Strikes me that you have turned an acknowledgment of your accomplishments into a negative. Then again, you could just be diligent in making sure that no good deed goes unpunished.

At O'side, the volunteer at the first desk was just yelling out, "AWA can come to the front of the line." I did not see anybody doing any line cutting.

Yes, one of the race bibs had a teeny sticker that was bronze, or whatever, that had something on it like AWA or other letters. I paid no attention to mine and actually wore the other bib that didn't have any cute sticker on it.

I only had one lady get excited about my sticker on my bib, I think she was the t-shirt lady. I was going through my packet ensuring all my stuff was in there and she happened to see it and got all giddy.

I didn't see any other perks or passes at O'side. Not that it would've saved you anything but about 8 minutes off the process anyway. Meh...it's a nice thing they do, but is it super duper cool? Not really.

i got an email about this awhile back. Anyone know how this was decided? the line cutting thing seems like a good way to piss some people off. A separate line altogether might have been a better plan

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Rattlesnake Blake
With the "Venom Enom"

so another way the AWA is really just like a frequent flier program. hte more you race the more you are likely to be an AWA, then you get to jump to the head of the line at registration.

Nobody gets pissed when it's the airlines doing it. Why be mad at WTC, they just found a new way to increase loyalty and show appreciation for those who are loyal.

Stop racing WTC if it pisses you off.

It is the continued douchiness of the sport

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John Behme
Charlotte, NC

Race HITS long course and you won't have to worry about any lines, even for the bathroom right before the start.

The e-mail I got for Galveston says there will be a separate line, so at least it wouldn't be blatant cutting in front of people which would be crappy. If it is anything even close to a blatant "cut-in" I won't do it. If it is a separate line and table, why the hell wouldn't I?

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____________________
Rock Chalk!

This.

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"The right to party is a battle we have fought, but we'll surrender and go Amish... NOT!" -Wayne Campbell

Yes, one of the race bibs had a teeny sticker that was bronze, or whatever, that had something on it like AWA or other letters. I paid no attention to mine and actually wore the other bib that didn't have any cute sticker on it.
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I wondered what that was.

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Train safe & smart
Bob

I'm a proud member of the AWA club, me and 14,000+ other athletes. I think if you finished three races and were not in the very BOP, you became an AWA member. I did three races and nothing to write home about and I made it based on total points.

I didn't even know they had a ranking system until today. If you do more than three races, they toss out the worst performance. It's based on the wining time in your AG minus how far behind you were. More like a frequent flyer program.

I wish I could get a separate line for the port-o-john. That would be worth more than a line for registration.

You guys only got bronze stickers?......sorry.

You guys only got bronze stickers?......sorry.
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Gotta up my game :)

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Train safe & smart
Bob

This is the image I had in my head when I read the email...then some guy who looks like Chris Farley parting the sea of people to push his way up to the front.

For the record, I find this whole program pretty funny. Not pissed at all. While most will avoid the attention, I can totally see a percentage of people totally eating this up. I'd rather have a race discount or coupon, early entry to a race that sells out quickly, etc.

Anyone know what the AWA prize is that they are mailing everyone?

Do silver or gold athletes get a bigger AWA sticker on their bib?

Mine came in a box labeled Fra-gee-lay, so it must be something Italian.

anyone receive their "special gift"?

Pretty much how I would go about it.

Actually most of my sign in experiences have been quicker than I expected and therefore ended up with the ok what do we do now awkward conversation with family there expecting me to have some master plan for entertainment... maybe I wouldn't even do it if there was a separate table.

I had a a escort show up at the house unexpectedly. I thought it might have been from WTC even though I'm not an AWA member.

Or she could have been going to the neighbors since none of us really have house numbers that you can see in the dark. But they are pretty elderly so good for them.

According to the GF she definitely wasn't coming to my house.

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Brian Stover USAT LII
Accelerate3 Coaching
Insta

You WIN! "It's a very important award"

Although I'm not AWA, my kids think I'm AUA (All Universe Athlete). To keep up the AUA theme and prestige, on packet pick up tomorrow for a small local sprint tri I plan on practicing my T-0 routine by wearing my favorite tri tech tee, visor with Oakley's on the brim, 310 XT (not turned on) on one wrist, Road ID on the other. Run shorts, CEP Calf Sleeves and my Brooks GTS with speed laces. Guaranteeeeed I'll be able to push the three people ahead of me out of the way as I cut in line to the front.

As an AUA member I don't yell, "On Your Left" a simple "on your back" will do. On the ride I'll pedal up and over them, on the run I'll leap frog over their shoulders.

