Dev,

A couple of things I'd point out. Last year one of those guys would have won a slot in his ag without having to opt for the ceo slot. I think the guy was in the tri buis.

We looked into doing the ceo slot for my wife untill we found out that it cost something like $10,000 to enter. Why would you want to pay $10,000 when you can pay $400. Unless of course you want to donate to the ironman charity.

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I was, now I will tri again!
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Any time is a good time.
God Bless you my friend.

I'm all for it, and here's why. There's always room for another dozen or two people at one of these mobfests, anyway. So, how best to use up those last few slots?

Hey! Why not charge a bloody fortune for them and give the money to charity! Ok, great idea. Who is in the best position to pay way too much darn money for a spot? Hmmm...I know! Affluent businesspeople that want some VIP treatment!

This is the standard approach at any experienced charity. You offer various premium levels of reward to the people that put up the big bucks. Heck, at my kids' preschool, they auction off special seats to the Christmas program. For upwards of $2,000, some moms and dads get to sit in a little roped-off section that offers the exact same view that everyone else gets. Know what I think about that? I think it's great, because the preschool has managed to pry another $10,000 out of a few people that demand to be treated special. All the kids get the benefits, and I still get a seat.

I applaud WTC for doing this. They could easily charge the extra money and keep it -- but every dime above the regular entry fee and some out-of-pocket costs go to charity.

That's why I was also very much in favor of last year's Ebay auction for Kona slots. I hope they do it again.

I think it's an attempt to gain exposure for the sport but basically giving a spot away for $6,750 is lame. But then again I think clydsedale is stupid as well - sorry to all those clydes but that's how I see it.

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"your horse is too high" - tigerchik

Wow - double whammy. I am a CEO and Clydesdale.

I see the CEO challenge as a way of trolling for future sponsors. The decision makers are right there seeing the product and the fit people competing. I guess some different sponsorships may benefit everyone eventually.

A $6750 entry/donation is for each of the individuals to decide if it is appropriate or worth any exposure. I am sure plenty spend much greater amounts on odder things.

Fishman, I do agree it is a perfect way for them to fish for future sponsors as any CEO doing Ironman, may have a soft spot for spending some of his marketing budget on a personal hobby.

I guess my main point is the so called "purity" of the sport. Imagine CEO challenge slots at the Stanley Cup final or World Series. If the sport wants to be treated seriously, it needs to act seriously. For that, I commend (to some extent) the ITU. At least there are no such things going on at the World Cup or World Championships. I realize that the WTC at Ironman North America are a business first, but all of these "extra curricular" events take away from the event.

you said it yourself...money make sthe sport go round...change of heart?

"Sorry, but what is wrong with corporate and big. Money makes sport go around. If you want tri to be big, then we need money. If you want a fringe sport from the late 70's early 80's the best equivalent we have today is Ultraman, on the big island, or your local event, that you and your buddies put on during a weekend, with manual timing, free entry fee, a BBQ in your backyard afterwards and the only awards are bragging rights."

...and then there's this:

LAKE PLACID, NY – Ironman Motivations is pleased to announce that all CEO Ironman Challenge competitors, that are signed up by April 1 for both the Lake Placid and the new Austria event, will receive a customized top-of-the-line Ironman Stealth FS Wetsuit – a $420 value!



Huh??? Something tells me these guys don't need wetsuits. Meanwhile my man Mr. Tibbs has no rubber.

But, Lake Placid is not some championship event for the final few that made it through a long series of qualifying rounds. It's a mass event that anyone can enter. There's no more "purity" at a WTC Ironman than there is in the New York Marathon with 50,000 runners.

Even Kona is only the championship for a few people. What, maybe 10 people in each bracket have a shot at the podium? What about the other 200+ people in those brackets? Why not throw in a couple more and give some money to charity?

I think CEO challenge is relatively tame compared to other sports that attract CEOs with special offers. Executives will pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to play a round of golf with Tiger, or ride a few dozen miles with Lance, or play a round of tennis with whomever, or even do a few laps of the track at a NASCAR race. A key difference, of course, is the money doesn't get them an entry into the PGA tour, a real NASCAR race, or any other professional event.

CEO challenge is really tame compared to sailboat racing. Larry Ellison from Oracle and what's-his-name from SAP keep shelling out tens of millions of dollars every year to build new and better boats and hire crews for them to do these races, just to find some other way to compete against each other. If you thought Tri bike geometry and fitting was esoteric, you should read some of the articles on sailboat design.

Lee Silverman

Someone please get Mr Tibbs some rubber...all we need is some littles Mr Tibbses running around!

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"your horse is too high" - tigerchik

You're right and I was over reacting. But can we get the male 5'10" 123 lbs special division?

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"your horse is too high" - tigerchik

I was going to make the same point. Isn't the CEO Challenge roughly the equivalent of the AT&T Pro-Am at Pebble Beach?

I was totally with you but then you had to go and mention Larry Ellison, Oracle and SAP. Baaah! I work for PeopleSoft.

Nooby Dooby Doo, where am I?

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"That's not a medical test! That's how you hypnotize a chicken!"

This sport is not a professional sports league like the NHL or MLB - never has been. There have always been tons of amateurs and in this sport polluting the purity. And there have always been "sponsor's exemptions" or some sort of "buy in" in just about everything. If it was really pure, then why have age groups? Let everyone compete head to head - there are no age groups in the Olympics.

Who says that the "extra curricular" events take away from the event? My opinion is they actually add to the event. Charity is bad?

You can rant all you want, but there will still be CEO spots for Hawaii, and age groups, and sponsor's exemptions, and the PC division, and the lottery, and the pros, and the E-bay slots, and the occasional roll-down to a ridiculously slow time, etc.

OK, you guys got me convinced. CEO Challenge is good. Brings money to the sport, allows for fishing of next generation of sponsors and finally these guys are not slugs. They are after all doing a full Ironman.