mag900 wrote:
i'm not but nice try at trying to rationalize getting ripped off by WTC. remind me again how PE makes money when i buy a home from a private seller, a car from a public company, a tv from a public company. i will remind you that IMLP used to cost less than 1/2 of what it does now and had full pro fields, a mass swim start and better support on the bike and run. you sound like you are WTC's ideal consumer who enjoys getting ripped off.
I guess that would be me. Rip me off, WTC, please! I guess I have been under the delusion that the market price for a good or service is the level that clears supply and demand. If you like paying $450 for an indie instead of $750 for an Ironman then by all means have at it. But the market believes, and has demonstrated repeatedly, that WTC provides value that many independents do not. And I have certainly experienced that first hand. It kind of goes along with the saying that you get what you pay for. When WTC quits providing that value, or when the supply is too great relative to those who wish to participate, then and only then, will entry prices level off or actually decrease.
As to the pro's or lack of pro's at an IM. As if that has anything to do with the value of a race!! I guess you missed all those threads on ST where a large number of people consider the pro value proposition to equal $0.