Boom.

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_____________________________________________

Why don't we take a 5 minute brake...?

I used the AWA to cut in line at Oceanside. Saved me about 20 minutes. The crew checking me in all stood up and cheered-literally!. Kind of fun. Got a silver sticker on one of my numbers.
As I hate lines, it was cool. Other than that, no big deal.
Like someone else posted in another thread, it is like a customer loyalty awards program. Wish they would give me a discount on races.

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Team Zoot So Cal

I like the two facebook comments on the bottom. haha

http://www.ironman.com/triathlon/news/articles/2014/02/all-world-athlete-awards.aspx#axzz2xrai4LYN

I think it goes wouthout saying that some other AWA members are as follows:

Prince of Bahrain
Gordan Ramsey
Hines Ward
Biggest Loser Girl

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_________________________________________________
When all is said and done. More is usually said than done
Ba Ba Booey

Amen.

Perhaps if you spent more time training and less time on the Internet bitching in forums you'd be an AWA too?

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Rodney
TrainingPeaks | Altra Running | RAD Roller
http://www.goinglong.ca

Believe it or not none made the cut. I checked. Gordon finished almost dead last in Vegas and did not earn many points. However, the person ranked just above me did a bunch of 70.3 races last year. You can buy an AWA if you really want one.

Well, they have to fill the void left when this mark of fine taste and elitism went away.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6FQNPmJFLs

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===================================
I'll tell you all right now, my seat is too low, I'm not aero and I carry too much fluid on the bike.

Obviously jealous!!!
;)

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Team Zoot So Cal

Wait, not everyone is an AWA? cuz if I am......it's not that special.....

Escort in T2 or T3 and then we're talking, man.

An "escort" or an escort?

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Rodney
TrainingPeaks | Altra Running | RAD Roller
http://www.goinglong.ca

all you guys need to train more!

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Randy Christofferson(http://www.rcmioga.blogspot.com

Insert Doubt. Erase Hope. Crush Dreams.

Yep. Agree.

btw….has anyone received there AWA item they are mailing out? Wondering what it is (seriously….not looking for smart ass comments…but I am sure some will be posted).

That's right I totally am. To think I have been doing it the old fashioned way; busting my ass to KQ or 70.3WCQ and waiting line with the rest of the schmucks.

And all I had to do this whole time was throw around some extra money that I didn't have to get preferential treatment that indont want. So yeah, a bit jealous :(

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_________________________________________________
When all is said and done. More is usually said than done
Ba Ba Booey

first an "escort" and then an escort to protect me from my wife! ;)

Or about any volunteers on the bike course telling you when to turn.

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_____________________________________
What are you people, on dope?

—Mr. Hand

1 It's the racer's responsibility to know the course.
2 I didn't have any trouble following the correct course.

the race was in my hometown, and I didn't have any trouble following the correct course either, but I'll forward your comment to bib xxxx--she nearly took out me and a CHP when she began to pedal through a left turn and I diverted her with a hand signal.

I will now light myself on fire to atone for taking the bait.

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_____________________________________
What are you people, on dope?

—Mr. Hand

I have not received anything in the mail. They said the end of March???

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Team Zoot So Cal

Hah, I guess if I had done a third WTC race last year I'd have probably bumped up to silver. Seems to me that if you're at all serious about triathlon enough to do at least three WTC branded races a year, getting bronze status and whatever perks that entails shouldn't even be difficult. Two races is sufficient if you're good enough to place high.

Ford dropped their sponsorship.

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Ian

Just wait until they start letting AWAs cut line at TT swim starts like Louisville and Chattanooga. That will really start pissing people off.

 I have not received anything in the mail. They said the end of March???
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I got mine today. A AWA luggage tag, a sticker for my bike and a letter from IM.

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Train safe & smart
Bob

I am an "ALL WORLD" athlete and all's I get is a sticker and a luggage tag??????

They are not treating me with the obvious reverence I deserve!

Yippie, I can't wait to get my hard fought prize. I like stickers ;)

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Team Zoot So Cal

That one AWA from the Congo is awesome. Who could forget that one race he had.

Do not overlook that your name will scroll on the athlete meeting jumbotron at any IM you do this year. I spoke with the awards lady at Texas 70.3. Two funny comments. 1. The luggage tag is the award. 2. Most of the stickers this weekend were put on the wrong bibs.

Only Gold AWAs get something of value...early entry. Plus you get to cut in line at athlete registration. At Texas this weekend they would literally move you to the front spot in line. People already in line were like WTF? LOL. After I saw the dirty looks I waited with the rest of the crowd. Plus, I got a silver sticker but I think I am only a bronze athlete.

