So, got a response from IM Branson about possibly looking for ways to offset the fact I missed the race due to my NICU bound son last week. Got this back on my third attempt to hear back from someone:
"Ryan - sorry, but we do not give refunds or transfers of entry fees for any reason. Z
Thomas A. Ziebart"
So that raises a question. I'm curious to see what other AG triathletes, etc, think about the whole IM scene these days. They now have 42 70.3 races... 42!! Do you feel it waters the sport down when there are 42 races that field maybe 2000 or so athletes each? Has IRONMAN turned into the McDonald's of triathlons? 1 million served....
I pretty much banked on the answer I got, but I was hoping in the back of my mind that the red tape would part and a human response would come out to work with me. Do you peeps out in blog land think I should have received some sort of special consideration or one size fits all, rules are rules no matter what? Even Priceline refunded my full price for the hotel due to my circumstances... and they seem to be more corporate than IRONMAN.
I'm pretty much dropping it with the idea of getting anything back or trying since they finally got back to me. But, it makes me think more about racing a "IRONMAN" event. I know there are REV3 and the Redman events that are IM distance without the hoopla of IRONAMN brand. I wonder how corporate they have become...
3 comments:
I do think the IM has become very corporate. I know that they are responding to supply and demand but they should always keep the human element that makes triathlons such a great sport!
I 100% agree with Christi.
There are a lot of races now, and they are really packing the people into them...WTC is getting too big for its britches
If I remember the numbers, IM Wisconsin had 3000 sign up and 2550 show up. That is a lot of withdrawal requests to deal with and a big pain in the neck for them. Plus with the average income being something like $175,000, I doubt most people care. But maybe like you, I am an outlier for the sport and it does make a difference.
Your specific situation, if any, does deserve the human touch though.
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