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Superfrog, WTC, and boycotts?
yournotunique
Member, Rooster Endurance Member
in Main
In the Bahrain podcast @PreachSwanson argued that boycotting WTC, or an event, removes your voice from the discussion. In an instance like this, where WTC has raised the price of an iconic race that is perpetually filled from $170 to $500, I can't see purchasing a registration as anything other than an endorsement.
If I register, and complain, I'm saying that, while I don't like this price, I'm willing to pay it. Why would WTC listen to my critique of their rapes if I'm participating in them? Where is their motivation for change if they're still making a very healthy profit at the expense of the sport's long term prospects?
Anyway, this one is a little personal for me as this was really high on my list of races I wanted to do.
If I register, and complain, I'm saying that, while I don't like this price, I'm willing to pay it. Why would WTC listen to my critique of their rapes if I'm participating in them? Where is their motivation for change if they're still making a very healthy profit at the expense of the sport's long term prospects?
Anyway, this one is a little personal for me as this was really high on my list of races I wanted to do.
-I know it's wrong. Blame old AOL character limits. Illadelph | 
Comments
If this is successful, I would expect Arizona, Chattanooga, Placid, and one other NA 140.6 to be $1000.
Bike Crash Free Since August 4th, 2014
"Hello athletes! We wanted to help clarify the general entry fee for the new IRONMAN 70.3 SUPERFROG on Sept. 27.
In continuation of military support, $200 of each general entry is tax-deductible for each athlete and will go to the Navy SEAL Foundation, the Optimists Club of Coronado and the Islander Sports Foundation through the IRONMAN Foundation."
I'm pretty sure they will get this to sell out because of the world military kona qualifier. I really wanted to do this race if I ever got stationed on the west coast. Probably not going to happen now.
Nathan Kiser
Just FYI, you... are also less than mediocre. -TheActualPaulo
Regardless of the donation amount (which, for the record, I think is them backtracking on the initial announcement big time), I still believe this is a market-pricing test for 70.3s. They're trying to figure out what the upper limit for a popular race is. By putting the "donation" cloth on it, they'll get a few people who were on the fence with it to wind up paying.
I think @zachboring said it well on Twitter: why $200? Why not something like $50? Because then it wouldn't really paint an accurate picture on what the upper price someone finds palatable for a 70.3 entry would be.
I think they fucked up in the announcement of the event, then are now trying to explain it away. Had they put the $200 donation bit out there first, there'd be a whole lot less uproar right now.
Bike Crash Free Since August 4th, 2014
Bike Crash Free Since August 4th, 2014
My question is why this race? Why not something that perenially sells out like a vineman or similar. It feels lime They are just using the race as a pawn to test the waters. Just crazy.
I have never been a wtc hater as I get business is business. But recent moves have left me just scratching my head. I for one am looking for other options and not signin up for more wtc events than I already have scheduled. Just don't want to play that game anymore. I'm out to have fun and challenge myself. Not pay rediculous amounts for a congested FOUR LOOP bike course. The newee races are getting farther away from what I deem "fun". There has been a big turn in strategy and it's all about eking out the dollar before the big wigs move on. Within 5 years providence will sell.
Zach Boring, Overly Average Looking Man
Nathan Kiser
Just FYI, you... are also less than mediocre. -TheActualPaulo
Challenge is a great example of this is triathlon (at least so far). They're showing that you can have top notch races in good locations for, I won't necessarily say reasonable, but lets go with *more* reasonable prices. Plus they show that they aren't trying to crush any and all competition.
Bike Crash Free Since August 4th, 2014
They act like the kid that was bullied as a child that now has power and wants to show everyone how big they are. It's just sad more than anything.
Zach Boring, Overly Average Looking Man
Bike Crash Free Since August 4th, 2014
@yournotunique I do get the frustration you feel. I spoke of leaving the table from a place of experience with my denomination and a proposal for force change on Caterpillar Inc. by divesting. When you leave the table you loose your voice to effect change... No matter that the CEO went to my church I knew that if we as a body divested we would only loose voice. By helping keep us connected we got to keep our voice, get better understanding of the nature of the things that people in the church didn't like and brought some changes.
With Ironman as a brand, we can be pissed off that they seem to be forcing people from the table. But we have to have some way of proving that we are worth listening to in order for them to be willing to hear us. Individual divestment will only ever be replaced by those with the means and desire to do so and there almost alway are those who are willing.
