starting at $10,000USD. Granted for a good cause, but I think you would need to have a screw loose to pay at least $10K for a slot. Then again, I also think all the emphasis on Hawaii is overrated. I'll bet anyone $5,000 USD that a slot goes for at least $50,000 USD.

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Brian Stover USAT LII
Accelerate3 Coaching
Insta

for that price, you can go to Tahiti, race the Aitoman, take your whole family with you and stay 3-4 weeks...
you can go race IM BRazil, spend a week there and invited 8 of your friends, entry fees included.
if you check the number of entries available in the world, a rough estimate gives that, if the WTC puts just $50 of the entry fees towards the construction of the YMCA, it will raise more than $1M, but then this would come from the WTC's pocket.

 . . . in the 30-39 slot, "eddiehays" has opened the bidding. Curious as to his bidding proclivities, I checked out his ebay history, and he has only 6 transactions, the most recent of which consist of buying what appears to be individual Dungeons and Dragon's-type trading cards, for around $2.00 each. Interesting . . . or not. . .

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"The mind can calculate, but the spirit yearns, and the heart knows what the heart knows."

I hate to say it, but if they sold for close to the openning bid, I don't think that would be too high. Hell, if it gets close to the end of bidding and the price hasn't been run up too much, I'm going to bid on one. A friend of mine just spend ten grand to go to France to watch Lance ride in the Tour. The key word being watch. He probably would have mortgaged his house to actually ride with (well, maybe not with, but in the same race as) Lance.

I think if you are a fan of Nascar, you'd pay $10,000 to drive in one of the races. Or if you were a big football fan, I bet you would pay $10,000 to actually play in the Super Bowl. Or how much would it be worth to actually pitch in the final game of the World Series? Well, you get my point.

I'm predicting an average selling price of $25,000.

And don't forget that there are plenty of big corporate executives that could buy a slot for a key employee, or a key supplier, or a very good customer.

Yeah but lets not forget that the money paid is 100% tax deductable, and lots of folks donate much more than $10k every year, so the entry may just be a bonus!

Yes SouthernTim, I checked it out to. I'm a little supprised that the auction wasn't private, but then I guess its just a shameless deal anyway.

Some other good points made too. Particularly about the TAX benefits. For the average upper middle class triathlete they might not mean that much but for the rich that are in a 50% tax bracket and got lots of money anyway its not that big of a deal. I would venture to say the slots will go for $25k to $35k considering the tax writeoff.

I figure my first ironman cost me at least $5k with entry, bike, gear, travel expense etc. Not that it would have to cost that much but I would say thats probably about average considering that I'm not including lost wages from training and not working.

Bottom line I think the slots will go to the truely rich and that kind of money is mearly chump change to Michael Jackson.

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I was, now I will tri again!
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Any time is a good time.
God Bless you my friend.

Before you or the hypothetical rich person plunks down $10K plus for a spot with the expectation of the payment being “fully deductible”, I would seek advice from a tax professional. Not a seasonal tax preparer.

If you pay a qualified organization more than fair market value for the right to attend a charity ball, banquet, show, sporting event, or other benefit event, you can deduct only the amount that is more than the value of the privileges or other benefits you receive.
If there is an established charge for the event, that charge is the value of your benefit.
If there is no established charge, your contribution is that part of your payment that is more than the reasonable value of the right to attend the event.

So what is the fair market value of the entry plus additional goods and services received? This is again where I would want the opinion of a tax professional.

Look, I just talked to someone (not an accountant though) that knows allot more about taxes etc. than I do and...

While the donation may be fully deductible, there can be significant benefits to IMNA. I'm speculating but they can deduct some of there overhead, they can pay some people nice money to handle the administrative costs of the program etc...

Another words its not just a feel good thing. There is money in it. Does that surprise you?

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**********************
I was, now I will tri again!
...
Any time is a good time.
God Bless you my friend.

Yes but the average Football/baseball/Nascar fan can not compete in the events you listed. You have to be a professional to be in the Super Bowl, world series, TdF. You have to spend most of your life training and then be lucky enough to be on the right team at the right time.
IMH is different because non-professional age groupers CAN participate and do every year. If a fit triathlete of a few years decides at 33 he wants to go to IMH he can bust his ass for a few years and maybe get a spot. If that same 33 year old decides he wants to be in the TdF with Lance or throw a pitch at the World Series he can keep dreaming, it will never happen.

A