my own hope is that sometime in the next couple of years the Town of Penticton and WTC come to the conclusion that they are better off with each other than going their separate ways. Then IMC will once again be held in Penticton.

I live in western Canada. I've done IMC 5 times since 2005 and have been there every year since 2004 to watch and volunteer (and wear my costume and run with competitors up yellow lakes) when I was not racing. Penticton puts on a phenomenal IM. LUV it.

and I may return someday to do a challenge race, but not for sure. I would for sure return if IMC was there.

Call me selfish, but I am not happy about the change from IMC to Challenge in Penticton. And while WTC deserves the kick in the pants that Penticton has given it (really desrves it) the end result does not please me.

---

Grant

Dev, I do not understand your comments that if it is a WTC race, all the little details will be addressed. WTC does not have a staff of experts who going around the world setting up and running races. For most, if not all, they HIRE an RD to run the race. I remember a number of WTC races that did not go well and WTC gave entry into others races, etc. So, if WTC hires a RD that does not do the job, it will have issues just like any RD for any company who does not do the job. So far I am not aware who the RD for IMLT is going to be, but again, there are not a RD that is 100% WTC staff that does this. And if they hire a RD with a bad track record and their are issues, who or what will really be the fault?

So, if I really wanted a race that all the little details were handled, WHO is the RD of the race is much more important than what title is on it.

.

---

Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

Boom Nutrition code 19F4Y3 $5 off 24 pack box | Bionic Runner | PowerCranks | Velotron | Spruzzamist

Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

Dave, what I am saying is that I generally trust WTC over other race organizations to take care of details. They may not hit all, but they will generally hit most as they have the overal corporate experience and can pull from event organizers from all their successful events to assist a local RD to get it right on the first shot at a new venue. Sure, there is room for improvement ALWAYs but generally I will trust WTC to converge towards success. Sometimes they can screw it up when they take on an ambitious project like NYC, but when they put on a 70.3 or 140.6 in a resort community that fits the blueprint of their generally successful business model, I'll be expecting them to make things successful. I'm not the only one thinking that way. 1000 new Ironman athletes at every venue generally feel that if they sign up for an event that has an Mdot logo, this is what they will get.

Challenge is "up against" the branding that WTC has established in North America for 3 decades when it comes to selling to the 1000 new athletes that are generally needed to get every race to 2500 athletes. WTC has done a great job in "selling the dream" of becoming an Ironman to the "general" public (vs ST hard core athletes). That's what Challenge is up against. Fortunately they have the 30 year legacy of Penticton to accelerate things. If they were just dropping a race into Tahoe, Tremblant, Kelowna or Whistler, it would be a much harder uphill battle for them to gain sellouts than jumping into Penticton. Good on Challenge for scooping up Penticton. Competion is a good thing for the market. In the end, I think all of us triathletes will gain.

Dev, I agree with you that WTC with the money should have better odds to put on a better race. I have nothing against WTC or any race. I just go to where I can find the best competition, the closest and the least amount of money. After that, unless I have really been burned, I go. Even though I have yet to go to a race that was perfect, there is not a race I will not do.

.

---

Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

Boom Nutrition code 19F4Y3 $5 off 24 pack box | Bionic Runner | PowerCranks | Velotron | Spruzzamist

Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

IMAZ sold out in 9 minutes. IMFL sold out in 20 minutes

________

I am editing my comment out. Upon reading it, clearly after gutting out an Ironman and chugging back two pints of Kilkenney I was writing more from heart there than my head and it came across rather harsh.

Today was great and congrats to all finishers.

---

@rhyspencer

How about those stupid people who assume that WTC was asking for $700 for an unknown race, and those that start labeling others as "stupid" because they cannot in fact read? Way to jump to conclusions.

WTC was asking for an expression of interest and offering a preference to sign up for the event, if and when announced. No payment was required.

"...volunteers and athletes will be put on a preferred registration list for the new IRONMAN Canada, tentatively slated for late August/early September 2013. Please note: you must complete the entire process and click “submit” to confirm your place on the registration list. Access to this link is available for a limited period of time, between Aug. 25 at noon PT and Aug. 30 at midnight PT. The preferred list will give volunteers and athletes one week (in advance of general proposed registration) to sign up for the new IRONMAN Canada event. "

Rhys, congrats on your race and finishing the last "IMC" as we know it. Solid day out there! I think a guy like you will benefit more when this is Challenge series. With a strong swim and bike you're out ahead of the Tour de France train to Richter doing all the work by yourself. Once it is Challenge, there will be less of that. Less guys swimming 1:05-1:15 who will put down those blazing run splits (Just commenting on the current dynamic of the density on the bike in the race, not anyone in particular swimming in that range).

