x2

The PGA charges, (well, at least I know they did for the PGA Championships awhile back), but it was a discounted price from a regular ticket. You pay to volunteer, but you also got 2, 4 day tickets into the event. It was a lot cheaper to volunteer than it was to buy a regular ticket.

How? They figured out a way to potentially raise more revenue from a small percentage of racers while keeping race entry fees the same for most people. People should be pleased IM didn't just raise all entry fees another $100.

I've done the Esprit IM in Montreal, a fantastic event for first-timers, and will be doing Beach to Battleship in a couple of weeks. I've also done three IM brands. They are all great races, and if WTC did not act the way they do, and charge what they charge, I would continue to race WTC races. But I am voting with my pocketbook, and I can't see my self doing a WTC race anytime soon (That said, If they came out with a race that I really wanted to do, I wouldn't not do it simply because it was a WTC event). If people continue to do WTC races, and are happy with the product and the service they received for the price, then they should continue to happily race WTC. For those of us who think that WTC has become more of a burden to Triathlon then a blessing, I think we should vote with our pocketbooks, and not be afraid to discuss our dissapointment with the direction that IM has taken.

my intial reaction was just like many here, somewhat aghast. Upon further reflection, I wonder what, if any, real impact this will have. I am certain there will be a number of folks that sign up. I say that because I would consider it if I had a race I wanted to do and wanted to guarantee entry (although this does not guarantee entry).

That said there are IM races that do not sellout (or at least no even close to immediately)...Cozumel being one. I think this option stops those that went to Penticon or LP to stand in line (which actually seems reasonable), but I am not sure it will reduce the opportunity for many in real world application.

I think the real demand for IM races is not as high as most think. I understand that many sellout quickly, but I do not believe tens of thousands are turned away, I think there is a small subset of folks that do not get in to the event they want and they will be the ones to decide if $1k is worth the price of admission.

Oh and WTC = money grubbing **ores

This kind of pissed me off also when I read it - but if you think about it as an alternative to traveling to a race and volunteering
it has some appeal.

I like working races and try to do at least one per year (local ones, not IMs) , but if you're busy or don't particularly like wearing a reflective
vest, this is a reasonable alternative.

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" I take my gear out of my car and put my bike together. Tourists and locals are watching from sidewalk cafes. Non-racers. The emptiness of of their lives shocks me. "
(opening lines from Tim Krabbe's The Rider , 1978

It is ridiculous. Unfortunately, the WTC is a for-profit organization. When you continually increase your prices year after year yet sell out races faster year after year it is hard to not continually find ways to make more money and continue to raise the prices. I don't like it but it will continue and probably at the same pace we see growth in triathlon. Vote with your feet, I doubt the private equity guys read slowtwitch forum posts nor care what they say if they did.

I'm already registered for next year's IM KY, but things like this make me more likely to go indy for future IMs.

My reaction is colored by the emotions I have in connection with the WTC events I have done.

Ironman Canada was more than "A Race" for me. It was one of those "life events" that really affect who you are and who you become. I was fortunate enough to do it four times, all before WTC became so ragingly crass. It was still something of a hometown race 10 years ago, and that's how I remember it.

I also raced at Lake Placid on its fifth anniversary. Got spanked that day, but loved the course, loved the town, loved the friends with whom I shared a house and the race, and have always dreamed of going back.

I think my resentment about this latest money-grab by WTC has to do with the feeling that they have effectively relieved me of my fantasy of ever going back to those particular races. They have reduced events that, to me, are more than "just races" to simple commodities subject to the laws of supply and demand.

My rational self agrees with those who point out that this is a savvy business move, testing the waters to see "what the market will bear". My rational self also agrees that "there are other races", and one does not have to race WTC races.

Those things are true. But my emotional self mourns, because now I can't go back to THOSE races. Because THOSE races are now expensive "trinkets" that I just can't afford. Whatever practical arguments you might want to make about simply doing other races, the fact remains that certain events that WTC owns are simply SPECIAL. And they know it. It's not the WTC brand that's special--- it's the particular events. And those two events in particular will get snapped up by "Access" members, guaranteed.

And then, of course, there is Kona. Canada has always actually been a better event, to tell you the truth. But Kona is the granddaddy. It's just hard to see something that originally had such an aura of transcendence about it being reduced over the years to a mere sales gimmick. But heck, it's happened to Everest as well.

I guess everything's for sale, in the end. Bummer!

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TriBaby
"The rule is, jam yesterday, and jam tomorrow, but NEVER jam today." ---The White Queen

Then don't. Personally, I am having a hard time stifling a yawn over this one. They will continue to raise prices until they are at an equilibrium and marginal profits top out. This is kind of a clever way to do it.

PEP bought this thing at the top of the last market and damn there better be a pony in there somewhere. I wish them luck.

Oh yeah, I just hadda laugh. When I first got the spammail on this, I glanced at it and thought the price tag was $100 and just shook my head. Took a closer look, saw it was $1000, and just started laughing! at the sheer balls on dem WTC'ers. I would love to have been in that meeting when this idea was generated and hashed out. They sure like those nice round numbers, and how to focus on the leverage, leverage, leverage....

