Thanks to all of your help and letter witting.You guys are just the best and I really appreciate all of your help!
I have just received some great news from Timberline Timing:
Roman,
I spoke with Capri Events this morning regarding your results for the Accenture Chicago Triathlon. Although there is no record of you being weighed in at the Clydesdale booth, they have agreed to move you to your respective Clydesdale category. The results will be updated on the website by the end of business today and your award will be mailed to you in approximately two weeks.
Thanks
Mark Moore
Timberline Timing Systems
But I can't help but feel that we (age group athletes) deserve better. So here's my reply:
Hi Mark,
That’s great news and I thank you for it.
I do appreciate your help in the matter and it is good to see that somebody with a name has responded.
I say this because below is the copy of the email that I got from Capri Events earlier this week:
"Hi Roman,
The results show that you were in Clydesdale category zero which means
you failed to weigh in at the expo and are not eligible for Clydesdale
awards. They posted your results so that you could still see your
times for the event.
Thanks again and we look forward to seeing you again next year."
You’ll note that I was not even given the courtesy of a name to contact in reply at Capri Events.
Furthermore, Capri didn’t give me the courtesy of asking me, but instead just told me that I did not weight in.
Which is odd as it would have been impossible for me to pick up my packet without a) weighing in and b) filling out their waiver…or at least so I was told as I weighted in.
I don’t know if you are triathlete, but I suspect you must appreciate what it feels like to train an entire year for your “A” race, to win your division, to wait several hours for the awards ceremony, only to have that one moment that you’ve worked so hard to achieve taken away from you by a screw up on the part of the race organizers.
More importantly as a sponsored athlete I worked very hard all year to get on the podium so I could get that podium (winner’s) photo for BMC, Zipp, Cycleops, Colorado Multisports, D3, 2XU and Nuun to name just a few of my sponsors.
Capri Events took that moment away from me, and to add insult injury…to date they have only sent me an anonymous letter telling me that it was my fault, so have a nice day, and see you next year.
Do you think they would have treated a professional athlete in the same manner? What does this say about how much they care for the age-group athlete?
Mark, I’m fortunate enough to have a very popular triathlon Blog and Podcast that get’s read and heard by hundreds of triathletes each day. As you may know I’m also lucky enough to live in Boulder and personally know many of the sponsors that support the Chicago Accenture Triathlon.
Capri Events has yet to either call, or write me, or indeed contact me in anyway outside of the above email.
I would appreciate a written apology from Capri Events that I can provide my readers, my sponsors, and the many age-group athletes that follow my racing.
I do appreciate your and Timberline Timings help in this matter.
It is nice to know that you have taken the initiative to correct this painful and embarrassing mistake, but it would be nice, and perhaps better for Capri’s reputation and indeed the Chicago Accenture Triathlon’s reputation, to see the same initiative from them.
Kind Regards,
Roman Mica
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www.everymantriathlon.com
www.raceAthlete.com
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I really believe that many race organizers take our business for granted so I'm drawing a line in the sand for all of us.
So they grudgingly fixed their mistake.
Big deal!
I was pretty certain I had won when I crossed the finish line because nobody with a 51 (my wave and division) on their calf in my division had passed me the entire race.
The mistake which they failed to correct, and still refuse to acknowledge is how important they feel that we are to their business.
It is somewhat ironic because Accenture (the main sponsor of the event) split away from Arthur Anderson the large accounting firm that blew up after the Enron debacle.
Arthur Anderson's big mistake was that they forgot that their best and biggest business asset was their reputation with their clients.
It seems that Capri Events has not learned this lesson.
At least hey have not proved it to any of us yet.