Anyway, well done, and yes, I did the advanced "expression of interest" sign up for the future WTC event....it still hurts to call it IMC though. I hope they call it something else like IM Whistler or IM Calgary. It would be a travesty to call this new one IMC.

Dev

Way to cherry pick. How about IMWI & IMLP. Those races also sell out quickly. Are those easy?

StG suffered because of several factors: 1) it was hard, 2) it was early season, and 3) it's in the middle of nowhere. It would've struggled regardless of it being hard or easy. WTC made the right move canning that race. The announcement to shut it down was prescient given what happened the day of the race. Very few people would've registered for that race next year had it not been put in the grave.

Someone else pointed out the fallacy of the rest of your statement so I won't go there.

---

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

I've edited my post upon reflection.

---

@rhyspencer

Thanks Dev,

re: this WTC mess. Clearly I am on the side that they screwed this up and the email the eve of the race was just another tipping point for me, as a consumer, that in my opinion they've lost the plot. That is my opinion. Which ain't worth much.

Thanks again Penticton!

---

@rhyspencer

As an aside. I didn't see a single train this year when I saw a couple in years past. One dude was drafting so blatantly it was funny but no trains at all that I noticed.

---

"the trick is to keep losing weight until your friends and family ask you if you've been sick. then you know you're within 10 pounds. if they start whispering to each other, wondering if you've got cancer or aids, you're within 5. when they actually do an intervention, you're at race weight." - Slowman

yes. actually to add comment to that. I was thinking riding all the way to Richter's that my swim must have been so shit that I lost the plot completely as I was completely solo. I passed maybe a dozen riders, again all solo, one by one. I only found a rather small pack on Richter's, then rode with 5 riders to the out and back (including Janelle Morrison which was amazing to see. What a great story), then that was it. Solo from there all the way to town.

I think the potential reason could be the expansion into the US of races and the timing of IMC to Kona as well as the 50 spots, quite a few fast guys pick other races to try and qualify.

---

@rhyspencer

Not sure if I buy it. I think it still comes down to a numbers game.

How many athletes want to do a full distance race, and how many races are there for them to do.

B2B and Vineman I think do pretty well, but think if there was another race or two in New England, IMLP would probably not sell out.

Did Sopranoman sell out because it was a "great" or "desirable" race, or was there a large population who thought it was convenient and they would not have to spend thousands traveling?

Conversely, look at the 70.3 series. Mooseman? Gone? Rhode Island? Gone? Timberman not selling out

WTC has two things going for them. The biggest is Kona, and there are still bucketlisters who are itching for this race, and pair that with limited stock of races, i.e. for the North American community, how many races are their and how many triathletes?

Challenge may not have the name here in the States, yet, but if they can create something like Roth and add a few more, then that will be some competition.

Rev 3 runs all their own races, and is focused on the athlete experience. They did well with Portland and turned that race around after a snafu with a town that pulled out, and I see them adding more races annually, and getting a full distance in New England I think would address a huge need. Could also see them in Cali and a few other locations.

I did Tremblant because of the venue and closeness. LP is technically closer, but think the roads are shot currently and did not want to deal with paying resort accomondation prices for Motel rooms. Looking at the IM Map, St George actually was an appealing race to me, just not crazy about the date given most of my training for such an event would be in the snow of New England. Have no interest in IMFL, IMAZ, IMKY, CDA

Wisconsin maybe, Texas maybe, Tahoe looks interesting, but like Canada, a lot of traveling for me, which I would rather save the money.

There are what, 10 WTC IM races in North America currently?

Would be very interesting to see if WTC puts another race in Western Canada with Challenge now there how the races sell.

One advantage WTC has compared to B2B and some other independent long distance races is awareness. Someone decides they want to do an Ironman, they look, see a bunch of races and select. It takes a little more effort to look outside. As Rev 3 grows, hopefully adds some more full races, they appear to be making a headway for people to start looking and seeing what other races they have to offer.

Would Mooseman still be around if Quassy was not there?

It is apparent to me that the WTC is very profit conscious and once a race starts loosing money, it is not long for the WTC. Think Poconos will survive a couple more years in its time slot? Poconos is only 70% full with 5 weeks left, and not sure how much of that was because of deep discount offerings. Forget the deal I saw on Active a while back, but the Half was steeply discounted.

WTC still has a stranglehold on the full distance in North America, but I think Challenge gives them a run for their money in Europe and if Felix can get one or two races in the US and Canada and get one of these to be like Roth, then those sell out numbers will get longer and longer to hit