getting in to ironman florida (Page 2)

I was good thinking I'd leave all my money at home and only bring what I need.  Til Dollar told me I didn't have to pay on the spot.  lol.  I didn't need to know that.

I thought that too last year.  Then I saw the finish line.  That experience alone will change your mind. 

I suppose one way to balance those emotions is to have an IM training plan in hand so you know what you'll  be committing yourself to if you do sign up......

Actually, I'd be willing to be that the real money comes from licensing fees. Think Timex etc. Sure there's money to be made with the races, why put them on if you're not going to make money from them, but the real purpose for putting these races on is to make the IM name and logo worth plastering on everything from sunglasses to jogging strollers and more.

WTC is essentially a holding company for the Ironman brand. While it's indisputable that they do put on a long course triathlon like no one else (NAS is a race production company that licenses the Ironman trademark for some races in North America), their real assets boil down to that trademark and it's value in the wider marketplace beyond triathlon. The races just maintain and enhance that value.

And they're doing a great job of  extending the brand. Look at the whole Ironman 70.3 series. When that first started, there was a lot of ridicule over the name. Now RD's are paying upwards of $30k to call a half iron distance race an "Ironman 70.3".