I won't lie, I was pumped when I saw the email come through saying I was a Bronze AWA...then I started to read into it. I will say I am proof you can do two 70.3's and totally explode in one, and have a decent race the other.

My only conundrum is this, I was going to get an M dot tattoo on my calf (only two years late), but I am thinking I need to get it bronze instead of red. I mean, I am a Bronze AWA. Hear. Me. Roar.

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IG: NCGregory8778

Gold's get early entry? To what races...how does this work? Can you provide more details?

If you only do races in USA how does that me you ann All "World" Athlete?

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

. Probably because you are competing with people from all over the world??

So I guess Messick won't be cutting the line

http://www.ironman.com/triathlon/news/articles/2014/04/walk-the-talk-ironman-awa-employees.aspx#axzz2yDU1xN6Z

One of the best parts of Galveston 70.3 this weekend was overhearing this on the run between two guys who were passing each other:

Guy #1: "Holy shit, it's an all-American!"
Guy #2: "No, I'm All-WORLD!"

I got a good laugh out of that one.

It should be in your email from them. Basically, the awards lady said the gold AWAs get early entry options in "select" IM races. My guess is that does not include the really popular ones but I'm only guessing. I'd email them for the info.

What I'd find funny is if we could find an American that was AWA but didn't make the AA cut for USAT.

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TrainingBible Coaching
http://www.trainingbible.com

Just got my email for Haines City 70.3. It says there is a different line & carpet for check in. (I am not gold, so that's why I was asking about the early entry piece)....perhaps next year!

I'm sure there are quite a few as you can get AA by doing zero WTC races or all sprint or Olympic distance events. Even aquabikes.

Just a general reply to this thread (not the OP in particular.

I think the program offering some additional benefits to frequent customers of their events is no different than any business. Some fast athletes might mock at the entire thing and that is fine, most of you guys don't realize how blessed you are to just do the sport, forget about doing it moderately fast. A lot of people would kill to have your health and fitness. It's just too easy to beat up on WTC for doing what your financial institution or airline might do. It is fair business to reward your loyal customers. Sure, there probably needs to be some tweaking and streamlining, but purely from a business perspective it makes total sense.

My personal feedback is that I enjoyed the fact that I saved myself 60 min on Saturday's registration line up and I think that is totally cool given how much disposable income I give WTC. Air Canada gives me similar rewards and I am cool with accepting them. I do the same for my loyal customers in business.

And putting the business aspect aside, Just like Kona slots or Tremblant slots, this gives all kinds of athletes something to aim for. Kona is not in the reach of many so they try for 70.3 World's. Both these are not in the genetic reach of many, but perhaps they will try to get to the different levels in the program (by the way, I don't like the moniker all world athlete....they could have just gone wtih Ironman gold-silver-bronze or Mdot gold-silver-bronze).

Good work WTC. More refinements to be made over time, but you're on the right track both from a business and sporting perspective.

Dev

I'm one but only due to lack of races.

I agree and I would take my original post as a bit of a funny jab. I agree with the frequent flyer reference as it makes sense. However, based on my math, my two 70.3 races last year gave me more points than many people who did 4,5,6 WTC races last year. If it was me, I'd stick to set points for doing a race and give perks to those the most races. Not how fast you completed it. The ranking part (AWA rankings) should be a seperate measure all together. My $0.02.

Yup, me too. I don't race often. Two IM 70.3's last year and a local "half lite" tri.

Valid point.

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IG: NCGregory8778

I agree with just making the priority/reward based on number of races versus speed. WTC is trying to achieve two things with a single program in this case. I think they also "feel" that athletes who are more into competition are likely the ones who are likely to return more often, so they want to lock these guys in from Rev3 or Challenge or other events. I can see this angle from a business perspective.

Maybe they can just log your lifetime miles at WTC races and give you rewards based on that like the airlines do. Pieter Vanbrousek will be the first guy to the million mile club! I think I am pushing 50,000 miles of WTC racing alone (24x IM, ~70x 70.3) :-)

I earned 2,858 AWA points this weekend and 1,500 frequent flyer miles! I like the WTC's concept of rewarding frequent customers, like the AWA program and the legacy program.

You are now already a 2014 Bronze AWA member. No need to race again all year. :-)

look no farther than me. AWA gold and no AA status

Care to comment on the Gold perks? Did your email say which races you get early entry into?

Didn't get an email. At least didn't notice one. Can't help you out. Sorry.

