Send this guy an e-mail puhleeease!

hell hath no furry like gay guy scorned.

Sounds like a legit gripe to me.

Turns out the race closed at 2,500 entrants x$50 is $125,000.

No course measurements, mile markers, clocks, waterstops, volunteers, portapotties or cash prizes.

Sounds like Mr. Ryan Dawkins made himself a tidy little sum on Sunday. I'm in the wrong business.

well, the website promises a "memorable experience." sounds like one you won't soon forget. you can read all the "race details" yourself. i know nothing other than what has been written here. sound interesting though.

http://www.ushalf.com/

Well, I sent him an e-mail. Just like I sent one to MSNBC to get Chicago televised nation-wide. Lots of good that did, huh?

But we live in a country where we can speak our minds so I do.

Lousy San Fran race director!

I hope the IRS gets this SOB. What a con job. Apparently he is a cyclist with aspirations of going to the 2004 OT's - sounds like this is his "sponsorship funding". Rents are pretty high in the Bay Area and I'm sure an Executive Director has high standards.

Olympic trials my ass. He's a category 5 cyclist.

I just looked at the race website and came to the conclusion that the race was a complete sham. The finishing time for the first two runners was a joke and if you look at pictures of the winner in the male division it looks like he knows it too. Ther was also nobody at the finish line to adknowledge the first woman and there were no spectators at the finish line. Those runners were had.

And that means what??? Naive about cycling...

Sounds like a clear case of breach of contract and detrimental reliance. We should sue the pants off of this sucker.

If he was a runner he'd be a 5 hour marathoner.

they don't get much slower than category 5.

Cyclist races are ranked 1-5. 5 being the beginners/novice and 1 are the top dogs/elites of the sport.

Thanks for enlightening me!!:) I vaguely know like Richter scale readings, but Catagory 5 biker, had no idea!!:)

lots of "first year" races don't deliver everything a runner wants and needs. looks like the Race Director needs runner feedback to make his race better.

even if he spent the money on the wrong stuff, it doesn't make him a criminal. it makes him stupid. and if he put the money in his own pocket, it still isn't criminal. (possibly resposible in CIVIL court for not delivering on his promises though -- i'd have to check w/my attorney)

Check the runners world forum; they've been after the guy all week. He pretty much told everyone who complained to take a hike and not to bother running any of his races in the future if they didn't like how it went.

Even if he isn't criminal and merely dumb as a post, it wouldn't be a bad thing to hound this guy ot of the race directing business altogether. He promised mile markers and clocks and aid stations and its pretty obvious he had no intention of investing in any of them; that makes him a fraud in my book.

How damn hard is it to tell 12 miles from 13.1? And all the promises about clocks and things. This guy is more than stupid. He's a thief!

What date is this race next year? Sounds like my kind of race!

It seems the winner had a pretty good day. He ran a half in July 2002

18 Tom Hadfield / San Francisco, CA 3873 1:17:30

He improved by almost ten minutes. Not bad. Your best bet in court would be based on his advertisements:

--The 13.1-mile, half marathon course starts and finishes in Aquatic Park.

--Mile markers will be positioned along the course, at each mile.

--Digital time clocks will be positioned along the course and at the finish line.

Detrimental reliance is a hard case to make. Go with breach of contract.

Ha! I bet all the $125K went to "costs" - namely the website - designed by one of his buddies, who kicks back a chunk of the cash to him - discreteley, in small chunks, over a period of time. That way someone looking at his bank account won't see a big check from the "US Half" organization. Pretty slick - not.