Large road race, which stiffed me in 2017, is being held again in 2018. Solliciting ideas for relatively harmless payback.

Name and shame the race on here?

Name and shame the race on FB?

Phone them up?

Possibly the RD has left/been dismissed?

Wear Dolphin shorts.

rock n roll my belly wrote:

While we're talking about it, has anyone been stiffed by Rock n Roll?

Yes, I have. Which is why I advise our running club to boycott their sh&tty races and bandit at any opportunity.

You have a very legitimate beef. These guys pull in A LOT from race entry fees. And yet they're ignoring you because they owe you a little money? That's really pathetic. Yes, I get that road races can be expensive when closing roads and hiring police, (which they ironically pay money for), but it doesn't matter if the race even has a net loss, they have to PAY UP. You have every right to be upset. It's really an insignificant amount, but when someone owes you money, you should make a point about it until they pay you. They have to be making a net profit off of the event anyways, since they're hosting it again this year. They probably just hope you ignore them so they can pocket the money into their personal accounts anyways. But you should threat legal action and see if that makes them pay attention to you. Also, perhaps try and contact others that were obligated to receive money (if any) to see if they were paid. Good luck.

Having the race director served with a summons to small claims court at the start line might be a nice touch.

Give the race a bad Yelp review

Write about your experience on the race's Facebook page.

rock n roll my belly wrote:

While we're talking about it, has anyone been stiffed by Rock n Roll?

I almost have before at Rock and Roll Half in St. Louis. I got 2nd in the half (maybe $250?) and the winner got $500 or so. After about 3 months I was considering emailing the elite coordinator that gave me the comp entry when the guy that won messaged me asking if I had gotten paid yet. We then both sent an email and got a response a few days later when the check was in the mail. I think they hope you forget about it and don't send the money until you ask them for it. I have had other races where once you ask where the money is after a few weeks they will send it to you.

minde15 wrote:

I almost have before at Rock and Roll Half in St. Louis. I got 2nd in the half (maybe $250?) and the winner got $500 or so. After about 3 months I was considering emailing the elite coordinator that gave me the comp entry when the guy that won messaged me asking if I had gotten paid yet. We then both sent an email and got a response a few days later when the check was in the mail. I think they hope you forget about it and don't send the money until you ask them for it. I have had other races where once you ask where the money is after a few weeks they will send it to you.

I'm not good enough to win prize money but I did notice in the runners info for one race (I can't remember which one) that the prize winners had to contact the organizers. In other words, you had to ask for the prize to get it. I don't know why it was this way, maybe they wanted to be certain the money went to the right person , or maybe they were hoping some wouldn't claim their prizes so more profit for the organizers.

Raddison wrote:

I don't know why it was this way, maybe they wanted to be certain the money went to the right person.

Playing devil's advocate here. It could be that the addresses people put on their entry forms are minimal, no house or apartment number, no zip code etc. So rather than try to work out who is John Smith of Maple St., Vermont, they just wait for him to contact them and provide full details.

How about you make the world a better place and let it go?

minde15 wrote:

rock n roll my belly wrote:

While we're talking about it, has anyone been stiffed by Rock n Roll?

I almost have before at Rock and Roll Half in St. Louis. I got 2nd in the half (maybe $250?) and the winner got $500 or so. After about 3 months I was considering emailing the elite coordinator that gave me the comp entry when the guy that won messaged me asking if I had gotten paid yet. We then both sent an email and got a response a few days later when the check was in the mail. I think they hope you forget about it and don't send the money until you ask them for it. I have had other races where once you ask where the money is after a few weeks they will send it to you.

They mailed you a check? I've been contacted by RnR via email, and they're asking me to fill out a W9 and email them my bank account info. It looks like a phishing scam. I didn't win enough to require a W9 anyway.

"Just send us your SSN and bank account number, and we'll send some money your way...."

Sounds legit.

What the posters say is all correct.

1. Look up what the commercial practices laws are in your state. Some provide for treble damages, costs, and fees. Usually you have to send a written demand to your targeted company before you can make that claim.

2. Make the demand in writing, certified mail. Find where the LLC is registered and who their agent is to receive "service of process." The corporations secretary for your state should maintain a website with that information. Send the demand letter there. In the letter, explain who you are, the race you won, the amount you are entitled to, and what will happen if payment is not made within 30 days.

3. If you do not receive any response, then serve them with the summons and complaint. It will be sent to the same address in Step 2. And send the copy of that to the local papers/publications in the area, explaining that you got stiffed. No company wants a news story coming up in Google about fraudulent practices........

I have heard of larger races doing that to runners before. Sometimes it's because the directors don't have their act together. But regardless, no excuse if they've received your communications and haven't responded.

Why would a race offer prize money if they didn't want to pay it? I don't remember ever leaving the site without a check. In fact, a bunch require you to stick around for an award ceremony to get a check.

I'm sorry you guys get stuck with idiots as race directors. The race directors I deal with acknowledge that they are paying me to stick around another hour so they can take a picture of me for their website and a community newspaper or website.

If you live in the US, your first step should be to buy a gun. Then, move on from there.

Sleep with the race director's wife.

So far, the "jerk store" and "sleeping with RD's wife" seem to be the clear front-runners.

The awards are vague. There is no dollar amount listed, only that awards are for top-3. Given the competition at this race (previous winners in years past have included Olympians and pro-runners), my assumption is that there is something beyond a plastic medal.

I am somewhere in between the "seek legal recourse" and "let it go" camps. The former seems like too much effort and the latter... I don't know... don't you think there should be some accountability on their part? As I said before, I'm mostly peeved that they're stonewalling me. If they had just done the courtesy of contacting me, I would completely let it go.

I've been thinking of banditing the 2018 race and doing something of note at the finish.

Let it Rupp wrote:

Sleep with the race director's wife.

She's in a coma.

what gives? wrote:

So far, the "jerk store" and "sleeping with RD's wife" seem to be the clear front-runners.

The awards are vague. There is no dollar amount listed, only that awards are for top-3. Given the competition at this race (previous winners in years past have included Olympians and pro-runners), my assumption is that there is something beyond a plastic medal.

I am somewhere in between the "seek legal recourse" and "let it go" camps. The former seems like too much effort and the latter... I don't know... don't you think there should be some accountability on their part? As I said before, I'm mostly peeved that they're stonewalling me. If they had just done the courtesy of contacting me, I would completely let it go.

I've been thinking of banditing the 2018 race and doing something of note at the finish.

Hate to say it, but if there's no published prize money, you have nothing to go on legally. Public shaming is your only option.

Depending on the race - some have the prize money waiting.

I have seen plenty of others who mail a check after the fact. Those are usually from non-profits that host one race a year.

Large private corporations, usually carry enough money in their accounts that they should be able to pay prize money the day of without having to wait for any any day of event charges.