Summary from Messick's answers on Kona 2023 mens:
we tried,
we couldn't,
don't make non-refundable travel (we might screw you up again, basically!!)
I don't know

At least he showed up, but I'm struggling why ST interviewer (Ryan) was so basic in his questions.
I wish he could have asked, what happen to those athletes that already KQ, paid for the slot, schedule flights and booked lodges (all non-refundable)
Is IM going to refund the slot at least if the athlete wish for it? if not, why?

Because that question was already answered in their FAQs. You can defer to 2024 Kona.

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Editor-in-Chief, Slowtwitch.com | Twitter

and refund option? non-fundable lodge and air tickets?
I just wish you could have put Messick in the spot and have a proper response to athletes, or have the decency of apologizing at least.

I’m sorry, but we’ve covered the idea of non-refundable travel before. Don’t do it.

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Editor-in-Chief, Slowtwitch.com | Twitter

I wish you had asked for more clarity and on when they started having doubts. It sounds like it was right after this year’s race. Why did they persist in selling slots to a men’s race in 2023 they knew was unlikely to occur?

Dozens / hundreds of men booked flights, paid for rooms, etc. based on their falsehood that a race was taking place.

They couldn’t do their jobs properly, then they lied to buy time, and now their customers are screwed.

Is there clarity that the 2024 event will even happen? Or is Messick announcing unofficial information again?

The guy needs to take his multiple Golden Parachutes and walk away already.

Oh right - I had to have hand surgery due to skiing injury in Feb 2020. I submitted a claim before the surgery with the race and travel insurance I bought through IM as part of my registration. They kept denying claim saying they did not issue claims against covid cancelled races..... The race was Cancelled in March....Back and forth back and forth and got nothing... How convenient.... Good luck

Did you have any off-line conversation about the rumors of Nice, France for the men? Are they considering Nice? Is Europe the Men's likely destination? Did you ask if they would rotate to other places in the future (like maybe back to St. George)?

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http://dontletitdefeatyou.blogspot.com

Did you ask him what flavor ice cream he likes? How about the bu$ine$$ drivers in the decision?

He plays the Victim all the way to the bank.

I get the anger at Ironman. What I don't get is that there are many alternatives. Challenge, Extreme or whatever it's called, etc.
It's not like the behavior is new. And ultimately they listen (a bit). It took what, 20 years to be able to transfer or defer races?
Vote with your money if you don't like it.

Not to put words in their mouth, but my read was:

—they received commitment to two days in Kona before this years race and made decisions as such.
—they saw the comments from the mayor but remained optimistic that with changes, they would be accepted; and
—it was only recently it was confirmed that it was one day available in Kona.

At which point, you’re left with three bad options:

1.) cut slots to make it one day again, despite having promised those (and all the registrations driven off of them).
2.) rip the whole thing out of Kona.
3.) do what they came up with.

At which point I think this is the best “bad” option they have. There should always be a WC race in Kona.

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Editor-in-Chief, Slowtwitch.com | Twitter

Wherever 2023’s second venue is, it will be a two year agreement.

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Editor-in-Chief, Slowtwitch.com | Twitter

We had a lot of catching up to do. But mostly about family stuff.

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Editor-in-Chief, Slowtwitch.com | Twitter

‘We have a sense of obligation to the men who are not going to be racing in Kona in 2023 to tell them don’t make non-refundable travel. ‘
This is a joke. Disgusting

I hope the PTO is watching. They should host a Pro and AG World Championships race with large Pro purses Sep next year. Hawaii Venue other than Kona or? Hold a few AG qualifying races - Partner with Challenge? Time to strike....

But should there?


Sometimes orgs outgrow their birthplaces. They move, move on. Find different pastures that let them grow bigger, stronger.

At least this time they didn't fuck the women over by moving them (or the men by changing the date 28d out)

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Brian Stover USAT LII
Accelerate3 Coaching
Insta

I think for now, we do. It's probably too much to handle to move it all out of Kona -- I can only imagine what *that* would look like.

I don't know whether this is the trial for beyond 2024 that brings us to a rotating two day world championships, or if it makes Kona miss having everyone, or what. As Andrew said -- anything is possible.

My reading of the tea leaves is they wanted to wait until they could announce the actual location -- based on that January date, they'd just have needed to push through WA. That also seems, at least to me, that they were still holding out hope that they'd be able to figure out an amicable solution in Hawaii up until very recently.

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Editor-in-Chief, Slowtwitch.com | Twitter

I predict in 2026 we are back in Kona for 1 day event. 2000 athletes, men and women. Back to being hard to qualify. All will be right again.

Not a chance.

Qualifying isn't getting substantially easier -- at least for men. It brings us in line with the number of slots that were available at races in that 2007-2013 time frame. At best a couple extra in your most populous age groups.

And they will not ever go back to one day.

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Editor-in-Chief, Slowtwitch.com | Twitter

correct me, but was it not ironmans stance last year that either kona gives us 2 days or we leave ....

also why announce 2 years 2 days in kona when something is not set in stone. thats not common for ironman do to. so what made them change their usual procedure to announce things that are set in stone , especially when for an outsider it did appear they really tried to pressure kona into 2 days when the community was not with them.

I think the way to get at that issue is to ask something like:

As you likely know, many athletes are frustrated by the move away from Kona. Even some who are open to a change of venue might not like the way it was handled. This includes athletes who registered for Kona and have already booked travel as well as those who have registered for an IM race with the intention of qualifying for Kona. On the ST forum, it's common to see complaints that IM has an indifferent approach to customer service, that it cares more about money than athletes. The fact that this announcement was made after hundreds of athletes already signed up to race in Kona is likely to feed fuel to critics' fire. How do you respond to those critiques?

From the interview:

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Editor-in-Chief, Slowtwitch.com | Twitter

By listening to the end consumers complaints and adjust the business model for customer success.
But wait IM is sorta monopoly as it’s the most popular tri races world wide , so why they should care in answering.

Yeppers. Threw him soft balls