If you were to pay 250 for a 70.3 or 700 for an IM what would you want in return?

Support the race for the entire distance.  Take care of everything with regard to swim safety, traffic control, bike support, aid stations......do that and I'm good with a $600.00+ price tag....it's not cheap to close roads and provide support.  

Schwag is cheap.......because it's worthless.  

Do a great job of supporting the race, THAT makes repeat customers and good word of mouth.

LOL, you sound like my mom nagging me to call more often.

and your local race company does much better? Every WTC race I've done has been fully supported

Well, you have certainly covered most of what is expected, but you do not mention accurate course distances.  For that amount of money, I want the distances to be exact....not short, not long, exact.

FWIW, many people have GPS reading that the swim was long at IM Louisville this year.  I'm still upset about that.

Crowd support, plain and simple.  The reason I keep shlling out the $ for WTC events is simple....crowd support.  Challenge fits that bill as well, but HITS and Rev have quite a way to go.

can i answer the question with a question of: "What Don't i want..."

i DON'T want 2 banquets, a backpack, a video, a swim cap, stickers, shirt, medal hat.

I DO want people to come out and race, and i KNOW a lot of folks that would RACE but the price is rediculous.  I DON'T want the $$$ to get in the way of competition.  I'd rather they cut out, or had the option to cut out, the cost of all that stuff and just reduce the price so the pointy end of the field wasn't so pointy. 

but that's just me, and i'm not normal.

Tim

Where did I say that WTC races ar enot fully supported or that my  local race company does much better?  I hope you got some sleep.

Good support for the back of the pack as well! No running out of water, gels, coke, sponges, whatever.

Oh, and more portapotties. You can never have too many.

Amen.

I think that WTC gives a good product for what they charge. That being said, I would say that my top items for a race are:

1. Well designed course- This means the course is set up well for athletes and spectators to both be able to enjoy the race. I don't need spectators lining the course, but going for more than 45-60 minutes without seeing any crowds can be a downer.

2. Well supported course- Enough water/food/etc along the course to support conditions. Extra water and ice, and maybe sponges, if it is hot, enough volunteers to make sure the tables stay full and hand-offs are easy.

3. Safety-For the swim-enough support to keep an eye out for distressed swimmers, for the bike and run, road closures or sufficient quality police support to keep intersections safe.

4. Swag- 1 t-shirt and a simple bag are plenty. let the sponsors stuff freebies in if they want

5. Good Expo- Shopping at the race expo is fun. Good deals on good gear is always a treat!

6. Chocolate Chip cookies and pizza- If you don't have these at the finish, there is something wrong with your race.

7. Good Race Marshals- Not so much on the swim or run, but enough coverage on the bike to make people think twice about blocking/position and drafting/overtaken, which are the most annoying and potentially dangerous penalties.

8. Local marketing- Make an even that people in the local community want to see-crowds make racers happy, at least us MOP, BOP types. 

On #2 and #5, I was let down by WTC.

By the time I was running my third lap of the run at Austin, they were picking up discarded sponges and putting them back in the buckets so that there were sponges for us later finishers (6:22 - so still PLENTY of people on the course!). I did appreciate that the volunteers were out there picking up the sponges so we at least had something - but really, you know it's going to be hot, you know how many athletes are out there - would it kill you to have more sponges? Plus, where did that other racer put their sponges before throwing them on the ground?

For the expo, I missed out on virtually all smaller women's items. We were in line for well over an hour to check in and pick up packets, and the expo was fairly picked clean by the time I got there.

#3 and #4 were good - and after the race they had BBQ, ice cream, beer...

#1, I knew what I was in for (notoriously crappy roads)

Would I do another WTC race? Probably - based on location, timing, etc - but not based on the fact that it's a WTC brand.

For SWAG, I got a tech shirt when I checked in, and a hat at the finish line.

Yeah, I was kind of wondering the same thing...It seems this dude is just looking to argue with people who are not arguing back.  Why randomly defend something that isn't under attack??

• A well-designed course, measured accurately.
• Consistent aid station support.  It doesn't have to be a veritable buffet, but what's there at mile 1 on the run should also be at every station until the end.
• No overcrowding.  When drafting on the bike is impossible to avoid for the first few miles, then there are too many people on the course.
• Decent post-race food, something more than a wink-and-nod to carb and protein replenishment.
• A fair and reasonable refund policy, especially for the IM.  It is inhumane and inexcusable that WTC refnds only about $175 of the staggering entry cost for an iron, and I-don't know-what for half-irons.  I am sure they making a killing on people who get injured and don't even show up for the race.
• An expo that isn't just for a few companies and vendors that are part of the WTC "in crowd".  For several years now, the Lake Placid expo has been a joke, and woe be on the athlete who needs or wants a product other the those offered by the "chosen few".  Back when, the IMLP expo had a tent run by Inside-Out, and you could get anything there.  Now, if you want Hammer Gel, for example, you have to go to Placid Planet or High Peaks Cyclery or Fallen Arch.  If an expo is to be in place, for gods sake let it be open to any vendor!!!

Why not just give out the finisher medal at packet pickup?  As far as expecting a race to change adjust your timing and race category on the fly...when you feel like dropping out...I think that's asking a lot.

I don't think that is the intent.  I have seen this offered at quite a few ultra-marathons.  Register for what you want, 50mile, 100mile, but you are still considered a Marathon, 50k, 100k, "finisher" if you make it to those checkpoints.  Of course, that is just one discipline and likely much easier for the RD to manage.

GPS reading in water is about as accurate as it gets!!!! I totally trust it!

I did loo, it was probably long, who cares???? we all did the same course.. so your time was 6 minutes slower than some other number, and?

I would expect there to be FULLY STOCKED aid stations and finish line food for all racers...down to the DFL.  Many times this is not the case.  It is not acceptable to charge that much and then run out of coke, chicken soup, ice, sponges, pizza...you name it.  If you advertized it would be there, it should be there.

I expect a safe, marked and patrolled course.  Once again for everyone.  No cleaning up the course before the DFL person is done.  Yes, the MOP AGers need to be patrolled too, they draft probably more than the FOP.

These things I expect from EVERY race, no matter the price.  For $250/$700 there is no excuse.  With that much money you could PAY to have enough volunteers.  Granted, they are no longer volunteers but...

I enjoy having a momento such as a shirt or a hat, but you can reduce my entry fee and give me only one, and take away the sling bag (I have a ton), the stickers, and all the other things that have been added on to justify the astronomical prices and I will be much happier.   

I remember when IM was $400 and I thought that was alot of money.  We got a quality race, a Finisher t-shirt and medal, pre and post race "banquet" and a decent expo.  For $300 more about 10 years later I would call that huge mark-ups as inflation has not grown THAT much and the increase in the goodie bags are not worth the extra $300. 

I guess if the $$ were to stay the same, GPS tracking for each competitor would be nice.  Your family could see where you are, the race officials could see if you cut the course and emergency personnel could be directed to anyone not moving forward for an extended period of time.