Ironman Access Membership Program
I'm just curious, is anyone really considering this? $1000 so you guarantee a spot to your next IM of choice (except Kona). Hmmmm, I think I'd rather pick up a community slot. I'm sure someone out there is gonna think it's a value, but frankly, I'm getting tired of shelling over money to WTC - they strike me as the Microsoft of the triathlon world.
-------------------------------
Today, World Triathlon Corporation (WTC) launches an exclusive athlete membership program called Ironman Access. In addition to other member benefits, the program will offer advance registration for Ironman events worldwide before entries open to the general public. Membership into Ironman Access is on a first-come, first-served basis and will close once it reaches capacity. To register and for more information, please log on to www.ironmanaccess.com.
Advance race registration for Ironman Access members will open one week prior to the event's general entry registration date. Athletes are required to pay the general entry fee to the selected event. Early registration for Ironman Access members for the 2011 Ironman Florida will open on Monday, Nov. 1; athletes interested in registering as an Ironman Access member for this event must join the program by 11:59 p.m. PDT on Sunday, Oct. 31, to be eligible.
Members may choose to register early for one or more of the following 2011 and 2012 Ironman races:
· 2011 Ironman Florida*
· 2011 Ironman Arizona
· 2011 Ironman Cozumel
· 2011 Ironman Western Australia
· 2012 Ironman New Zealand
· 2012 Ironman South Africa
· 2012 Ironman Australia
· 2012 Ironman St. George
· 2012 Ironman Lanzarote
· 2012 Ironman Texas
· 2012 Ironman China
· 2012 Ironman Brazil
· 2012 Ironman France
· 2012 Ironman Coeur d'Alene
· 2012 Ironman Austria
· 2012 Ironman Switzerland
· 2012 Ironman European Championship
· 2012 Ironman Lake Placid
· 2012 Ironman UK
· 2012 Ironman Regensburg
· 2012 Ironman Canada
· 2012 Ironman Louisville
· 2012 Ironman Wisconsin
· 2012 Ironman Wales
*Early registration for Ironman Access members for the 2011 Ironman Florida will open on Monday, Nov. 1 but you must join the program by 11:59 p.m. PDT on Sunday, Oct. 31, to be eligible.
Ironman Access Membership Program Benefits:
· $1000.00 USD for a one-year membership
· Exclusive advance registration to Ironman events
· Two VIP passes per registered event
· Official membership ID card
· Second chance in the Ironman Lottery Program*
· One-year subscription to LAVA Magazine
· Discounts on Ironman partner products at shopironman.com and on-site event retail stores
· 2010 Ford Ironman World Championship NBC broadcast DVD
· The above benefits are valid for one year starting from activation date
*with purchase of a general lottery entry
To register for Ironman Access, click here. For additional information on Ironman Access, please log on to www.ironmanaccess.com or contact access@ironman.com.
Comments
I posted on a couple of the dashboard threads as well. No I'm not in for this, then again I'm not doing a full until 2012 again.
Beyond the charity foundation slots and how those will afferted, my other concern is how many volunteers will they be losing? Is it 300, 400, 500? That will make a dent on pre-race day and race day aid stations.
I should go read the article and website to get the full picture.
Personally I would have just rather seen a price increase and not a exclusive membership program and see what the maket will accept.
Gordon
No - I had not seen this.
Wow - the marketing machine keeps finding was to bring in more $$$ from the same limited set of race openings. On one side with my business hat on I give the credit for maximizing returns on the brand. With my triathlete hat on, they are starting to rub me the wrong way.
I just looked at the info on the site. The $1000 is on top of the cost of the normal race registration fee – OUCH.
Nemo – I agree – I would rather do a foundation slot and know that the extra $$$ went to a useful cause.
· Official membership ID card
· Second chance in the Ironman Lottery Program*
· Discounts on Ironman partner products at shopironman.com and on-site event retail stores
So that Lava Magazine must be really good!
I don't know what to believe on this one. If I wanted to do a destination race, I guess I could justify it so I don't have to travel twice, other than that, no way.
A little teasing about it aside, they started sending me Lava magazine, and it isnt' bad. Certainly more compelling than Triathlete has become.
I wonder how long before they offer a "select number" of buy-in slots for Kona....
They already do and have for years. I believe they typcially go for well over $30k each and they do 4 of them per year on ebay. The best part is after you pay the $30k to get the slot, they still charge the normal entry fee as well and you have do a "qualifier" like in the lottery system.
Than again, those triathletes from the NY Times article that routinely drop $22K a year on triathlon should be lining up for this one.
Put this on the dashboard earlier.
Would I do this? Not if I was Bill Gates. This type of action that creates echelons of "elites" who are able to use $$$ to buy access, while equally deserving people are stuck on the outside looking in. Sure it's "business," but why roll over like that's a good reason? There are lots of ways to do good business and make money that do not involve this kind of sky club. There is no way that an M-dot race is THAT important to me that I would line the WTC coffers any more than I have to. If I were seriously considering spending that sum for a pre-entry to an entry, I would stop right there and write the check to the Boys & Girls clubs, Nothing But Nets, Kiva, American Cancer society...you name it. As my wise friend Kris F told me in WI, "Ironman is not who we are, it's what we do." And the doing of it with the WTC under those conditions gets less attractive every day.
