Seems odd that the NA Championships along with most every other race remainder of this year is still wide open. Is this just part of the adjustment from COVID hangover or something bigger for IM to worry about?
Not sure about other countries, but in the UK there have been several triathlon events cancelled that traditionally have been well run and very popular events. All cancelled due to lack of entries. Its been the same for the time trialling, cycling and ultra running communities here as well. Athletes are not entering events on the scale they did pre-covid, or have deferrals from previous years they are using. I don’t think its just an Ironman issue - its a general sport issue from what I can tell.
I worked a local long running sprint/Olympic distance race this weekend and looking at the results, numbers were down about 15% from 2019 and about the same as 2021, even with changing dates of this race (it had always been in July before). Two different tri race directors actually merged their companies together after one of them had a retirement within the company. I think the merger has made their product even stronger. They put on a number of triathlons and a couple of running races. I think people are maybe sticking closer to home to race. Pretty much every single 70.3 mentioned over the weekend was either Chattanooga or Augusta.
Bike racing numbers have been down here in Middle Tennessee. I know a lot of people who are not riding at the same level and quit competing for a number of reasons. Plus a couple people quit putting on bike races here.
It looks like the new last year Oregon 70.3 and the small size new IM Alaska are the only ones sold out of all of the USA races! Doesn’t look good. I think they need to make the events more convenient- having to be there to check in Thursday or Friday, check bike Saturday, race Sunday, and awards in person Monday is just too much of a drawn out production for most of us to do very often. If we could check in Saturday, travel home Sunday night and be eligible for WC roll down slot via email I people like me might be able to make more races. That’s the great thing about local races- show up a little early to get your bib race morning and then line up for the start- no hassle.
My wife was considering IM Canada. The cost at checkout was $960 CAD I think. She said forget it. We can afford it but she can do 3 triathlons and a couple gravel events for the same price.
I worked a local long running sprint/Olympic distance race this weekend and looking at the results, numbers were down about 15% from 2019 and about the same as 2021, even with changing dates of this race (it had always been in July before). Two different tri race directors actually merged their companies together after one of them had a retirement within the company. I think the merger has made their product even stronger. They put on a number of triathlons and a couple of running races. I think people are maybe sticking closer to home to race. Pretty much every single 70.3 mentioned over the weekend was either Chattanooga or Augusta.
Bike racing numbers have been down here in Middle Tennessee. I know a lot of people who are not riding at the same level and quit competing for a number of reasons. Plus a couple people quit putting on bike races here.
It’s worth noting that the Mach Tenn tri was this weekend and is always the first weekend of June. It’s a smaller, but great indy race and likely pulled from your race this weekend.
Des Moines is not on my list of ideal race/vacation spots. If I commit to doing a full Ironman, it means I also have some desire to visit that location. After Covid (sort of- still cautious), I have lots of higher ranking things to do and places to go.
I get Des Moines not being a sexy destination, and I doubt the “N.A. Championship” adds much of a draw to it. But its surprising at this point that essentially none of the other USA races are sold out. Even IM California, that sold out last year pretty quickly and likely has most of the cancelled 2021 racers rolled over to this 2022 race isn’t even full.
My guess would be rising travel, fuel, and food costs will keep event participation down this year.
$824. To race in Iowa. I have been considering an IM sometime in the next couple years, and I remember them being expensive, but almost $1k just in race entry? Ooooof. And then there’s the fact that it’s Iowa of all places. Easy to get to, temps look good, but… zzzzzzzzzzzz. Definitely not the sexiest option.
My wife was considering IM Canada. The cost at checkout was $960 CAD I think. She said forget it. We can afford it but she can do 3 triathlons and a couple gravel events for the same price.
This.
IM probably doesn’t care if events sell out if they’re getting more money with less entrants. Maybe an event that used to sell out at 2k is making more money with increased prices at 1.5k. IM is out to make money & will push the limits of what they can charge for entry fees.
I’ve decided I have one more IM in me, at least until the kids are gone or I retire which is 7-10 years down the road.
I’d like to stay wherever I go for a 3-4 days and relax after the race and there are some destinations that just aren’t interesting to me. IA is a perfect example of that and Maryland or Texas don’t stand out to me (and nothing against those states as I’ve have good times in both, they just don’t appeal to me).
I think the rising costs of IM play into this too and an uncertain marker. Gas is crazy, flights are unpredictable, it’s a tough time for a lot of people. I also think triathlon is in a decline that they need to try and address.
My wife was considering IM Canada. The cost at checkout was $960 CAD I think. She said forget it. We can afford it but she can do 3 triathlons and a couple gravel events for the same price.
This right here. A marathon costs ~$100 to enter, a bike race the same, IDK how much a swim race costs, but let’s say it’s $100 also. What about combining the three causes the price to triple?
