I'm convinced this is why IMFL sells out so fast. How many entries does your travel agency get from Ironman?

I think it's great that WTC encourages international competition, but it unfortunately makes it very difficult for US athletes to get in unless you're on-site to register.

not a single one of my friends was on site to register and every one of them got in via online registration, so i dont know i'd say it's very difficult.

Maybe because the last several years it has sold out and shut people out in less than a minute?! I also have been fortunate to get in online but there are TONS who haven't been able to the last several years so let's not pretend it's not a difficult proposition. Same with Arizona.

My friend got in after 25 minutes online. It can be done.

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Hi,
our contingent numbers are marginal but confidental. Except us Kenny Glah has a contingent.If we had no contingent the race would sell out 10 seconds later than it does right now.
Hannes

Not the last two years he/she didn't.

How much $$?

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"Keep those feet moving!" Me

I recall reading about a lucky few (very few) that got in more than an hour later when the internet jam cleared up and slots that were held pending completion of the registration were released back into the system when the individual had no intention of registering...just trolling the net to see how fast it was selling.

Yep. I was one of those lucky few. Got in about 90 minutes after registration opened - after initially giving up hope based on dozens of failed attempts.

How much $?

BUMP - I want to know too.

What year was that? According to http://www.ironman.com/...e.aspx#axzz3EFzFJByX

Event registration closes in less than a minute.
The 2013 IRONMAN Florida event sold out in less than a minute yesterday, a new record for IRONMAN registration. IRONMAN Foundation spots for the race also sold out in record time, so the event is now completely sold out.
Set in Panama Beach, Florida, the area is renowned for some of the country's most beautiful beaches and sugar-white sand. The moderate fall temperatures make it a perfect time of year to visit northwest Florida while the summer season winds down.
The race includes a two-loop swim, a flat, one-loop bicycle course and a two-loop run through the scenic St. Andrew’s State Park.

Originally from: http://www.ironman.com/...e.aspx#ixzz3EFzcLOUb

They said the same thing about the 2014 IM Chattanooga. I had a friend who got in 45 minutes after Chattanooga had closed. What basically happens is that they allow x-number of first come/first serve sessions during registration. They then put the rest in queue and tell you that you are on the waitlist until more sessions/slots open up. Since some folks, like me, would open up a few sessions on a few different computers, we occupy their allotment. Once we got in, we would log out of the system and free up more sessions for the people in queue. That's how folks got in after being told that it was sold out. My friend basically stayed online and kept his session "active" while he was doing other things. After awhile, he was able to successfully registered.

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

So then, are you basically saying you lock in your place in line during the first minute, but it may take you a half hour or so to complete the registration process? And then some who locked in their place in line may, for whatever reason, not complete the registration process, thus freeing up a slot for someone who comes along later? Makes sense.

Well, sorta. I think it says somewhere on there that you have 15 minutes to complete and submit your registration. After that, you are timed out. They don't randomly give it to someone who come in later. They give people a queue number and bring them in as slots become available. This has been the new process for 3-4 years now. The old way was first to submit, first to get the slot ... no matter when you got a session. People would just type "adsxcsddf" in all of the mandatory field just to so that they can submit quickly

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

Not sure what you mean... You mean how much was registration? Same as everyone else - somewhere around $700 (can't remember exactly as it was 11 months ago).

This was last year, for this year's race.

I tried consistently for about 30 minutes (approximately). And I got the message "race is full" (or something like that) several times during that 30 minutes. Walked away and went about my business, but left the laptop on my kitchen table. Walked by about an hour later and decided to try again for the hell of it.... and I was able to register. The actual time frame may be slightly different, but its not that far off.

I would guess that many people are trying to register via several different computer sessions. When they make it past the original mayhem into the section that allows them to enter their information, the registration must be "locked" at that point for a certain period of time to allow the person to enter their information. I would guess (and this is totally a guess) there are many hundreds of such "locked" registrations waiting for final payment and submittal during the first 30 minutes of registration. Out of these several hundred, there may be dozens that for whatever reason aren't taken all the way through final payment.

Eventually the locks held for these spots expire, making them spots available once again for whoever is next to attempt to register.

So you buy up slots for IMFL and create an account a few days ago on ST for the explicit reason to sell those slots for a profit?

We told him he should do it. So let us all calm down. It was not his idea.

What I mean, is what is Hannes Hawaii charging for the IMFL slot, as I'm sure its the $7XX registration fee, plus whatever they feel is the going rate to get into an event that is sold out

Appears to be $990 including a hotel room.

that's actually not too bad considering it includes the hotel!

Hannes came to Herbert and I last week and asked about an appropriate way to promote these special slots on our site. We told him about the options that are free of charge, including creating a forum thread and answering questions, and also about the paid options including banner advertising.

For those who have traveled to Kona, Hannes always brings a large contingent of German athletes to the island. And, who better. He was a top ten finisher in the mid-80's (4th in '85)! Many of the top pros book through him as well including Stadler, Al-Sultan, Raelert and Kienle amongst others.

This happens to be an available option for a race that is otherwise closed to general registration.

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Lars Finanger
Odyssey SwimRun