Yes. It already happened. The club I'm affiliated with had the names to Ironman almost three weeks ago.

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Favorite Gear: Dimond | Cadex | Desoto Sport | Hoka One One

yep wave of the future.
I was with a tri club briefly but it was not for me,love tri's but when you get a bunch together it's a buzz kill ;-)

The # of slots given to tri clubs was less than last year. About half as much if memory serves.

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Favorite Gear: Dimond | Cadex | Desoto Sport | Hoka One One

If true, this will be an instant sellout. Which WTC loves to publicize (not a bad thing)

Did you get it for 2015? My club had it last year as well as two others I am affiliated with. We haven't heard anything about 2015. I assumed it was a one time, first year deal.

I'm guessing they went to different clubs then, I didn't hear anything about it for next year. May be because I'm registered for it already & we had the opportunity this year....who knows. I don't pretend to understand how the marketingwhore that is WTC operates.

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AW

I'm calling bullshit on this approach. If they are going to regional Tri clubs, that gives an unfair advantage to clubs in the region. for example, I am in the Southeast....I would like to do IMAZ but doubt clubs in the southeast would be afforded the opportunity to register early for that race. I actually thought it was wrong they did it behind the scenes for the inaugural CHOO.....although I was able to take advantage of it, I still felt it wasn't a cool approach.

I get why they did it for the inaugural....it's a way to hedge the bets that it sells out quickly, and a good way to ensure that you've got a solid base of pseudo-local people that are at least semi-familiar with the terrain and/or more likely to be forgiving of the quirks that come with a first-year event. Also a reasonable way to ensure that you get large groups of people there to support & volunteer since there are so many that can make the drive to line the course, cheer people on, volunteer, etc. (& not necessarily have to take up additional local hotel rooms & place any additional strain on the infrastructure) Example, there are large groups of people driving over from Nashville to cheer & volunteer. While it's likely that people from faraway will come in to do the race, it's less likely that they bring the huge cadre &/or the large participation that the more "local" teams can offer that an event needs in the early years to establish itself...

Once established as an event that's going to "make it" I can understand them backing away from the early club entry. I don't disagree with your sentiments but I totally understand why they'd do it for the first couple of years....

Note: this is probably the ONLY time I will openly support something that WTC has done...

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AW

Thanks for all the replies but I guess I'm still unsure--have they done it yet or are they going to before the regular registration day?

Yes they have done it already. My club has already informed the people who were picked and they have signed up.

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HoneyMaxx Ambassador
HoneyMaxx.com

I guess this another way to force people to volunteer so they can be assured a spot. I posted awhile ago that I didn't have any issues with WTC.....I still think they put out a good product, but the sparkle is becoming tarnished. I wish I hadn't heard they were doing this. Anyone know if this is now being done for other US events? If yes, bullshit. If not, why just Chattanooga. Perhaps this is a new approach for the venues that will have pro fields next year. Can't think of another variable that differentiates one US race from another, apart from this.

Slowtwitchers: I would like to "set the record" straight as it relates to early entry for TriClubs that are part of IRONMAN's TriClub program. One of the many benefits offered to clubs who participate in our program is early entry for first year events. TriClubs and teams considered local to a new venue are offered the opportunity to register early as a way of building community and generating support for the event. Last year we offered early entry to local clubs for IRONMAN Chattanooga. We are not offering early entry again with the following caveat:


Every year club members who race with us generate points for their team. At the end of the year we add up all the points and top point placing clubs receive prizes. One of the prizes from last year was limited early entry slots to our races that have high demand. Chattanooga was one of those races. 150 total slots were allocated to 25 TriClubs that won our club competition last year. Happy to answer any additional questions about our program – you can email me directly at triclub@ironman.com.

I call BS on giving any club preferential treatment. Why should I be forced to join a club to get entry to a race? What if there isn't a decent (or big enough) club in my area? Do I join the LA Tri Club just so I can get into IMAZ?

I get the value of clubs to the sport. But I shouldn't be penalized because I don't need or seek out what clubs have to offer.

No. Every race is a little bit different - slots are allocated based on historical on-site demand. For example the number of slots offered to clubs for IRONMAN Arizona or IRONMAN Florida was extremely limited because we wanted to make sure that we could accommodate athletes and volunteers who register on site the day after the race.

Additionally the point system and the prize structure is a little different this year. Based on club feedback, we tweaked the program to increase the number of clubs that are eligible for prizes (not just the Top 25) and added prizes that are less about registration and more about enhancing the club's experience with IRONMAN.

Thanks!

Thanks Liz. That's the only thing I could assume since we weren't included this year despite being a regional team. It makes sense. I assume the prizes are controlled for with your different divisions, allowing for smaller clubs to compete?

Is there a reason this is not made public? What "prizes" are awarded and to what clubs?

Why should it be public?

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Favorite Gear: Dimond | Cadex | Desoto Sport | Hoka One One

Sorry, I thought you asked why isn't the tri club program public. Reading comprehension is obviously a little low today.



http://www.ironman.com/...s.aspx#axzz3DW2IfCEN

We currently have over 850 TriClubs globally that are registered in our program. Information on the prizes, the benefits etc. is outlined in detail on IRONMAN.com. If your club or team isn't already part of our program - which is FREE BTW - you should consider joining. There is an on-line link to register to your club on our TriClub page on the website. You can also email us at triclub@ironman.com and we can send you registration information.

Thanks for the answers and clearing things up. Sure beats speculation and rumor.