Refunds & Deferrals
scroll to: your responsiblity / why we do this / your options / a final word
For the avoidance of doubt ...
we do not allow refunds or deferrals under any circumstances.
No Refunds
As you acknowledged when registering ... we do not provide cash refunds at any time.
No Deferrals
Sorry, but we do not allow deferrals to next year or transfers to any other event.
No Exceptions
To be fair to everyone, we do not make exceptions to these rules. Ever.
YOUR RESPONSIBILITY
we go to great lengths to ensure you are aware of this policy prior to signing up
Highlighted on Web Site
The first thing listed under the heading IMPORTANT next to our online entry buttons is a clear statement that "your registration is non-refundable and cannot be deferred to a later edition of this event or transferred to another event".
Question on Entry Form
The "Refund" question on all entry forms requires you to select the option "I agree to these terms and acknowledge there are no refunds." and points to this web page. If you do not accept this option, you cannot register for any of our events.
Included in Waiver
Everyone must accept the event waiver in order to register for any of our events. Item #8 clearly states refunds are not available and directs to this web page for further information on the policy statement you are agreeing to.
If our position on this seems uncompromising ...
We get it. This is a difficult subject and there is no easy or gentle way to say this. Our experience is that this difficult situation is better appreciated if we communicate our position with clarity. Please remember that we have gone to great pains to bring this policy to your attention prior to purchasing your ticket ....
WHY WE DO THIS
our policy is essential to the viability of our events
WHY?
Why are there no cash refunds?
It's a popular - but misinformed - impression that the costs of running an event are only incurred on race day. Surely - you might think - if you decide not to take part then you have not incurred any cost and a refund should be available? Unfortunately, nothing could be further from the truth. Not only are many of the costs of an event incurred many months prior to race day, those that do apply to race weekend are "gross" and not marginal costs. i.e. it will cost us the same whether you turn up or not.
Medals, t-shirts, caps, hoodies, trophys and other items have to be purchased up to 10 months prior to the event to ensure they can be designed, produced and shipped in time and at reasonable cost. Items like medical crew, traffic management, portaloos and marshals - all of these costs will remain the same whether you turn up or not. And spanning the whole time from go to whoa, our staff have to be paid, truck maintained, warehouse rented. The marketing costs associated with each ticket sold are substantial. So are the cloud services fees to run our athlete management system. Credit card costs and GST are also deducted from your entry fee. In many cases, we will have already paid to print your personalised race number and attached a single-use electronic transponder to the back.
Why are there no deferrals?
We don't allow deferrals (moving your entry ticket to next year) for many of the same reasons as not offering cash refunds. By deferring your entry, we have still incurred all of these costs - and we will have to incur most of them again to service your ticket for next year. This type of "kicking the can down the road" would seriously affect the viability of our business.
Why are there no exceptions?
We will not place ourselves in the position of judges as to whose particular circumstances mean we should "bend" the rules just for them. This would mean that some would be allowed an exception and some would be denied. How would we determine where the line between the two lies? And what about all the people who thought about a refund, but read the details on this web page and accept the rules, as stated? The only way we can be truly fair to everyone is to be absolutely resolute in sticking with our policy. And this we will do.
WHAT ARE MY OPTIONS?
we don't want your ticket to go to waste any more than you do
DOWNGRADE
If you are concerned about your ability to complete the distance due to injury, illness or other circumstances, remember it's quick, free and easy to transfer to a shorter distance. Take a look here for instructions. Or just come along to the event and soak up the fun and festivities ... with your race number, you're eligible for the Spot Prize draw too.GO VIRTUAL
All events in the Auckland Half Marathon Series and North Shore Run Series offer a virtual option, which is a great alternative if you can't make it on race day. Switching to the Virtual Run gives you an extra 3 weeks to complete the event distance at a venue of your choosing and earns you that all important finisher medal. Check out the Virtual Run page for full details.
TRANSFER TO SOMEONE ELSE
If you are unable to attend the event and there's no prospect of being able to compete virtually, we offer free person-to-person transfers on all tickets. You are welcome to gift or sell your ticket to any other eligible person - provided the online person-to-person transfer process is completed. It's super-easy and quick to do and you can find instructions on this page.
A FINAL WORD
our policy is essential to the viability of our events
finally...
This page contains all of the information we have to impart regarding Refunds and Deferrals. Although it may not please you, we hope you will take it on board and respect our right to uphold our stated policies, which you yourself agreed to when registering for one of our events.
We will not enter into any further correspondence on the matter. If you use the contact form to get in touch regarding a refund or deferral request, you will simply be referred back to this page.
We understand you may be very disappointed and frustrated by this ...
You may decide that you don't want to do our events again. That is your choice and we of course respect your decision. It would be a shame though. We do produce really, really great events. So we hope, with the healing effects of time, that we will see you again in the near future.