SBRcanuck wrote:
GaryGeiger wrote:
mdtrihard wrote:
From a friend at slot allocation "So many. It was ridiculous. Probably every one that wanted one got one"So sad. They are killing the brand. Take it back to 1 day in Kona, 2500 of the bestM and F and hopefully the magic will return. It's so diluted now that it's a joke compared to the benchmark it was in the past. I'm doing a full later this year as I wanted to KQ again, but now I'm not sure I'd even take the slot, especially at the price. I just did a Challenge race, and it put my last IM experiences to shame. Independents are awesome as well for far less cash. The distance is the king, not the venue.
Just out of interest, which one? I know Roth is super popular, but I thought that was kind of the exception. I've done two of the Challenge race locations in North America, and while the races were def nice, it wasn't the same experience as a WTC race. Both had 150-300 participants, and basically no expo, etc.
I did Challenge Almere. They did have different distances and races and it was the European Championships, so that may have brought more than usual. I was under the impression that there was appx 2000 athletes in the combined race field, but had not seen the final stats. I have to say it was a step above IM branded races I've done, all the way from cost, to attention to the athletes, a very nice expo, complete trailers with bathrooms (flushable) and showers and an exceptional after race feed. I didn't get to see all of the perks as a buddy had a crash and was hospitalized, but I have to say they were so helpful, from quick aid to him, direction for us, and storing his bike safely for a day so we could pick it up. The whole process felt much more as they advertise, like family. The CEO gave out awards and the treatment we received was far better than my IM experiences.
Kiwami Racing Team