I'm excited to see how this thread pans out.

Ironman doesn't allow transfers to another person.

Q: Can I a transfer my slot to another athlete?
A: No it is not possible to transfer your slot to another athlete.


Originally from: http://www.ironman.com/...l.aspx#ixzz4l6PnghMP

---

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

Ok, thanks, I also found this on Ironman's web page, but do you know if it's possible to come around this in any way?

If I accept the fact that I have no insurance if participate in my colleagues name, can I attend the race? Off course without Ironman knowing...

You could change your legal name to be the same as his, that might work

No and it is highly frowned upon. In fact, if you do try to do it and then you get caught, you and your friend will likely be banned from WTC events for a few years.

It's a safety thing. What happens if you get injured during the race or get knocked unconscious and the RD needs to get a hold of your emergency contact?

---

blog

Yeah, I thought the same, was only hoping it was a way around it..

Thank you for your answers, seems like I have to wait for my first triathlon experience 👍🏻

Having a half distance race as your first experience in the tri world might not be the smartest plan, yes people have done it and been successful but that is not the norm. For the price of this half distance race you could find several local sprints or Olympic distances that would be better at getting your feet wet in

If you are just doing it to try and finish I see no problem with just "pretending" to be your friend. Its your own risk, highly doubt you would get caught and if you did that'd be hilarious. I'm assuming you'd need to borrow his license or something as proof of id and hope they don't care.

No this is not: do at your own risk type of thing.

Huge risks to RD. NEVER do a race under someone else's name

Just curious why do you "see it as no problem" to blatantly break the stated rules of an event and place an enormous liability onto the event owner/director?

yes I am a race director so I am biased but I've always been curious why some people feel it is OK to break the rules as long as it is in their favor

I get some may not agree with that rule which is fine, that I understand but why is it OK to than break it just because you don't like it

curious

---

Boots
Fleet Feet Rochester, NY
Fleet Feet Buffalo, NY
YellowJacket Racing, Rochester, NY

I'm no race director, nor do I have knowledge of how it works. Am I wrong to believe that all liability is taken away once they choose to brake the rules? I don't know I tend to follow rules that pertain the kind of person I am. If I were to sneak my way into a race I would take full responsibility for whatever consequences I received.

I suppose we are lucky that what I see doesn't mean anything :)

If only it worked that way. And if only everyone actually took responsibility for their own actions.

Certainly isn't like that these days in the US and especially in litigious states like NY.

---

Boots
Fleet Feet Rochester, NY
Fleet Feet Buffalo, NY
YellowJacket Racing, Rochester, NY

They don't allow transfers. Photo ID is required to pick up the packet. So no picking up someone else's packet (VERY common practice in running races, even though they too don't allow it). If they catch you racing under someone else's name they will ban you for a while.

Speaking of this, there was a dude at Victoria 70.3 this year wearing a bib with a woman's name on it. Not Leslie or Michele or any dual gender name. But a straight up female-only name. Granted it is still possible that was his name, but it's far more likely she picked up the packet and he raced it.

I made an effort to remember the name and bib number, but 70 miles later completely forgot all about this until just now 3 weeks later.

I'm from New York haha. I can see why it would be a worry for a race director so I can respect why people think so negatively about it. People are always trying to screw over whoever they can.

That would be, to put it bluntly, a total "D*CK" move. Let's say you, racing under another person's name, got in a bike crash (which can happen EVEN if you are "just doing it to try and finish"). Play out the scenario when the paramedics/race officials contact the family to the name associated with the bib number, pull the medical records, etc........and take it from there.

---

leslie myers
http://www.foodsensenow.com

Just offering a different view on people running under someone else's bib. It's not about it being ok to break the rules, but rather frustration at the inability to transfer bibs. You can't help but feel cheated when you pay hundreds of dollar for a race, unable to race and see that money go to waste. There must be some way to do bib transfers from a technical standpoint (even with a fee), so this seems like a money grab. If it's "only" a medical liability issue. Why I can't I change the name on the bib and update the medical information accordingly? I have already paid for a spot and to support the race.

Why do many of us "blatantly" break the stated rule of airlines by not declaring our luggage as bikes and hoping the gate agent conveniently forget to charge us bike carrier fees? Because many of us feel ripped off.

I understand that it's a liability for RDs so I don't give my bibs away. However, it's nonetheless frustrating to have wasted thousands of dollars on races that I ultimately couldn't attend in the past 3 years. There must be a better solution.

