I recently received orders to go TDY for 90 days through June 2022. As a result, I am unable to race at IM Tulsa due to my military service obligations. I requested a deferral and provided my orders in which Ironman responded that I would have to pay the deferral fee and potentially the cost of the new race (IM Maryland). It seems crazy that Ironman (WTC) says they are a “supporters” of the military but are charging me a transfer due to a military obligation out of my control. I reviewed the Service Members Civil Relief Act (SCRA) and its verbiage only discusses “athletic clubs or gym memberships”. As a result, I figured I would ask to see if anybody has dealt with or have additional information in support of military obligations. If not, I will pay the price but seems a bit ridiculous considering every other sporting event, airline, etc. supports military obligations but IRONMAN.
Can’t help you with your actual problem.
I can thank you for your service and say
I would personally pitch in some $ toward making this right if IRONMAN does not.
Surprised IM would risk the PR hit if this got widespread attention. Hopefully they will make it right. Maybe you could try talking to someone higher up the food chain at IM.
1990 qualified for Kona and was making plans, when Saddam decided decided otherwise. Got orders en route from Korea in Mid August to go to Ft Bragg to form a team and deploy. IM didn’t accommodate then either. Maybe the new owners are more accommodating.
That sounds about right from IM. Their “support†is mainly a marketing feel good saying.
I was signed up and paid for IMLP 2003 but my scheduled leave and ship said NO, sailed to the Gulf, no refund or transfer.
Can’t help you with your actual problem.
I can thank you for your service and say
I would personally pitch in some $ toward making this right if IRONMAN does not.
Paul
That is so awesome!
I don’t know how much the cost is
I will put in $100
Thank you gentlemen for your kind offer and I appreciate it greatly. I am a senior military member so I ask that instead of supporting me you support a military member you see that looks younger at your next race. We all know this sport is expensive so the money would be best spent towards the younger population who has the passion but less purchasing power. I had a military officer “pay it forward” to me when I entered my first race and that type of familial bond sucked me into triathlon past a check mark on a bucketlist. I do Ironmans because of the athletes not because Ironman puts on a good show or has a sinscere business model
I will be transitioning to clash,rev3, and PTO events vs. IRONMAN as it appears I’ll be paying the transfer fee. It isn’t about the money for me as much as it is about the principle that IRONMAN says they support the military. The one thing they do is the gold star initiative where a military member volunteers to run a flag and give it to a gold star family at the end of the race. However, doesn’t mean Ironman supports as I’m sure the racer pays for it. Clash has given me a military discount and Rev3 gives a 10% military discount with up to 2 year deferral FREE OF CHARGE due to military obligations.
Thank you gentlemen for your service as well! Not only does Uncle Sam Screw is but it appears Andrew Messick and the boys do as well.
Email them and ask, worked for me to get in and out of a few races, let them know the back story, don’t blow it up and maybe they’ll send you a transfer link. I think it all depends on who responds to it at the time.
Sir- Thank you for your service. If you successfully transfer into IM Maryland please let me know. I will at least buy you a couple of rounds pre and post race.
Thank you all. I was able to get in touch with the race director. He waived the fees. Ironman doesn’t have a policy (or it’s not public) as it pertains to military members who must defer due to service obligations. I believe the void in policy created a misunderstanding as the customer service rep has clear guidance to charge a transfer fee no matter the issue.
I emailed the race director (obtained information from Facebook page) and cc’ed the customer service rep with orders and additional information explicitly stating my service obligation without choice and that I wanted a transfer to an available race which was granted.
Hopefully this helps future military service members who must defer due to mandatory obligations and thank you all for the help!
Thank you all. I was able to get in touch with the race director. He waived the fees. Ironman doesn’t have a policy (or it’s not public) as it pertains to military members who must defer due to service obligations. I believe the void in policy created a misunderstanding as the customer service rep has clear guidance to charge a transfer fee no matter the issue.
I emailed the race director (obtained information from Facebook page) and cc’ed the customer service rep with orders and additional information explicitly stating my service obligation without choice and that I wanted a transfer to an available race which was granted.
Hopefully this helps future military service members who must defer due to mandatory obligations and thank you all for the help!
Good result in the end.
Pity you had to go through this fheck-around to get it sorted though. Should have been a straight forward written part of every IM to get a free and easy transfer under these circumstances.
Another reason to avoid Mdot.
My husband and I signed up for 70.3 Oregon last year. While he was deployed, we thought it would be fun goal to train for together from a far distance apart. It ended up being right after he got home for a near year deployment to the middle east. He decided he just wasn’t up for the trip, was not ready and the whole COVID deal. I asked to be moved to a race latter in the season and closer to home. Got a no and was told to defer to this year. Fast forward to this year and I’m working on base in a new position and can’t go. We are just out a whole lot of money. It comes down to it is up to the local RD.
Greetings from overseas. It’s not all doom/gloom IRT IM. They deferred me in 2005 into '06 (IM Florida), and more recently IMMD deferred me into the 2022 event.
Maybe I was just lucky with the RD’s in those years. Just contacted them, sent a set of redacted orders and explained my situation in general terms (Uncle Sam calls)…they were more than accommodating.