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_________________________________________________
When all is said and done. More is usually said than done
Ba Ba Booey

Apparently non-gold AWAs get preferred entry too (I got this for being a triclub member too so maybe this is not that big of a deal).

Congratulations on being one of our All World Athletes! For this accomplishment we want to reward you with a special opportunity.

As you may have heard, IRONMAN announced today that Cambridge, Maryland will become the twelfth U.S. location in the IRONMAN® Series. The inaugural IRONMAN Maryland will take place on Saturday, September 20, 2014, becoming the first IRONMAN race in the Mid-Atlantic!



We value your loyalty and want to offer you priority registration into this first-year event. This means you will have special access to register for the event before it goes on sale to the general public. Emails will be sent at 10 a.m. ET on Tuesday, April 15 with a unique link for registration. There are limited slots available. This offer is non-transferable and available until April 17 at 11 a.m. ET. General registration opens April 17 at noon ET.

Thank you so much for your patronage to the sport and to IRONMAN over the years - we truly appreciate athletes like yourself. We will be contacting you with other exclusive offers throughout the year.

I was thinking much the same here. An awful lot of hate for WTC here on slowtwitch just because they have the most successful series of races. I've been racing for 4 years now (55-59 AG) I'm not great but I do pretty well for an old geezer, I did 2 IM branded races in 2013 and was surprised to have made AWA Bronze. It may mean nothing to some younger but really fast AGers but for me and I'm betting a lot of others it was a nice recognition. I had my best year of racing all around with 10 top 10 finishes in 13 races. Those finish times would make me look like a slug in most of the younger AG's.

So it earned some perks, I like that and why not? Those who said they be embarrassed to go ahead in line at registration, why? Why would it be embarrassing to have a gold, silver or bronze star on your bib? Preferred registration a few days earlier, who wouldn't want that? WTC is a business and they want your business, it's how the business world works. Like Paul said, it's just like all the other business perks out there, be happy and use them. Those who deride and mock these awards I believe are just doing so to try and make those who are tickled to have received them, have their moment in the sunshine clouded over.

Everyone likes to bitch, it's the American way it seems. I hear about how the USAT rankings is a joke, how the WTC rankings is a joke and so on. No system is perfect and most models are made to keep the majority happy. I guess that leads me to believe the ones bitching the most are the minority and they don't like it.

Like it or not, WTC / Ironman draws for the most part some of the best talent out there and with it the most recognition in the public eye which also draws everyone else and that is why their races fill quickly. Rewarding those who do well at their events is just plain smart business wise.

I got my fancy AWA stuff in the mail yesterday. My kids think it's pretty cool to read their old man is a 1%-er, according to WTC anyway, not according to my bank!

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The secret of a long life is you try not to shorten it.
-Nobody

I just got my AWA luggage tag in the mail. :-)

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

I was kinda bummed that there was no long check in line in New Orleans last weekend. In fact, there was no line. Was looking forward to getting my AWA swagger going as I passed all the slow suckas!

Who, by the way, would have likely passed me on the run.........

Fixed. Wear it with pride. Luggage handlers don't care if you are an AWA athlete or not.

I got this as a "Silver AWA" Hmmm I need to add that to my personal bests listing ;)

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Rodney
TrainingPeaks | Altra Running | RAD Roller
http://www.goinglong.ca

I just got my AWA award in the mail. I don't know what I'm going to do with the luggage tag, you can't write your name on it so I don't know that it will help me get my lost luggage back. I got gold and it says I can get early entry to any IM race (except Kona). I think I'm going to put my sticker on my commuter bike.

So I get a gold star on my race bib, a sticker and front cuts in line. I feel like a privileged second grader.

Since awa, sounds like a Hawaiian and the Ironman is in Hawaii I thought there might be a connection. So I looked it up. Turns out ‘awa is a plant with "medicinal" uses. It's kava in Samoa, from the website canoeplants:

'Awa is used principally as a sedative to induce relaxation and sleep, especially when combined with lomi lomi massage. It is also used as a tonic when people feel weak, as it is stimulating and refreshing, unless drunk in large quantities. Over indulgence in `awa use for a period of time can adversely (but temporarily) affect the skin and eyes. The word `awa means bitter.

OK. So, I got this in the mail and what a joke. Can you say GIMMICK?! I put it in the treasure box at my school so now some 8 year old is walking around as an AWA. I think that WTC just churns out these ideas to lure people into signing up for races, etc. and we all know triathletes love to do the humble-brag or the out right brag.....

So, what will they come up with next as a gimmick?!

KK