The problem is IM isn’t coming out with new and appealing race options that are close to the majority of the U.S. population. I live in Kentucky which is within 8 hours of most of the U.S. population and there are no IM races here. The closest races are IM 70.3 Muncie (total crap), IM 70.3 Chattanooga (done 3 times now), IM Augusta 70.3 (first time this fall), IM Steehead 70.3 (twice and no desire to go back), IM Ohio 70.3 (twice and will not go to Sandusky ever). That’s it within 8 hours.
Chattanooga is nice and I think I’ll love Augusta, but the rest suck and aren’t close with the exception of Muncie which is in the middle of a corn field in God forsaken Indiana.
Not my cup of tea for sure or anyone’s based on the 800 entries last fall.
My wife was considering IM Canada. The cost at checkout was $960 CAD I think. She said forget it. We can afford it but she can do 3 triathlons and a couple gravel events for the same price.
This.
IM probably doesn’t care if events sell out if they’re getting more money with less entrants. Maybe an event that used to sell out at 2k is making more money with increased prices at 1.5k. IM is out to make money & will push the limits of what they can charge for entry fees.
In the last few years has the price really gone up relative to inflation or to other races? I haven’t done the math, but it doesn’t feel that way to me. Pre-pandemic, when races were regularly selling out, I think they were $7xx, now they are $8xx. Doesn’t seem out of line with other things.
As someone else mentioned, this isn’t an IM problem, it’s an endurance sports problem.
I worked a local long running sprint/Olympic distance race this weekend and looking at the results, numbers were down about 15% from 2019 and about the same as 2021, even with changing dates of this race (it had always been in July before). Two different tri race directors actually merged their companies together after one of them had a retirement within the company. I think the merger has made their product even stronger. They put on a number of triathlons and a couple of running races. I think people are maybe sticking closer to home to race. Pretty much every single 70.3 mentioned over the weekend was either Chattanooga or Augusta.
Bike racing numbers have been down here in Middle Tennessee. I know a lot of people who are not riding at the same level and quit competing for a number of reasons. Plus a couple people quit putting on bike races here.
It’s worth noting that the Mach Tenn tri was this weekend and is always the first weekend of June. It’s a smaller, but great indy race and likely pulled from your race this weekend.
Yes, the two race organizations are working together to deal with this going forward. The MCT is totally dependent upon the schedule at Nissan Stadium and got bumped from the July date. The only guaranteed free weekend all year long is the weekend prior to CMA Fest (due to load-in the week of) so it will likely stay on this weekend. They did an M&M Challenge this year for people who did both races. Mach10 also has to deal with the military base schedule.
not just an IM issue, events across the US are down
during covid a lot of people that raced frequently got away from racing and have not come back or have moved to other types of racing (gravel)
Also during covid a lot of people worked out much less then they used to, hence they now don’t enter races as they don’t feel prepared like they used to be
Many that took up a sport during covid will never enter a race, it’s not on their radar.
From my vantage point in the northeast, training program are also down, those feed races. semi-organized group workouts (store runs/rides) are down also
now add in $ uncertainty and people are pulling back quickly on spending
Des Moines is not on my list of ideal race/vacation spots. If I commit to doing a full Ironman, it means I also have some desire to visit that location. After Covid (sort of- still cautious), I have lots of higher ranking things to do and places to go.
Same here!
No offense to triathletes in Iowa or surrounding areas. But for me personally I would not fly to Iowa to do an Ironman. I have flown as far as British Columbia and Copenhagen to do Ironmans. I live on the east coast of the US. I was super excited about Whistler and racing in an awesome European city. Iowa is not a destination race for me (not even remotely interesting to me) and like someone else said, I want to be excited about the destination of the race. Plus it’s sponsored by a beef company and I personally do not eat animals. It would be weird for me as I like to buy Ironman race gear. Peidmont Beef in bold letters on a race shirt. No thanks. Not for me.
If I lived in Iowa (or could drive to Des Moines easily) and the race wasn’t sponsored by a beef company I would probably do the race as a local. I am leaning on doing more races within driving distance for the future. Flying sounds worse these days thanks to covid.
not just an IM issue, events across the US are down
during covid a lot of people that raced frequently got away from racing and have not come back or have moved to other types of racing (gravel)
I was already doing gravel racing pre-covid. But 2 years of not racing triathlon made me realize I wasn’t missing it at all. Sold my tri bike. Maybe in the future I’ll do a sprint or something but I’ll just use my road bike.
I’m around a lot of people that do these bigger events - IM, GFNY, Unbound, etc, etc
I used to hear all about the trials and tribulations of trying to get a slot in an event. I don’t hear any of that chatter anymore. So my anecdotal info suggests that people just aren’t doing these events in the same numbers they used to. There are still people chasing bucket list items but I feel like they are doing fewer of them. More like a one-and-done mentality.
I also get the sense from these folks that life is a little more hectic now than it was pre-Covid. That may be a false sense because of how quiet the last two years have been but it’s a feeling nonetheless. And the first shoe to drop when life becomes hectic is the 10-15 hr/week training that a big event requires.
I have heard a lot more chatter about 70.3 being “the right event†and a 140.6 event being way too hard to execute. So maybe the 140.6 numbers are down but 70.3 is up?