14 Hour Cut off Time Question.. (Page 2)

Something akin to this is done in Australia, for IM OZ.  You have to win a slot to IM OZ at a qualifying half. 

http://www.ironmanoz.com/howitworks.cfm

It works very similar to how the Kona qualification process works ( including lottery spots ) and how IMC works in terms of allowing multiple finishers an easier registration process.

There's no way shortening the cutoff time would be good for this sport. 

I can only see one benefit from imposing shorter and shorter cutoff times - to begin driving the sport of triathlon into a more competitive elite activity.  Make every race into a Kona.  Whether its the corporate engines that drive this sort of attitude, or the handful of pros that want bigger and bigger race purses...it would literally start shutting out those in the BOP.  What a sorry thing that could happen to such an incredible sport.

The sport of triathlon seems to be growing in tremendous leaps and bounds.  Races fill up in hours instead of days now.  The competition for a slot in a race is so great that to some people this is one of the easy solutions.  I call bull$hit.  That person finishing in 15, 16, 17 hours is just as deserving a chance to race as the 9 hour ironman.  If someone is so torqued up about it, get your pro license from USAT and race against the big boys and girls.  You'll find that the pros I cheer for are the ones handing out medals after the race or manning an aid station at 11 pm and cheering on those busting their butts to finish.

Its going to be interesting over the next couple of years to see this sports growing pains.  We don't have much say over what WTC does other than our paticipation or lack thereoff.  Though everyone here has the right to vote for whatever candidate they choose for USAT elections.  If its important to you, look for candidates who stress age-group growth in the sport.

Why?  What about the person finishing in 17:10?  Not deserving?

My point is that a cut-off, any cut-off, is an arbitrary selection.  The RD or race organizers can impose whatever cut-offs suit them and their purposes.  No one has the "right" to have access to any race they want.  But any organizer has the right to offer a product or service of their choosing to their customers.

Personally, I doubt that most IM races will will change the 17:00 limit because many of the "stories" that help them sell their races have come out of the late-finishing groups. 

(And I think the pros are interested in "selling" the races as well since that's where their "bigger and bigger" race purses come from.  But I doubt many of them are concerned about where the cut-off is for any particular race.)

I never realized that I said 17:10 wasn't deserving....for your benefit, you can keep adding hours if you'd like.  I believe that most cutoff times are there simply because they must define a time when roads will open back up, end police/medical support, etc.  Not because of athletes athletic prowess.

Why do any of them "deserve" a chance to race?

I agree that most cut-offs are for logistical reasons (not to preserve the integrity/sanctity of the race as I've seen some argue).

A buddy of mine noted that the crowd at the finish line cheers the loudest for the guys who comes in first and the guy(s) who come in last.....that is, the 16:59:59 guys! 

~Mike

Tri-Atlanta - 2006-11-07 2:07 PM I also have mixed feelings on this subject and agree with a previous poster that endurance events are turning into "just finish" events rather than "racing" events. With that being said, I have visions of competing in an Ironman event and breaking 12 hours. This will a) not win the race, b) not win my age group, and c) will not qualify me for Hawaii so am I really racing???? Whenever I race my kids always ask me if I am going to win. They always seem a little disappointed when I say no. Of course, the next question is "then why are you racing"? Well, I try and explain to them that the great thing about road races and triathlons is that there are races within the race. For me, the race within the race is the race against myself. Although winning a race (or even my age group) would be a fantastic feeling, it is not likely going to happen. I concentrate on racing against my goals. Now one could say that a 16:59:59 ironman is racing against their goal of finishing. This is where I have mixed feelings. Here are some "generic" statements that can be found in race reports on this website: "I took my time in transition ... why hurry?" "My goal was to walk the marathon and still finish under 17 hours" "I stopped run-walking at Mile 20 because I knew I could walk in and still finish under 17 hours" These statements are not made by someone who is racing. They are made by individuals who want to say "I am an Ironman". Is there anything wrong with that? Probably not. Does it "water down" the event? I would say that it does. If someone held a gun to my head (which some of you may wish to do after this post) I would choose to keep the "liberal" cutoff of 17:00:00. There are individuals (especially in the older age groups) in which this is comparable to a 9:00:00 cutoff for Elites. Also, I did a quick check and here are the numbers from IMFL, IMLP, and IMCdA: IMFL: 2,192 Finishers / 1,612 Under 14 Hours / 580 Over 14 Hours IMLP: 2,160 Finishers / 1,540 Under 14 Hours / 720 Over 14 Hours IMCdA: 2,227 Finishers / 1,204 Under 14 Hours / 1,023 Over 14 Hours Combined, these races would have had 2,323 athletes who did not "officially" finish. Maybe that is reason enough to leave the time standards alone. OK - Off my soapbox - be kind

Good point! 

2,323 x $450 per IM entry fee = $1,045,350.00

Just sayin'…

:-)

~Mike

Here is the link to the Marathon thread,,,, I think some more discussion on it should take place so we can dick tate to the RD's what they should do.

http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=58196&posts=277&start=1

I think a 14 hr cutoff time would be good for the sport for the IM or WTC races. Especially for the easy IronMan Races.

I didn't think the OP did anything other than bring up a triathlon related subject for debate and discussion. Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't that what the forum is for?

It sounds like you have the answer to a queston I"ve always been curious about.

How much does it cost them to put on IMFL or IMAZ and what is the net profit, before giving $$ to the "charities"

Is the WTC or IM have public financials available?

Only for a publicly traded company, and I believe WTC is privately held