcasm)

Well done you for hiding anonymously on a forum, aren't you the brave one (note more sarcasm)

Dick head

No, they are not. Your bike. Your responsibility. If you choose to trust a volunteer, that is your risk.



Have you ever had your wetsuit checked to confirm it was yours when leaving transition? No! There are no bib tags to tie to your bib number. It is like your goggles. There is no way to confirm they are yours or someone else's. They only check the bike number and bag numbers. WTC doesn't "enforce who gets to ... take what out of transition". They don't check bag contents, etc. or all the other crap people have in their hands.

I know this is waaaayyyyy off topic, but you just touched on one of my pet peeves.

Don't call this guy out for being anonymous when you have no personal information in your profile either.

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Pink? Maybe. Maybe not. You decide.

I know he was replying to your comment but think he was referring to ahhchon? If he was referring to him, then I kind of agree. Again sorry for your predicament, but you seem to be more level headed now. Hopefully you'll be getting a call from someone who accidentally had 2 wetsuits in their bag.

maybe they should. someone walking out with 2 wetsuits could potentially be obvious judging by the size of the bag. they could always ask to check. what next, walk out with a few helmets etc? i'm not saying that the WTC definitely owes him something. i just spot a flaw in the system. for the most part we triathletes run by the buddy/honor system where we trust that no one is going to steal from each other but in the end WTC must provide some sort of check and balances to make sure people are not stealing from each other.

sooner or later some punk is going to realize he can just take wahtever he wants from transition. or what if an athlete gives his card to a friend and the friend is some kind of clepto and steals a bunch of stuff? granted, both instances are slim but i would hate to be on the wrong end of that. ya'll speak a big game, but if you lost your 700$ wetsuit you would be bumming like him and searching for answers as well.

I am sorry to hear about your lost wetsuit.

I was an IMLP T1 volunteer. We TRIED OUR BEST to help everyone out and overall I think we did a pretty decent job. As someone mentioned here, at one point it became quite chaotic but we kept our cool because the athletes needed help and an stressed out volunteer wouldn't be much help to a stressed out athlete. Our instructions were simply to help out and make the transition easy. To do that, I personally believed that we had two responsibilities: (i) Help the athlete change into his cycling clothes, riding gadgets, shoes, helmet, etc; and (ii) Put the wetsuit, goggles and towel into the T1 bag. I personally put the wetsuits and goggles of all those I assisted into the T1 and I would like to think all of us did. There really was nothing else to put into those bags except for those two items anyway. Sometimes, the athlete decided that he did not need his sunglasses, or gloves, or compression socks, so we would put those back into the bag. To be sure the contents do not spill out, we tied the bags well before putting them aside. There were a few times the athlete realized he needed something else from his bag after giving it to us so we had to find his bag in the pile. That was not easy but we were able to find his bag again.

By the end of our shift, we were all soaked, drenched and tired but happy that we could have helped. A good majority of the athletes were honestly thankful and said many kind words of gratitude before they continued on in their IM journey. Knowing what it is being on the receiving end of this job, we all did our best.

Frankly, I do not recall wayward wetsuits lying around when we were finished with the entire transition job. We cleaned up the place pretty well and anything we found valuable (a pair of sunglasses, etc.) was handed over to the IM official in charge of the tent. The only reason I could think for a lost wetsuit is that it ended up inside someone's T1 bag, particularly someone who did NOT have a wetsuit to begin with. That would have been unfortunate, but that would have been an honest mistake. I do hope you find your wetsuit. I am an Ironman too and I would not want to lose any of my stuff in any transition area - regardless of value.

Whatever I have described here happens in IM LP every year, give or take a few little changes. I know as I have raced and volunteered IM LP a few times.

I do hope you find your wetsuit.

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....my 11th trip to IMLP and I thought the same thing regarding the volunteers. I went up to someone who seemed to be running the show when I picked up my bike and asked if she was in charge and she said she was....(I think she was waiting for me to drop some @#$% on her?).....I told her that I thought they were outstanding.

FYI....I packed all my stuff in my own bags when I was finished and got everything back!

Yeah I'd be bumming but not blaming. He's even come around and admitted he wasn't in the right frame of mind when he posted this originally. Have you done an IM? There's a lot of people to check, it would take awhile. It'd essentially be a security line at the airport, after doing 140.6.

WTC does a decent job as is. It could be worse, they could do no security on T1 and T2 bags like SN bags. Rest assured you won't see anything back from SN bags