Classy, absolutely classy.

---

The Home of Advanced Running
Advanced Running Instagram Page
My narcisstic training log

So what. . . .The club spray painted the course (IMO an inappropriate thing to do) and this guy was POed and wrote a POed email. (Whoever forwarded the internal email should be fired) The club asked for monetary damages from WTC? For what?

Tempest in a teapot.

I think it was chalk, at least that's what Kelly said.

---

-Of course it's 'effing hard, it's IRONMAN!
Team ZOOT
ZOOT, QR, Garmin, HED Wheels, Zealios, FormSwim, Precision Hydration, Rudy Project

It is true. I am being coached by Kelly and was around last year when it happened (not in LP). There was discussion amongst the owners about what to do. I was incredulous and wanted to do something and voiced my opinion. Others shared the same belief but there was fear (justified) of reprisal.

Being new to the sport at the time I must say that I was mortified by the corporate response by the WTC. Being new to slowtwitch, I must say that I have been pleased by the activism around the IMLP #7. Agree or not with how things were done, I believe doing something is better than nothing. I have been at this for two years now and have done primarily half distance races. I will do a full soon but I will never do a WTC event. I made that vow in 2013. There are good and relatively small races here in the States and who knows, maybe I can get into Roth.

It's chalk but not like the chalk we used as kids, more like difference between coloring on your arm with a sharpie and an indelible marker. 10-20 days is a long time to have that stuff on roads.

read it again.

Sure, I bet the city of Lake Placid was going to bill WTC for the clean up and WTC in turn went after Kelly and her hedgehog posse. That's fair game, but the nature of the response in these e-mails is where is went off the rails into something different and far less professional. It does demonstrate a cultural arrogance within WTC that seems prevalent, certainly in light of Messick's current thread on the forum.

---

-Of course it's 'effing hard, it's IRONMAN!
Team ZOOT
ZOOT, QR, Garmin, HED Wheels, Zealios, FormSwim, Precision Hydration, Rudy Project

The girl did not spray paint the course. She used a type of paint known to people in the industry as Marking Chalk. It looks like paint, sprays like paint, comes in a paint can, but isn't paint, it's marking chalk. They usually say 10-30 days or whatever but it can take longer depending on weather and road use.

So she did absolutely nothing wrong.

Then you had a high level exec threaten to injure athletes, retroactively DQ them and "destroy them" and you thing it's just a wash and nbd?

This is why IM has such a nasty image to people. It's higher ups are at a massive disconnect with its low level employees and its participants.

---

The Home of Advanced Running
Advanced Running Instagram Page
My narcisstic training log

The city of Lake Placid may have felt differently.

---

-Of course it's 'effing hard, it's IRONMAN!
Team ZOOT
ZOOT, QR, Garmin, HED Wheels, Zealios, FormSwim, Precision Hydration, Rudy Project

I did. There is no colorable claim IMO.

Facts

1) Club marked the road with a relatively indelible markings (and depending on local ordinance and state law perhaps broke the law)
2) WTC requested the vandals clean up their mess or pay to do so (probably under pressure from the local government or due to contractual obligations)
3) Defense of the club: well the can says it will be gone in 10-20 days is not a great defense (try that one in front of a judge is you get caught tagging a building)
4) WTC VP wrote a blustery email for internal use.
5) Email was forwarded on.
6) Club demands monetary damages

I'm hard pressed to see anything here other than an over-reaction on the VP's part (meant to be held internally) and some hurt feelings and over-reaction on the club's part.

Perhaps, but marking chalk will definitely fade away and any traffic engineer or highway unit, etc will know that. It's a clarification that could've happened much easier than the nasty route this seemingly vitriolic employee of WTC went.

---

The Home of Advanced Running
Advanced Running Instagram Page
My narcisstic training log

This guy threatened personal harm against these athletes...over chalk. Doesn't matter if it were internal emails or not. He threatened to harm the very customers paying his salary. If WTC doesn't do anything about this guy then that speaks volumes about the corporate culture within the WTC.

---

_________________________________
The curious task of economics is to demonstrate to men how little they really know about what they imagine they can design.

Awwww how naïve. Show me a VP and I'll show you an asshole.

I really like my VP...I work for a company with as many employees as you have fingers on a hand though. :p

Back to WTC bashing...

---

The Home of Advanced Running
Advanced Running Instagram Page
My narcisstic training log

Not sure how to quote two people in one thread but someone else stated "a high level exec"


I'm definitely not sticking up for WTC in any shape or form and not even contributing to the who's right in this situation but I do want to note one thing that everyone seems to think. WTC, even though it makes millions of dollars, is a "rinky dink" company. Wanna know why I quoted that? Because Messick stated it.

WTC isn't some evil corporation like McDonald's or GM. It seems (to me) that they're just a small dumb company trying to figure it out as they go.

I realize I'm probably going to get scoffed at but thought I'd throw it out there.

The claim for monetary damages seems overly-litigious to me and is costing them a few sympathy points in my book but it would be incredibly one-sided to focus on this fact while completely glossing over a quote of the magnitude of:


I don't think we are getting the full story here and there are a lot of somewhat obvious questions like whether or not they offered to pay some more reasonable cleanup fee less than $2,000, but that kind of behavior and attitude from WTC is inexcusable in my book.

You are spot on and I have said the same in the past. They are small potatoes in the corporate world, they just get big exposure in our community. Having said that. the e-mails exchanged are so unprofessional as to warrant this thread.

---

-Of course it's 'effing hard, it's IRONMAN!
Team ZOOT
ZOOT, QR, Garmin, HED Wheels, Zealios, FormSwim, Precision Hydration, Rudy Project

They are small business owners who took a risk, worked hard and are experiencing the fruits of their labor/risk. Good for them!!!

---

--------------------------------------------------------

I've decided you work for WTC.

No one likes WTC that much and defends them in every thread. What's your M O!

---

The Home of Advanced Running
Advanced Running Instagram Page
My narcisstic training log

If the email descriptions (which we HAVE NOT seen) are real... absolutely. That's insanely unprofessional. "Cause harm" ... ummmm, that's a lawsuit... at minimum a restraining order. Wonder why an attorney getting paid didn't go that obvious route?

Personal opinion... there is a large chunk of this story missing and we're hearing one side. The side that is playing victim. So maybe take everything with a grain of salt.

But he didn't write that to them. If he had written it directly to the owner of the club that's one thing and my position would be different, but he didn't.

But he did write it. Even being the moron I am....I know not to put anything like that in writing. All it takes is one stupid click of the mouse and it's global. He's probably just a hot head....but he needs to be smarter.

Providence Equity Partners are small business owners... with $40 billion in assets. Laughable.
http://www.provequity.com/Portfolio/All-Regions

---

Website
Contact me for Huub and Falco Discounts

I know Kelly personally, she is an attorney and not prone to hyperbole.

---

-Of course it's 'effing hard, it's IRONMAN!
Team ZOOT
ZOOT, QR, Garmin, HED Wheels, Zealios, FormSwim, Precision Hydration, Rudy Project