Damon Iaea loves to race.
"I really love that’s my favorite race out of all the triathlon," Iaea said.
So with all the training, Damon and many of his friends were crushed when they found out that the tsunami scare had forced the cancellation triathlon, with no refund.
A similar situation happened in New York City after race officials canceled the NYC Marathon due to the destruction caused by Hurricane Sandy, again with no refund.
In both cases race organizers pointed out that the no refund policy was stated on their websites well before the race.
"The thing was it never said specifically that there was no refund in the case of a natural disaster, it just said they have the right to reschedule the event. Nothing about a refund so that is my question," Iaea said.
When it comes to putting on large events, well-known promoter Tom Moffatt knows the dangers weather poses, especially when putting on music concerts.
"Any events held at the Stan Sheriff Center, the Blaisdell, or the Shell when they buy a ticket there money is held in escrow so if there is some kind of cancellation they will get money back," Moffatt said.
There are different rules for sporting events. Ko’olina race organizer JJ Johnson declined to comment on-air, but did mention the expenses and non-refundable costs that he incurred planning the event, and that all of this year’s athletes will get 50 percent off next years race.
But for Damon that is not enough, especially with all the training spent preparing for the race.
"So, the third best thing is would be to get an entry fee for next year, but giving us only 50 percent off for next year is kind of a slap in the face," Iaea said.
See the original article at: KHON2 Developing Stories
