To your first point, yeah this could be very bad for RDs. I was thinking that just like work, there has to be a seismic change in the way things are done. That could be a great opportunity for the collaboration of some event RDs. (such as multisport festivals such as the OMM series) we could see a different kind of thinking.
The problem is the reduction in field sizes. It’s like a perfect storm of financial crapness.
As to the second point re NIMBYs. I dunno, the amount of signs I saw in Nth Devon saying ‘welcome back, we missed you’ would suggest they are really missing income. (these are the same smiling folk that were telling everyone to 'fuck off back a few months before, which is why I hate/love Cornwall. They love your money and hate your presence)
NIMBY’s are nearly always in the minority though, they’re just the loud ones that tend to cause a fuss.
The issue for a lot of events will be how the likes of Dartmoor NP, National Trust and other private landowners will react. If there’s any risk to them from a liability perspective, then it’s much easier to turn down requests to race on/through their land. Especially as it’s often not a money spinner for them (small donations per head to SWCP or NT or National Parks for instance).
That’s on top of the RDs trying to make end meet across the rest of the event. Think transport costs e.g. if buses are involved, will the coach companies take the full 52, or run the transport at 1/2 capacity. Will village halls and the like want to open their doors to be used as aid stations etc, or will RDs be forced to use more expensive commercial venues like pubs. All adds up in cost on what is normally a pretty low margin business (for most tris, ultras etc)
I wonder if events will go really grass roots. Clubs and individuals organising their own ‘events’ for a bit of fun, no money, no prizes, and obviously no insurance…
I heard of a cycling TT being arranged using a Strava segment. Turn up, log a time, go home, look up how you did against everyone else on that segment on the given day. Easily abused with drafting etc, but offers a bit of competition if you have a few mates all giving it a go.
Yeah, going to interesting to see what happens with AoA. The recce weekend I’ve signed up for is in some kind of activity ctr with strict numbers but the mail was still caveated with ‘we may not get permission and don’t book non refundable travel’. IIRC, thats scheduled for Nov 19th.
Looks like Lanza 70.3 is going to be cancelled just had this email
Dear Athlete,
we are continuing to monitor travel and boarder restrictions for athletes attending the Club La Santa IRONMAN 70.3 Lanzarote 2020.
As we continue to follow the direction and recommendations of public health agencies and local authorities in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic while progressing towards the IRONMAN 70.3 Lanzarote, we are also being mindful of travel and border restrictions and how that impacts our athletes.
We understand that travel and border restrictions may prevent some athletes from being able to participate in the 2020 edition of IRONMAN 70.3 Lanzarote.
We would therefore now like to offer athletes who face these restrictions the opportunity to defer their entry to 2021.
If you are in a location that has active travel or border restrictions that could prevent you from being able to compete and you would like to defer your entry into the 2021 edition of IRONMAN 70.3 Lanzarote, please let us know and we will be glad to assist you.
Please email lanzarote70.3@ironman.com to answer with one of the following options within the next 48 hours:
1. Yes, I will participate in 2020 Club La Santa IRONMAN 70.3 Lanzarote
2. No, I won´t attend to the Club La Santa IRONMAN 70.3 Lanzarote in 2020.
I would like to defer my entry to 2021
We continue to monitor travel and border restrictions and if you are in a location that is impacted 14 days prior to the event, we will again reach back out so that you may exercise your option to defer to next year’s event at that time.
If you have any additional questions, please contact us at lanzarote70.3@ironman.com for further assistance.
That’s actually about as helpful and considerate a communication from an Ironman event that I’ve seen. That’s being very flexible, and treating each athlete as an individual.
You could argue that they’re hoping some people choose to defer, which might actually make running a 2020 event easier, if numbers are reduced.
I had a very similar email from Ironman Oceania yesterday.
Earlier this year when Ironman Copenhagen was canned and the options were pretty poor, I emailed them to see if I could transfer to Ironman Western Australia (before COVID we were planning on relocating over there).
Glad I gambled in the end because as international athletes we’ve been offered either:
Free Deferral to 2021 IRONMAN Western Australia on 5 December 2021; or
An Event Credit for the full value of your entry fee (and additional purchases), valid for three years, and able to be redeemed on any other IRONMAN Group events in Australia.
If all Ironman events were offering something similar I feel people would be much happier!
So IM UK is out of slots (Tier 1 and 2 are Held for deferrals). IM Wales has been sold out for ever.
Pretty limited options for next year. 2020 was a planned year off for me, but was thinking about doing a race in 2021. Think I will make a decision tonight.
just do something like the Bastion, tough, they usually do 30% discounts at times and its likely to go ahead as its small and they’ve got the permits for Septembers Gauntlet so should have the procedures ironed out even if we still have big issues
I have done the Gauntlet at Hever and at Castle Howard, and I ride around the Bastion route a lot. I enjoy the events and went to spectate last year. Nothing to do with the event organiser, but the road surfaces are horrendous on parts of the Hever course.