Also, it's not what the race is called, it's the distance. If someone's identity is hinged on being an M-dot Ironman then that's their issue, and that person is likely to do anything to justify such things in their own minds. If that works for someone, who am I to judge? I also think this moves "Ironman" farther and farther from the the core spirit of the race--sport and lifestyle--to corporate machine. People know it and feel it. There are plenty of great independent options that will look more and more compelling to the likes of me.
For the record:
Does WTC have the right to do this? Of course they do.
Is it their responisbility to make it affordable to everyone? No
But this is a pure money grab. To steal Matt Taibbi's great quote about Goldman Sachs, and ammend it to the subject at hand--The world's most powerful triathlon company is a great vampire squid wrapped around the face of Ironman athletes relentlessly jamming its blood funnel into anything that smells like money.
Oh, and I believe it's naive to think that the CF slots will go untouched. They will either be eliminated, or more likely be jacked way up in price.
Ironman is a brand, not a race. If you absolutely MUST race Ironman, then you need to be prepared to pay a premium.
Could this move start to expose that line? Maybe? But it might just work for them. If you think this is something you'd do, I'd ask yourself what else in the marketplace you'd be willing to do this for (kids' education opporutnties - maybe, airline seating - maybe, bettering the food system - maybe, triathlon - ???)....does doing an M-Dot race really fall into the same category of anything else that this sort of model might apply to?
I personally don't need to do their races that badly and I don't give in to their crap very easily. In fact, I remember when they introduced Clearwater as a Half Iron "world championship." i saw that as them creating another opportunity for $$ extraction from athletes. (In fact, when I qualified I let my slot roll down because their "championships" seemed invented at the time and I felt icky about it). This is yet another example of that sort of mind set. It's BS.
Bring on the independents and lets sign up!!
I have been waiting for the Ironman Pleasure Products ("Go Long For Her Pleasure") to come out so I could say they went to far, but this beats that . . . . hands down.
However, like stores putting out Christmas stuff in June . . . . if people weren't buying they wouldn't have it out.
As Steve pointed out it is good for some people. If you live far away and really want to do Lake Placid you can just hand WTC $1000 instead of flying out. It helps out from a time management perspective as well. You no longer will have to "waste" a weekend traveling and volunteering to sign up for some races.
On the other hand it is stupid. I signed up for CDA this year the day it opened. It remained open for weeks/months? So what races will people actually use this option for? Is there that many? Plus they continue to expand the fields.
I see a handful of people signing up for this as long as it makes economic sense to them. If it doesn't then they won't sign up for it. The idea that hundreds of slots will be lost just seems to be ridiculous to me. If someone wants to hand WTC $1,000 for basically nothing that is fine by me. As they say, a sucker is born every minute.
The XC program of WTC doesn't have that many members and I see this going the same route.
I agree with Olivia. When WTC, as an earnings driven corporation looks at their events, it is obvious that with the immediate race entry sell outs virtually a year in advance, that they are leaving money on the table. Supply and demand tells us that entry fees can and should be increased to meet a demand that outstrips supply.
However, instead of raising entry fees, they came up with the Access Membership program to capture some of those dollars. If I was an investor, this is precisely what I would want them to do. It is actually pretty innovative, in my opinion.
Is this not what big named rock and roll bands do when they go on tour? Most of the bigger bands have created golden circle tickets for hundreds of dollars per ticket more. This serves to increase their bottom line and perhaps alienating the less weathly who wish to experience the band in concert.
I suspect that RnP, with their waiting lists, go through similar discussions.
So as consumers, as always we can vote with our check books.
This ain't the sixties! So long free love, cheap dope and small, low cost races.
I have never traveled to an IM race to register, and I got into 3.
In thinking about this a bit more, it rankles. It's no longer about he sport and lifestyle, but the money. I really wonder what John Collins thinks of all this. It began as a sport for the every (crazy) man to test your limits and try your essence. He made sure the Kona Lottery was in place so that lesser athletes could participate along with world champions. Today's action is as far away from the core of the sport--dedication, perseverence, triumph of spirit--as you can get. Business rule numero uno--do not alienate your core customer when expanding the brand. Instead of capitalizing on the dream, the fantasy, the inexplicable draw to that finish line, we got another money grub.
I first felt my disenchantment at WI. The spirit there was very different than the first two IMs I did. I couldn't put my finger on it, but it felt quite impersonal--at least to me. The expo was perplexing at the lack of vendors until you realized---ah, either not approved or priced out. Ironman is a distance, a race, a dream. I can now pass on the brand.
There actually are a number of people doing Chessy next year. Things take time to sink in, and for people to move in the different direction. I would certainly do another M-dot race, but only to race with my EN friends, not b/c I need to race the brand anymore. It sure will be interesting to see what happens over time.
No IM distance races for me next year. But 2 of the 3 HIM's I have planned are non-WTC (and I wish Timberman had not been bought out).
