Have you ever signed up for a race and then a personal commitment, injury, or work got in the way and you had to drop out? Did you get your race fee back? If you couldn't get your money back, were you able to at least transfer your race number to another runner? Or has this happened to a friend of yours and you had to morph into a pirate runner under their name? (I ran my first marathon as Maria Buss...definitely NOT me!)
If you answered "No" to the first two questions, you're in the same boat as we have been. I do not understand why the rules are so strict regarding race entry. Now, I write this never having been the coordinator for any major event, so I have no real idea how much work goes into what they do (but I know it's a lot).
I think it would be reasonable to have a cutoff date for dropping out of a race, this would ensure race directors have accurate numbers of participants, time to make race bibs, etc. The no-refund policy from the get-go is sort of ridiculous. You have to enter early enough to get the cheapest entry fee, but if something comes up you lose money. Or at least make the transfer process available for those who have a friend willing to run in your place.
There have been some awesome race directors out there who have refunded my money, and a big THANK YOU to them for being accommodating.
Let's get the word out...NO MORE STRICT POLICIES! If you agree, let us know what ideas you have for making the process easy and fair!
If you answered "No" to the first two questions, you're in the same boat as we have been. I do not understand why the rules are so strict regarding race entry. Now, I write this never having been the coordinator for any major event, so I have no real idea how much work goes into what they do (but I know it's a lot).
I think it would be reasonable to have a cutoff date for dropping out of a race, this would ensure race directors have accurate numbers of participants, time to make race bibs, etc. The no-refund policy from the get-go is sort of ridiculous. You have to enter early enough to get the cheapest entry fee, but if something comes up you lose money. Or at least make the transfer process available for those who have a friend willing to run in your place.
There have been some awesome race directors out there who have refunded my money, and a big THANK YOU to them for being accommodating.
Let's get the word out...NO MORE STRICT POLICIES! If you agree, let us know what ideas you have for making the process easy and fair!
