Ironman pilots new North American transfer program

Ironman will now offer North American Ironman athletes an option to transfer their race registration to another event. “This program was designed in response to athlete feedback we’ve received over the years. We understand that you want to race with us, but sometimes life gets in the way, injuries happen, weddings pop up or your job takes you across the country,” said World Triathlon Corporation ceo Andrew Messick. “With the transfer program, we hope to address these issues by allowing Ironman athletes to transfer to another open race in North America. If you have a simple date conf lict, you can move sooner or later in the calendar. If you have an injury, you can move down to a 70.3 distance or postpone to a later race.”

There are, however, a few caveats. For starters, the program only applies to North American Ironman (140.6) athletes, and not all North American races are eligible for transfer. Athletes wishing to take advantage of the program must also submit a $50 transfer fee (along with any differential in race fees) and need to find an event that is not already full. For most this will mean that Ironman Louisville will be the next best option, but the existence of this program could also mean that races like Louisville will fill at a faster rate.

A version of this program exists in Europe and wtc admits that this pilot program could experience some bumps along the way. Regardless, Ironman athletes now have an extra option other than a partial refund or no refund at all.