Grandmas Marathon registrants go home DEVASTATED!!

Yeah, probably tons of volunteers they had to buy bagels for. Oh wait.

Stop being a troll and an ass.

I would guess they saved $40K+ on timing services off the top of my head.

stateroftheoblivious wrote:

The race has a bunch of employees and I am sure some of the cost had to go out early for supplies.

You can still run the course. The route is online at USATF. Just show up and run it by yourself. Or with a few friends since aid stations would be nice.

Won’t cars run you over?

Boulder bro wrote:

stateroftheoblivious wrote:

The race has a bunch of employees and I am sure some of the cost had to go out early for supplies.

You can still run the course. The route is online at USATF. Just show up and run it by yourself. Or with a few friends since aid stations would be nice.

Won’t cars run you over?

hahaha yeah I was going to say....The course is on a coastal highway so you most certainly cannot run the course without becoming roadkill

Dispute the charge with your cc company. I disputed three races and won each one.

F these races that keep your money and enter you into some f’ing virtual crap.

You guys know that if you can even run some pedestrian times like 68 half / 2:20 full for a guy and 1:20/2:50for a girl you get free entry and lodging into the race right? Not even the soft OTQ standards that everyone is running with the super cheaterflies these day

Confused Subelite wrote:

You guys know that if you can even run some pedestrian times like 68 half / 2:20 full for a guy and 1:20/2:50for a girl you get free entry and lodging into the race right? Not even the soft OTQ standards that everyone is running with the super cheaterflies these day

Yeah my hobby-jogger self was a bit outside that. I was told sub-2:28 is comped entry. Probably ~2:20 for lodging I’d guess.

Working Harder wrote:

seriously. i was registered and the lack of a refund, even partial, burns me a bit. i'm not sure if that is valid though so maybe someone can convince me why, at 12 weeks out, they don't have money to do something but offer a 20% discount for next year? I'll never register for Grandma's again after this.

No refund? Can you still get the shirt and race swag? It’s only fair. How ‘bout sending me that post race beer also to console me?

I want my swag wrote:

Working Harder wrote:

seriously. i was registered and the lack of a refund, even partial, burns me a bit. i'm not sure if that is valid though so maybe someone can convince me why, at 12 weeks out, they don't have money to do something but offer a 20% discount for next year? I'll never register for Grandma's again after this.

No refund? Can you still get the shirt and race swag? It’s only fair. How ‘bout sending me that post race beer also to console me?

You have to say you did the virtual race to get it.

So now I have to buy a garmin? Maybe that could be given to me as part of my race packet. I figured I’d just take a picture of my Timex, the post office is still delivering mail, correct?

I work for one of the biggest road races in the country (a fall race that's not in jeopardy) so I know about the timing of expenditures for meet directors....Grandma's is basically stealing your money. They will get a refund for pretty much every expense they already made, and the vast majority of their expenses won't even get billed now due to the early cancellation.

Don't be surprised if you see the meet directors driving brand new luxury cars next time you see them.

This is good background. I get that they say no refunds up front but basically every spring race I had signed up for offered a refund or deferment type option. Most of them were also no refund races. Things change. Idk what's going on here. This is a super popular race. I'm kind of surprised with their response.

Anyways I commented earlier but this is probably a sign that there won't be any bigger road races until the fall, if those still happen.

lmb wrote:

Mom's basement?? I can afford to eat the cost of a race entry in the midst of a pandemic. I am also probably twice your age. I have directed quite a few races and can tell you most of your entry fee has already been spent. You should also register your name.

We hear this all the time when the subject of refunds comes up but there are never any specifics so maybe you could answer some questions about how the money has been spent. Or maybe you can't but here goes.

I've read many times that the two biggest race expenses are liability insurance and hiring police for traffic control. Is that true? If so, both of those expenses vanish so why can't the portion of entry fees that be refunded?

Races make profits these days, at least big ones do and generally have a list of charities they give race proceeds to. How much of an entry fee goes to these charities as a rule and why can't that portion of an entry fee be refunded?

All races get local sponsors. How much of the cost of putting on the race are typically covered by sponsors rather than by entry fees? Do the sponsors get refunds?

Cherry Blossom is giving refunds. Boston is going to now as well. Both races were to happen well ahead of Grandma's so if Grandma's has already spent most of people's entry fees and can't refund them why is this not the case for Cherry Blossom and Boston and other races that are issuing refunds?

If Grandma's has already spent "most" of people's entry fees why can they not refund however much they haven't spent? If they can offer a 20% reduction for next year's entry why can't they refund at least 20% of people's fees?

That's all for my questions but I'll add this. I do understand that people entered knowing the entry said "no refunds." I have always thought that applied to changing your mind and deciding not to run even though the race was happening. I suspect a lot of other people thought that as well and that we were incorrect. Maybe saying "no refunds" on an entry form legally releases races from the need to refund entry fees if the race doesn't happen but just because a thing is legal doesn't mean its morality isn't questionable. I'm not sure runners wanting refunds for races that don't happen is any more "entitled" than race directors deciding to keep entry fees for those non happening races.

Strange that the organizers don’t mind completely destroying the reputation of their race. Clearly a race to avoid in the future, and the perfect opportunity for a new organization to run a new race next year and steal all their participants by offering free entry to those ripped off.

I've said it before, and I have to say it again: taking money for registration + canceling the race + not refunding the money = theft

Grandma has stolen from the common (wo)man. Do the right thing Grandma (and all you other RD jokers stealing peoples' money). Give the money back. Give the money back.

lmb wrote:

When you signed the waiver it said no refunds. Are you that entitled that you expect a refund when the country is basically locked down??

You're obviously completely by yourself in this opinion.

Entitled is someone who thinks they should get paid when they don't provide the service for which they are getting paid for. That's clearly the race directors in this case.

Chargeback your credit card on these fools. Stealing is a terrible way to garner pity.

tin can man wrote:

I work for one of the biggest road races in the country (a fall race that's not in jeopardy) so I know about the timing of expenditures for meet directors....Grandma's is basically stealing your money. They will get a refund for pretty much every expense they already made, and the vast majority of their expenses won't even get billed now due to the early cancellation.

Don't be surprised if you see the meet directors driving brand new luxury cars next time you see them.

I am also familiar with the costs associated with these events and I somewhat agree, but I assume the registrations cover some of the costs of the employees for larger events. Grandmas is not that large, so they may be ripping people off.

If your fall event gets canceled and your race refunds everyone but they've already paid you a salary do you give your salary back?

The “no refunds” language is not worth anything. There is clearly an expectation that they will make a good faith effort to conduct the race.

What if the race director just said, “fuc* it, I decided not to put on the race this year, and by the way, ‘No Refunds.’” Would all you guys just say, tough sh!t, it says no refunds.”

I hope they get sued.