Two things I kinda like about it:
1. if you wanted to do a Dean Karnazas and hit an IM a month around the world, you could be sure of getting in.
2. The WTC makes no apologies for their agenda and just goes forward with it-man, you gotta give 'em that, no more pretending with an IM family thing, deep respect for the sport, it's all about the dream...

Oops, sorry, 3 things-
3. you get a membership card!

WTC is starting to remind me of the only kid on the block who owned a football. If he didn't score a TD on every touch, he just took it and went home....

TriBaby, thanks for taking the time to write your thoughts. You said it perfectly.

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"your horse is too high" - tigerchik

I think we may agree more than you think

One does not have to have 100% of the market to have a monopoly. One has "monopoly power" when one is able to raise the price of its goods without any negative consequence. Right now, WTC essentially has monopoly power over iron distance racing from the point of view of the participant. There are few iron distance races available, and the vast majority of iron-distance races are controlled by WTC. From the point of view of the triathlon participant, WTC has monopoly power over who can race in Iron distance racing.

And although they have now moved into the realm of trying to prevent competition by blacking out dates before AND AFTER their events (give me one good reason why they need a black out AFTER an event -other than to prevent competition) they do not have monopoly power over who can run an iron-distance race. And that is where the competition comes in, and why the notion of competition is not inconsistent with a claim of monopoly by the WTC. Because (aside from the aforementioned attempt by WTC to blackout dates) there are no WTC imposed barriers to putting on an iron distance race, once enough people become disaffected with WTC, an entrepenuer will start a triathlete-friendly im-distance raceor race series. So I agree to a certain extent that just because they are the only ones doing what they are doing, that doesn't make them a monopoly.


as for your comment that "the growth of Triathlon as a whole will spawn competition for the WTC" I agree, but WTC's policies (in my opinion) have not really been dedicated to growth of the sport--rather, as many who agree or disagree with the WTC have said, their policies have been about making money. After all, WTC is not an organization owned by athletes or sportsman who do what they do because of the love of the sport, its owned by financiers, who are looking to squeeze every last dime out of the brand that they can, for as long as they can.

As you say "They will not be the only player for long." I agree, and its my opinion that their strategy of brand management and profit optimization will accelerate that competition.

I wonder if you get a "free" IM sticker?

While I undedrstand that WTC is a business and wants to maximize it's profits so that it can sell off everything in 2 or 3 years there is nothning that says that we have to play with them.

The term Ironman means nothing now since they have devalued it to the point where anyone can go to their Tampa store and buy almost anything that says Ironman. It is no long a term represnting the pinnacle of human effort and endurance.

While I'm guilty as charged for participating in WTC event in the past I'm going to look at things very carefully in the future. Been there and done that and I for one have my limit as to how far I will be willingly abused - which is how I see it.

I didn't read through all the posts so sorry if this has been mentioned... looking at the list of events one can pre-register for - (2012 IMC, Wisconsin, Louisville, Wales) - WTC, for the low, low price of $1000 now gets to hold onto your registration fee for 2 years instead of the "normal" one year!!! :)

Didn't they raise (and then drop) the price of the community fund. About a year ago it was $1300, now it's back down to what it was before.

I bet this program doesn't last long (or at lest doesn't sell out). They don't have anything to lose in having it, but it's probably too much $.

great post and agreed Tricia. Nice to see you on here, it's been too long.

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Mike Plumb, TriPower MultiSports
Professional Running, Cycling and Multisport Coaching, F.I.S.T. Certified
http://www.tripower.org

I don't blame them for making money - but I think this is a bad move for the Ironman world championship. Continuing in this vein, instead of the Best of the Best - we will be down to the Best of the Best (who can afford it).

I'd sign up, but only if the membership card was carbon fiber.

Hi Mike! Yeah, I still check in every once in a while. Sorry for the public reply, everyone, I've forgotten how to Personal Message through ST.

Yeah, us old codgers, we have a very sentimental attachment to the older IM races that makes it hard to see them turned into mere cash cows. That place where emotions and business interests collide is always a minefield. They don't always play nicely together, do they?

I will be forever grateful to the "old" pre-WTC Ironman and IMNA organizations for providing a framework in which I had the privilege of testing myself and my physical limits. Basically, any of us is free to challenge our physical limits any time, any place; we don't have to rely on some organization to set that up for us. But it sure was "convenient", if you will, that those particular organizations ran these beautiful events known as "Ironman Triathlons" that gave the whole thing a structure. The races provide(d) a framework around which to focus your efforts, a simple goal that seemed at once achievable and formidable. It's a pretty awesome thing.

Just don't get too emotionally wrapped up in a WTC race now.

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TriBaby
"The rule is, jam yesterday, and jam tomorrow, but NEVER jam today." ---The White Queen

This is what happens when a business has little or no competition. I am going to take a closer look at some of the smaller, long course races. The refund policies and highest bidder mentality have tipped the scale.

Not really! You pay the $1,000 "early signup fee" and THEN still have to pay the $600 plus entry fee for the event, right?

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My business-eBodyboarding.com

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The entire event (IM) is like "death by 1000 cuts" and the best race is minimizing all those cuts and losing less blood than the other guy. - Dev

Well said TriBaby,I can absolutely relate.IMC is not the same as it was and I don't just mean the race, I mean the whole build up and community spirit during August.Some people like it now and that is fine but give me what it was through the '90s and I'd be a happy boy..I don't expect the newbies to understand why.

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