You have decided you want to compete in a triathlon some time in the near future and are now on the hunt for an option on the right weekend that won’t break the bank. Make sure you do your homework relative to some of the tricks of the trade and how to protect your rights and investment before you get locked into something that you may regret later.
RunSignUp’s Processing Fee Schedule
Hidden SignUp Fees.
RunSignUp, the most widely used registration processing platform with 35-40% market share, publishes their signup fee schedule which is 6% + $1 for a typical triathlon (see above) . This fee is above and beyond the listed race fee. If you are paying a processing fee of 8-10% or more this is likely an example of a race director hiding profit in the processing fee and counting on athletes to miss it when they are rushing to sign-up. If you discover a race using this business practice, contact them and request they waive that fee. Most races will accommodate to save the sale.
Exorbitant Liability Insurance Fee.
Unlike the running world where the cost of insurance is included in the race fee, triathletes can sometimes be expected to fork over up to $15 for liability insurance. With options that meet or exceed municipality requirements in all 50 states, top race directors with good safety records are able to pass along lower fees starting as low as $3.71 per athlete. California Triathlon Endorsed Race Director Insurance Program. Races with higher and/or cumbersome insurance options often experience a higher incomplete registration or consumer abandon rate. We advise athletes to choose races with affordable liability insurance.
Draconian Transfer, Deferral & Participant Transfer Policies.
Athlete-centric policies relative to transfers, deferrals and participant transfers (or bib swaps) are slow to change because DNS or “Did Not Show” athletes are a major race profit center. “Breakage”, the difference between the number of registrations and the number of participants, is typically 20-33% of total registrations. An additional layer of schemes charging athletes $25 or $50 to transfer or defer are reminiscent of the airline industry. Bold letters in caps with the word “no” are a strong indicator they aren’t consumer friendly. You may pay more a few days before the race but when life happens, you aren’t out a stack of cash. We advise athletes to read the transfer and deferral policies and register with races that are consistent with their values.
Allianz “Event Registration Protector” or Similar 3rd Party Insurance.
For about $10, this type of product is supposed to be an almost failsafe solution for athletes who have to miss out on the race to recover their fees. The race director benefits by outsourcing an unpleasant part of the business to a third party in exchange for a small profit sharing arrangement. Unfortunately, this is one of those cases where if it is too good to be true it probably is. Our experience is that athletes are saddled with a lengthy claim process and the number of exclusions as well as their ability to receive prompt and helpful customer service. Race directors get no reporting from Allianz relative to usage or customer service issues. It is basically a black hole. We recommend choosing races with consumer-friendly transfer and deferral policies that make these types of products superfluous.
With knowledge comes power. We hope this helps you avoid some of the common tricks- and traps- of the trade and allows you to enjoy your time preparing for a great race day. Good luck!
