Eh, I think it’s already been proven that price really isn’t the factor. What IS the factor is the difficulty factor.
For instance, IMCdA is seen as hilly and doesn’t sell out quickly. IMFL and IMAZ are seen as flat and fast so they sell out in minutes. As much as triathletes like to beat their chests and show how tough they are, they sure do like to go for the easy courses don’t they?
So, want to thin the herd? Don’t touch the price, increase the difficulty. Stop trying to make the bike and run courses so easy and cut the cut off time by a couple of hours. Call the easy iron distance courses out for what they are, M-dot training wheels…
That’s all true, except you’re also missing the confounding variables of ID and UT being A) further away from more major population centers than AZ & FL, and B) they’re in the spring/early summer vs late summer/fall which is a significant training limiter for many of us living in the northern half of the continent. IMC, LP, and WI are all harder courses than AZ & FL but they sell out quickly too.
At the risk of sounding anti-WTC, it’s just a fact that the WTC isn’t about running a good race, it’s about making money. Number of racers x $$$$ = Money. Increase either variable in the left and it means more money which is all they care about. IF you are looking for a smaller field and a race ran BY triathletes FOR triathletes, look at the independents. B2B, Silverman, Redman, Savageman, etc… Put your money were your mouth is.
Agreed 100%… add Vineman and Grand Columbian to the list for those of us out West.