Do you think, with your history of following Kona Slots, that this is a probable number? Seems low to me, but I've already demonstrated I know nothing.

Presumably if you subscribed to WTC marketing materials you would have gotten an email promoting this lottery option and been able to find the fine print describing the mail-in alternative? I'm just trying to think how many people would have actually known that this option existed outside of those following forum posts like this or perhaps FB pages.

Personally, I knew about the mail in option and simply couldn't be bothered to actually do it because my interest in WTC events has been so eroded over the past several years that what was once my singular dream, going to Kona, just seems more like a very expensive inconvenience to me.

With admitted confirmation bias, I'd like to speculate that at least part of a reason no one entered the mail-in is the same reason that they had to offer slots to registrants in the first place-- the Ironman ship has sailed.

Another reason no one may have been accepted from the post card entries could be a technicality.

They requested 3" x 5" post cards. Apparently, 3" x 5" is too small to be handled by the US Mail, so you have to send in a 4" x 6" or larger post card. I guess you could send in a 3" x 5" index card inside of a letter, but that could be rejected since it's not a post card.

My guess is they just rejected any submittal that wasn't a "3" x 5" post card" which would have most likely been all of them.

I haven't the foggiest idea. It's obvious the postcard option was there purely to meet legal requirements of a lottery and was not something WTC wanted hyped but rather were just hoping to drive registrations to an event. So, I wouldn't be surprised that next to no one utilized the unadvertised postcard avenue, as appears to be the case based on 10 of 10 slots won by registrants. On the other hand, you never know what information will spread like wildfire throughout social media, so I also wouldn't have been surprised if it had become common knowledge that the WTC Kona lottery was back in effect, but this time for free, and that they received tens of thousands of postcards as a result. Unless WTC cheated and threw away the postcards it is clear the former happened rather than the latter, but if you had asked me upfront how I thought it would go, I could have argued either way.

That would be devious. I'm going to remain an optimist and guess that they didn't do that because:

1. it's wrong and unethical
2. WTC doesn't really care who gets the 10 slots. Their ambition is to drive registrations to Boulder by giving the appearance that registering for Boulder exclusively gives you a chance at Kona. They hope the fine print postcard method remains secret so that people register for Boulder rather than send in a postcard, but if word did spread and they got thousands of postcard submissions, discarding those submissions does not change the fact that the primary goal of driving registrations to Boulder failed. So why risk it?

Considering the problems the last lottery ended up costing them I have to believe they are doing this on the up and up. It also makes me think/wonder if they are legally required to divulge or share how many people actually were entered, how many won by postcard etc..

Surely someone on a late Friday afternoon has nothing better to do than garner this info

Hawai'i 70.3 now on the lottery drawing block. Makes 3 races with 10 Kona slots each (+IMMD for the 70.3 WC)

So it appears they take away the 100 lottery slots and slowly replace it with race registration lotteries. Sure it lives up to the 'everyman' philosophy but it didn't seem to help Boulder much, doubt it will help Hawai'i 70.3. I do wish they drew it and rolled it down at the post-race celebration rather than announce and wait for claimants, would be more exciting.

Oh and legacy now gives 200 slots... so more crowding in the back of the pack too?

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808 > NYC > PDX > YVR
2024 Races: Taupo

The new bike course for 2017 is great. Have rode twice recently. 3 loops with some long gradual climbs and fast downhills and flats. No technical sections with very smooth roads makes this a fast course. Have done 14 IM's, 6 different loactions and 25+ 70.3's and this is definitely one of he best bike course IM has in the US

That is awesome to hear! How is it compared to last year?

Sorry I couldn't disagree more. What is great about 3 loops of the same crap? How boring can you possibly make it? Wait, let's do 4 loops next time on the Boulder Peak course. I did the same last week as you did--I was holding my words on the 2nd loop. The problem is they released the new course after sign up/registration was opened, thereby having those like myself, assume they were still on the 2 loop course. At that point I was already all in with the 2017 schedule & that was that. IF they are going to change the course I wish they'd get that in stone before registration goes live. I like that it is earlier this year for heat reasons, but man, 3 loops is really going to suck.

Post edit: I may have been a little too honest above & in hindsight, should comment that at least those involved in putting on the race are putting it on for us & seem to be trying (although not succeeding IMO) at making this a more enjoyable race for all & spectators while keeping costs/impact to the community down from a transportation issue standpoint. While I may not like the new course since released, it's more than I did as far as putting a race of this magnitude on. At least I recognized my stance may be a bit lopsided...