"Ironman" Brand Races / Spirit of Racine (Page 2)

LOL! Now that's a mouthful!

They do, I agree.

The race directors stay the same. Only thing that typically changes is more $$ and more people.

I agree too. And I'm looking quite forward to Racine being a 70.3 race this year. The cost is worth it! At least for IM it was. I thought I got my $550.00 worth out of IMWI this year. I thought the whole thing was exceptionally well run, well marked, well organized, well stocked with volunteers, etc etc.

I'm really looking forward to Racine being the same way. It's been sort of a clusterfcuk the past couple of years with the swim being extremely short. I think I had a 21 minute swim there a couple of years ago. Yeah... notsomuch. My Garmin counted the bike as being a little short as well.

I will be there. For sure. The date works for us and fits into the other races and committments we have going on this summer. 

With the only races I know of locally that sold to Ironman (or whatever it is) the RDs are no longer running the races.  Too bad, they did an awesome job, I liked the homey feeling and lots of free schwag -- the free microbrews were nice, too.

At least now it's a real race and not a poser.

And I hate pets.

Don't we sometimes see "international distance" used to mean "Olympic distance" for just that reason?

Usually is the RDs who want to become part of the 70.3 series or those who choose to sell/accept an offer to become part of the series. If anything you should voice your discontent to the SOB RD about their desicion to join the series.

Keithe Jordan who posts here on BT has most (or all?) of his HIM races now part of the 70.3 series and while the price might have changed a bit over the years, the quality of the races has remain the standard IMO of what good races and RD should provide to their clients. The races are usually festivals meaning they include a few days of racing with sprints/Olys and the HIM plus a kids race. They offer a great variety of extras pre race, during the race and post race not only for competitors but also for families.

In reality I doubt KJ needed to become part of the 70.3 series to sell out his races but since it is a business I am sure it made sense to join it for different reasons. The reality is that many people equate the Mdot and Ironman brand to quality races whether this is correct or not. The fact races can offer qualifying slots for clearwater, mass adverstisement, etc. as and RD is a good thing for your business and I don't see why you wouldn't want to join the fastest growing segement and series of the sport.

I personally don't care whether a race is 70.3 or not, I instead look at what the RD and the race itself provides. Many races which are 70.3 like Steelhead or FL 70.3 are IMO some of the worst 70.3s I've done in terms of quality and value. OTOH I've done independent races (which ironically now are part of the 70.3 series) which offered much more quality and value.

In the end the great races and RDs will remain high quality whether they are part of the 70.3 series or not like all endorfun races. Ultimately it is up to the race and RD to offer great value to customers. If you don't like the series or the premium pricing just find races that fit your needs/budget.

Since I don't race more than 7-8 time per year, the cost of the race isn't in the top 5 considerations for me. I've always raced to qualify for and event like Kona, Clearwater, so all WTC, or raced to train to qualify for an event, so non-WTC. In fact, I have never just done a WTC race just for the sake of doing it, it's alway an ends to a means.