snail_racer wrote:
I don't know, I don't think it's indignation, it's just reality. This is the correct call for safety reasons and I totally support it. But here's the thing: this is my fourth full IM registration, and now two of those have been cancelled for weather. I was in Gurye in 2019 when that hurricane blew by on race day. (Forget the covid-related cancellations for now, which are up to 3, it's a different issue). I spend somewhere around three grand after race registration to buy plane tickets, hotel reservations, car rentals, meals, etc. All of that money is just lost.
Look, I really enjoy training. I know IM doesn't control the weather. I suspect they don't really even control the decision to have or not have a race in poor conditions. I bet that ultimately the local authorities make the call; after all, they're the ones on the hook for water search and rescue, emergency rooms, and even "lighter" problems like bad traffic. But IM puts on most of their full distance events in the fall, when weather is at its most volatile. How can I continue to justify this massive expense to my loved ones when at the end of the day the go/no go is subject to a coin flip?
Ironman events are premium, luxury purchases. We are not getting a premium, luxury experience when the weather goes south. As an organization, they really need to make contingency plans. I'm so sick of this. We could have raced yesterday. I'd be to happy to plan a stay in a pleasant location for two weekends to avoid this. Sure, that's an almost unheard of concept for event permitting. But there is some precedent with the holding period for the Eddie Aikau big wave surfing competition in Hawaii. And Ironman is a multi-billion dollar company. They can make this happen.
Big Hawaiian mahalo to all the volunteers who showed up anyway this morning.
Nailed it on the head. Yet another example of this corporation lacking the foresight and planning to conduct effective communications and contingency planning for inclement weather.
Despite the cancellation of the race, thousands of athletes still travelled to the venue this morning putting themselves at an unnecessary risk.
If I were Ironman, I'd be embarrassed by the video of your reigning world champion, who flew halfway across the world and was going to race with a chest infection, standing in sideways rain at the venue learning about the race being called off.