Reality here is that for 2011 most folks are already registered for their WTC race, this isn't going to impact the 2011 races- it will be an impact to 2012.
I'm already re-thinking my 2012 revenge tour plans. Rev 3 Cedar Point is now on my list of preferred options- Just gotta hope they actually run it again!
Your post makes 20 Dave
!
I'm signed up for CDA but have no idea what I will do after that. Maybe in 2011 I will check out Rev3 Quassy. Seems like a fun race and time for a family. Will I still do WTC races? Of course. Until I hear stories about scores of people who were unable to get into races because hundreds of rich folks used the Access program to gain entry I see no reason to not do their races. This is way overblown IMO. I could care less that a bunch of dumb folks will pay $1,000 for a product that they really don't need.
Probably at least five of us doing Chessy.
I'm doing an indy-half in July, Musselman. I've done this race four times.
Instead of IMLP in 2012 I'll do either Ottawa or Esprit.
There isn't anything wrong with a business trying to turn as much profit as they can. I'm sure all those employed by WTC appreciate it. I applaud all the companies I invest in to make oodles and oodles of profits. On the other hand if the product offered gets diluted and the price increases (I'm still angry over Doritos decreasing their portion size and increasing the price) you can certainly vote with your wallet.
Not my video.
I really have enjoyed this discussion. I especially like the part where this group (of which I am a flag waving member) which requires an expensive powermeter for full membership and then quickly goes out and swaps to a compact crank on our carbon bikes, while considering a speed suit for that one special race that we will probably only wear a handful of times, while evaluating a new wetsuit to cut a couple of seconds off our swim times raises heck over a corporation wanting to increase its profit margin.
We are the same group who joyfully engages in discussions on just what to do with that iPad now that we have purchased it. And we talk for months on the forum on our destination IM race and which hotel to stay at, and whether or not to sign up for the EN CA Tour once again. And this does not even cover the monies we spend on nutrition and supplements while we wait for the latest Triathlete magazine to arrive at our doorstep so we can drool over the latest equipment.
Each year careful scribes tally up the bikes at Kona, noting the models and components. In reviewing that list I rarely see the level of bikes that were raced at those early IM events.
Let's face it - we are the target demographic with disposable income - and that is what it takes to enjoy this sport at the level that we are accustomed to.
So with all that I think that we have been key components of an entire industry that has risen up from John Collins' idea those many years ago. We have ENers who are now making a living in this industry and I applaud them. I also hope that Mr. Collins has profited from his idea via investments and corporate ownership. Because I suspect he does not recognize the equipment, dollars spent and time invested in the sport today.
So I revel in the growth of this great sport. And yes, we have left a part of the spirit behind, but that is the nature of progress.
P.S. Did anyone see that Runners World Magazine is offering a special deal for the Big Sur Marathon? For a few hundred dollars one will recieve a training plan, a coached race rehearsal (of course the travel and lodging is up to the participant) and a special raceday VIP tent with reserved restrooms.
Again we are the demographic with the time and disposable funds and we have grown to expect a level of quality in our equipment, events and life. And we are willing to pay for it.
I am a total non WTC supporter. Only do WTC events to see my EN friends. But we have enough HIM around here to keep me busy without lining WTC pockets. I will be glad to look into Rev 3. Even travel stay will be cheaper I bet.
No IM in 2011, but local HIM I love and support.
Haven't registered for Timberman yet, may have to rethink....
Ok so here's my take.... I've done 2 IM's, florida in 08 and placid in 10.. Both times I was lucky enough to be able to sign up online. My cousin on the other hand went up and volunteered and registered, I told him I would do a community slot if I didn't get in because we wanted to do it together, so it would of been worth the extra $500 or so then (of course it would of also gone to a good cause). I would love to do IM canada someday, but my understanding is that the only way I can accomplish this is to register onsite, ie spending time and money traveling there and staying in a hotel etc.... would that run me $1000??? if so am I better off staying home and paying extra?? Same goes for CDA which I would love to do.. Granted I think that the community slots are a better option, and would definitely consider it if I was planning on a race, and couldn't register online.. I hope this option doesn't go away. Every year, every race sells out, usually day one, and then the community slots go... So can you blame WTC for adding another option??? Do I agree with it, no!! But lets face it people will pay it..... That being said I have read alot of the comments on the IM facebook page and people are crucifying WTC... I wonder what there response will be.....
Al, just want to state very clearly that you're wrong about EN membership.
We don't require our members to purchase ANYTHING. You can train with power, heart rate, GPS, your calibrated RPEometer, a sundial, flipflops, and wool swim suit from the 30's, we don't care. But we're not going to speak slowly and write in crayon for that person and, when they ask us about race wheels, carbon bottle tops and unobtanium frames, we're going to tell them that their money is better spent on, yes, a powermeter.
Sorry for the heavy hand, but PnI spend a lot of time thinking of ways to create MORE value for you and actually charging you LESS for it over time. And don't get me started on the stuff we do for free.
But to say that a powermeter is required for full EN membership is flat out wrong and I'm saying it again because we have a lot of new folks in the house. Thanks.