Ironman Maryland!

I'll be more inclined to do it now than I was when it was ChesapeakeMan.  Not because it's a WTC event, but because now I'd expect it to become large enough to feel more like an "event" rather than a training day.

I'm pretty excited to see a Saturday race.  What is the general terrain like around there?  What kind of a bike course would be likely?

Pancake.  

I received this invitation but the preface wasn't about ranking. The full text was this:

Congratulations! To reward our most loyal athletes who have completed 12 or more IRONMAN races, we'd like to offer you an exclusive opportunity.

As you may have heard, IRONMAN announced today that Cambridge, Maryland will become the twelfth U.S. location in the IRONMAN® Series. The inaugural IRONMAN Maryland will take place on Saturday, September 20, 2014, becoming the first IRONMAN race in the Mid-Atlantic!

We value your loyalty and want to offer you priority registration into this first-year event. This means you will have special access to register for the event before it goes on sale to the general public. Emails will be sent at 10 a.m. ET on Tuesday, April 15 with a unique link for registration. There are limited slots available. This offer is non-transferable and available until April 17 at 11 a.m. ET. General registration opens April 17 at noon ET.

Thank you so much for your patronage to the sport and to IRONMAN over the years -- we truly appreciate athletes like yourself. We will be contacting you with other exclusive offers throughout the year.

Are you sure you have the right link?

this saddens me so much.

I don't think there's been much change in how fast they sell out.  CdA and Louisville always had time to sign up even years ago.  Tahoe is the new St. George.  It'll do a little better just being in California but a lot of people hate hills.  Canada (Whistler) is more affected by Challenge Penticton than WTC expansion.  The other newer races are mostly located well to cover demand and geographic holes (Colorado, Texas, Mont-Tremblant - all sold out).

On the other hand, having more venues gives WTC an opportunity to cap their North American races at a smaller number.  Maybe they will for some of the races -- I'm guessing not the 4 you listed though.  But outside North America, I've done IM Western Australia and IM New Zealand, which were capped at 1500 and 2000.  It seems like there's less tolerance for crowded bike courses in other parts of the world.

This!

Yes but maybe another smaller company could have moved in with a different Ultra-Distance event next year. Now we are stuck with the Walmart version.

When showing up to IM Maryland that used to be Chesapeakeman:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_O1hM-k3aUY

No, not saving Columbia tri. Another company could have filled the void in the market for an IM race. As in, started their own. Now the venue is claimed.

ETA: I'd rather have "canceledman" that IM in my state. I'd rather have the opportunity for a group that cares about the sport to come in than McTriathlon swooping in to take everyone's money.

ETA More: "White Knight" my white behind. WTC is NOT moving in to help anyone. They are making a financial decision. They are here to make money. Don't fool yourself into thinking that WTC is being altruistic, they are making a buck.

No, not Walmart - it's the Macy's version. That would be an much more accurate corporate comparison. Walmart stores are bland warehouse-style boxes, stocked with low to moderate quality products, with consumers who select Walmart mainly by price.

Macy's stores, on the other hand, in general are much higher end buildings, stocked with high quality products, are professionally managed, and yet each store is about the same except for the location. Consumers choose to shop at Macy's instead of WalMart because the many products are better quality, and even if it's the exact same product the stores are better and the shopping experience is better, and people will trade a few bucks for a nicer store. And then there is the power of branding. Walking around in WaMart clothes doesn't fit with a lot of people's self image. Nor do some people want to shop at a chain that has the reputation of destroying local businesses while failing to pay a living wage to its own employees.

Describing WTC as the Macy's of the triathlon world is apt. Generally high quality races, professionally managed, but a bit the same. Branding is generally more positive than WalMart, with some people objecting based on size and some people participating because of size.

As we all know, corporate up-sizing and consolidation is not new. Economies of scale and strength of consumer branding tend to win over small and local.