Dear Supporter,
As the year started, we are all back to our work and training routines. One of the things Ironman expects is for triathletes to just go on and accept the decision. This is what happened in the past regarding price increases, or the COVID non-refund policy. “You showed your anger and now it ‘s time to move on”. In other words, don’t fight the reality on the ground.
This is a lack of respect for your voice, opinion and money. You support the petition because you find the decision to split the World Championship unjustified, immoral, and plainly wrong.
In effect, you have been sold a lie for so many years. By buying into the dream of qualifying for Kona, you financed the strategy of Ironman. But now that Kona does not fit the Ironman revenue generation/growth strategy, it is split in 2. And be sure that the next step will be to take the Championship out of Kona. Andrew Messick is at the helm of Ironman since 2011. All the decisions that have been made are his responsibility. This is not an accident, and this is why he cannot be trusted.
As the petition crossed the 6,400 supporters mark, we need to keep on pushing to reach the next milestone of 7,500. At that point, an official letter will be sent to Andrew Messick, President and CEO of the Ironman Group.
In the meantime, a new phase has started. I call this “The Gospel According To Andrew Messick”. The objective is to show the thoughts and worldview of Messick and how the decision to split the World Championship is not an accident. It’s about the discrepancies and the bad faith used to deceive you and Triathletes across the world.
As I mentioned, you have been used and lied to.
In Part 1, we start with an excerpt from his interview with Trimag published on January 7, 2023. This is what he said:
“We talk and listen a lot, but ultimately we get paid to make decisions and our belief was “this is the best thing for the long-term interest of Ironman.””
BUT he should never forget that his salary is financed by you, the triathletes who enter races across the world and buy the derivative products. So basically, you are paying Andrew Messick to make decisions against you.
You can watch Part 1 on different channels: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
It’s important to get the word out so please share these posts and make sure to tag the sponsors. Why the sponsors? Because they are supporting the Ironman strategy and they may be more responsive to your voices. It just becomes a question of image.
Here are the handles:
Instagram
@activedotcom @athleticbrewing @biostarks_global @breitling @fulgazapp @gatorade @hoka @Hyperice @maurten_official @nirvana_europe @qatarairways @roka @santini_triathlon @vinfastofficial @wahoofitnessofficial
Twitter
@active @AthleticBrewing @Breitling @gatorade @hoka @hyperice @nirvana_europe @VinFastofficial @wahoofitness @SANTINI_SMS @rokasports
Like an Ironman, the petition is going to take time. Currently, Andrew Messick is not listening because he feels your voice and the voices of the more than 6,000 triathletes supporting the petition are not a threat to his plan, and the enthusiasm of the early days will die out.
This is why we need to grow, why we need to put pressure on the sponsors, and ultimately make Andrew Messick realize he cannot go on with his decision.
Thank you
Kind regards,
Antoine
PS: If you have any questions, ideas or comments, you can reach me at antoine.abousamra@gmail.com