Will Race Refunds and Transfers Become the New Norm in Triathlon?

February 12, 2025

When COVID-19 forced race directors to cancel races, it spotlighted the flexibility – or inflexibility – of every race’s published refund, transfer, and deferral policy. The cancellations were unprecedented and challenging to navigate – were race directors expected to refund 100% of registration fees? Do they defer the athletes’ registration to the following year’s race? Do they send the already purchased medals and T-shirts with a partial refund? On top of that, job losses and the economic downturn had athletes looking to recover cash as much as possible. Triathlete