Many people like me sign up for very few races because there's a good chance we can't make it. I'd probably race a lot more if there's some way to transfer bibs. I do not feel like I wasted money if my friend gets to race. I do feel ripped off otherwise.

P.S. Not talking about qualification only races like Kona.



I find it frustrating that race directors don't know why paying customers are tempted to give their bibs to friends. Many people don't even know the RD risk. The Ironman Q&A simply states bib transfer is not allowed. For many people, it's simply a way to get their money's worth without hurting anyone (which they don't know they are doing).

/End Rant. from a guy who had missed a lot of races he paid for (tri and otherwise).

Then people would buy entries to big races early and re-sell them

"However, it's nonetheless frustrating to have wasted thousands of dollars on races that I ultimately couldn't attend in the past 3 years. There must be a better solution."

There is...sign up for other races that have a policy you prefer. Part of their business model is that a certain percentage of the people who pay won't show up. If you aren't OK with it, don't give them your money. If enough people do this, they will change the policy. To sign up for the race and agree to their policy, and then whine when it doesn't suit you...it's embarrassing.

It actually is a shame there isn't a transfer policy. I know a handful of people that have backed out of an IM or 70.3 because life happens. So the person is out a bunch of money and IM saves whatever nutrition the athlete didn't use on the course.

Good business model though. I'd love for people to pay me for a service they'd never use.

---

USAT Level II- Ironman U Certified Coach

While looking over the Cheater Busting blog [where illegal bib swapping shows up a lot] there was this link

https://www.marathoninvestigation.com/...list-supporters.html



I don't know if this program works for races DON'T allow transfers, but it's a step

---

"What's your claim?" - Ben Gravy
"Your best work is the work you're excited about" - Rick Rubin

Another race director view. A small (500) triathlon in Canada.
We used to offer transfers between participants. This worked reasonably well for a couple of years. Then all of a sudden people started swapping bibs to others without informing us. It became an unnecessary issue so we stopped offering transfers.

We now offer 50% refund up to 2 weeks before race day. We get about 8-10 refund requests per year.

Do you want both of you to face suspension from the sport and banned from Ironman run events?

---

___________________________________________
http://en.wikipedia.org/...eoesophageal_fistula
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerebral_palsy
2020 National Masters Champion - M40-44 - 400m IM
Canadian Record Holder 35-39M & 40-44M - 200 m Butterfly (LCM)

boots has only hit the tip of the iceberg on liability. :::pink font:::it's so fun, such a great use of the rd's time and the hundreds of dollars per hour in legal fees over months/years for DEFENDING a claim where the rd followed the rules but the bib-swapper didn't and then got hurt, was in an accident or sued the race... and you all wonder why event insurance is so 'easy' and 'cheap' to find...::pink font off now:::been there done that and would not wish it on my worst enemy.

usat requires the rd to publicly note the transfer/refund policy. if you don't like it or can't follow it, don't pay the entry fee. find and support a race that accommodates your needs as was suggested in this thread.

*ding* *ding* *ding*

This is a big part of the answer (hopefully), and is what keeps me from wondering why transfers aren't allowed. In theory, it is to our benefit.
Add in the factor with the potential safety/liability issues.
Add in the factor of having to deal with shifting paperwork/rearranging waves/switching packing lists for swim caps, etc. Even if the cutoff is far in advance, what a headache it would be for RDs.

But, it leads me to think about the selling of races. Nothing worse than having a concert announced, signing up for the pre-sale, spending an hour at work hitting refresh over and over trying to get in at exactly 9:00 AM when tickets go on sale. And finding them sold out. Of course, you can get them from StubHub immediately for an inflated price.

Fair enough, those willing to pay can get tickets. But, the scalpers and StubHub make that extra money, not the artist, venue and producer. That's what bothers me.

I think for the popular races, instead of offering an early bird discount, they should come out on day one and offer slots at say $3000. That way, anyone willing to pay...can pay. That'll keep the scalpers away. Then maybe week 2, it drops to $2500. Again, the scalpers stay away and anyone willing to buy can buy. Then maybe it drops to $2000. And so on. All of that premium spent by consumers goes to the race producer, not a scalper. Sure, as the deadline nears they're maybe almost giving them away at cost. But that point, they've already made a little more than they would have. If there's a scramble at that point and you lost out...so be it. If the scalpers get into the mix at that point, they're going to have a tough time selling for a higher value as people who were willing to pay more already would have done so.

Just a thought. I haven't thought it through. We should run this past Levitt and Dubner.