The New York Times today weighed in on the question that many athletes are asking in a story entitled, "When Iron Is a Precious Metal."
You can read it HERE.
But I am hearing rumbles, creaks, and cracks that would suggest that Ironman is not recession-proof.
In a recent story published by the online version of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel you can start to see small cracks in the Ironman race organization. The story (HERE) is a call for volunteers for the recent Ironman race held in Madison, Wisconsin.
The Sentinel is reporting that the race organizers were a few hundred volunteers short of the required 1000 before the race:
"For their part, organizers for the Madison triathlon are counting on volunteers and sponsors.
The non-profit Wisconsin Sports Development Corporation has put out a call for both to fill in the gaps, in people helping on the course and the cash needed to cover the $100,000 in expenses to put on one of six Ironman races in the North America Sports series."
Can you too hear the creaking and cracking in the Ironman iceberg?
A few months ago I wrote THIS editorial questioning the continued viability of filling up Ironman races in a weakening economy.
For the first time in years Ironman Canada will open today for online registration. For the past several years athletes have had to drive to the race to register in person.
While the New York Times may be reporting that Ironman racing is indeed recession-proof, I would argue that the mere fact the the paper has drawn this conclusion is sure sign we're seeing the beginning of the decline of interest in the Ironman brand.
For the future I predict that Ironman branded races will not sell out immediately, and that local races will gain in popularity.
This week in Colorado the Harvest Moon Triathlon (half iron distance race) sold out in record time even though the race organizers had added several hundred new slots.
Why?
For about half the cost of the typical 70.3 race, racers get 95 percent of the same Ironman branded experience. I suspect that in today's ailing economy that is great value for any athlete's limited race budget.