To create change in this kind of environment is going to take some serious thought and planning. It will cost something more than entry fees. It will hurt because what they are doing hurts our sport and folks like you and me with little extra in our budgets.
I'm an angel with an incredible capacity for beer
And we can sit here and complain on our own private message board, or do something larger that gets noticed and, hopefully, support from the larger triathlon community. Because allowing WTC to keep fucking us as a group ain't gonna change anything.
Also: @yournotunique: I know it's wrong. You know that I know it's wrong. I know that you know that I know it's wrong. But you used 'your' incorrectly.
I agree with @AaronWebstey; that quote from @PreachSwanson is a beauty. And dead-on-balls correct.
Ive also heard holding up traffic going into Major cities gets people on your side and makes your protest vailid! oh wait.. not people don't like that...
Sean Murnane - East Coast Hooligan
If WTC had shown any inkling of legitimately listening to what AGers had to say (regarding fees, pros, women, etc), sure, maybe I could be convinced that it made sense to not completely boycott them. But they haven't. This is a bit different from your Caterpillar example in that you were shareholders. You were literally part owners of that company. You had a vested interest in Caterpillar, specifically, making changes, not the industrial vehicle industry.
The argument that we have isn't for the betterment of WTC, it's for the sport of triathlon. WTC just happens to be the gorilla that's beating it up.
Long term this is a terrible strategy because most of the 50% that you loose are the beginners and young triathletes. Both groups that might be pushed away from your brand, or even the sport. Over time your looking at a decrease in registrations until the race is no longer profitable.
I was trying to think why WTC would want to kill a race off. Assuming that OPEX is their biggest variable expense, and their OPEX is directly tied to how many races they put on, decreasing the number of races is the easiest ways to decrease their OPEX. Short term, consolidating the race schedule into a smaller number of races with fewer racers paying significantly higher registrations will decrease their OPEX and increase their revenues and put them in a good position to be sold by Providence (as @zachboring noted). Long term it is terrible for the sport, and for WTC.
WTC is a smart corp that made a calculated decision that people will pay this price with 1 of 2 consequences: they see a massive decrease in registrations for the race and revenues are flat or the race is just as popular and revenues skyrocket. My issue really is that WTC is, for better or worse, the vanguard of triathlon. Its stewardship is proving to be pretty shitty.
And @yournotunique: it was just a bad joke I've been wanting to make for awhile...I giggled, which is all that matters. I agree that WTC has shown they don't care what The AGers have to say. And with that whole attempt at controlling pros tweets or whatever (and BTW, what happened with that?), it doesn't much care what they have to say either. Supporting another brand loudly seems a decent way to start. There is more that can be done.
Aside from now being "Ironman" events, these events (from what has been released) will not change. That is, the courses will remain exactly the same, but you now get that great M-dot swag we all love. Thanks for the sweet bike tool, Andy!
While the Big Kahuna price increase sounds reasonable (~$40 increase), Superfrog went from $180-250 (depending on when you registered) to $500! WTC has claimed that a portion ($200) will go to Navy Seal Foundations and some local foundations as well that put on the event in the past. However, that $200 will first go through, wait for it, the Ironman Foundation. We all know how reputable of a foundation that is and how hard they will work to ensure that your $200 actually makes it to the named foundations...
The fact that Superfrog is now a $500 70.3 is incredible. This race never seems to sell out as the course is repetitive and the conditions tend to be very windy. The course is also not very impressive, aside from the proximity to the coast - the swim is two loops (with two entry/exits from the water), the bike is 4 loops up and down the strand, and the run is two loops up and down the strand. While the strand is a great place to train (protected bike/run paths, great for bricks), the thought of paying $500 to do 6 loops on the same course, essentially, is incredible.
Rant over.
SC70.3 - Sept 13
Tahoe70.3 - Sept 20
SF70.3 - Sept 27
Silverman70.3 - Oct 4
This is something that Zibi (Challenge CEO) had mentioned on his TRS interview, which is that while they could schedule races to conflict with WTC ones to steal racers, they prefer to spread them out so that it increases the opportunities for people to race/participate throughout the year and overall grows the sport. Obviously WTC does not adhere to that philosophy.
seems like kind of an asshole
danimal