The race itself gets a 5 from me.
But the organizers, specifically the Registration Operations Manager, get 1 star. Here's why:
In Feb. 2015 I took advantage of the early registration reduced rate of $45 to register for 2 runners. At the time, one of my friends was not sure if she would be able to go but wanted to plan on running with me anyway. So, on my account, with my own credit card, I paid for 2 registrations.
After I found out that my then-boyfriend of 2.5 years had been cheating on me with that friend for the last 8 months, I decided that even if she did end up being able to go, I didn't want to run with her anymore. I couldn't find anyone else to run with me that year, and the BolderBoulder DOES NOT issue refunds.
However, they offer the GuaRUNtee, which says that if I end up not being able to run this year that they will send me a code to re-register next year for only $15. Sweet! What a relief! I can run with someone else next year!
Well, now it's next year, 2016. I got online to register, but couldn't find my code to re-register those two runner registrations for the 2016 race. I contacted them and they gave me a code that only discounted one registration to the $15 rate. Confused, I contacted them again to see if there was a second code that I needed. I honestly explained that I was trying to register myself and a different friend for the two registrations that I paid for last year and they refused to give me the second code because the friend running with me this year was not the same person.
They suggested that I contact the former friend to get payment from her for last year's race and that if my friend this year is really the friend I think she is then she will register on her own and pay the $55 (the early reg time period has passed so it's more) to run with me.
First of all, the registration that I paid for should not be hers to buy off me if I want to give it to someone else. Second, if my friend this year can't afford it because we are both college students then that doesn't make her a bad friend. Third, I paid for these registrations and they are trying to get me to pay for THREE DIFFERENT REGISTRATIONS for ONLY TWO RUNNERS.
I explained that I had paid for the registrations to begin with and that it was all on my account, under my name, with my contact info, my mailing address, etc. They still refused to give me the second code.
What was even more confusing was the fact that clearly the codes were NOT runner-specific, since when I applied the one code they gave me at checkout, it took the extra $40 off my friend's race packet, not mine. When I asked about this, I was told the following (taken as a direct quote from the email I was sent): "Yes the codes apply to the account as whole, and not specifically to a runner."
Great! So since I paid for 2 registrations on MY ACCOUNT, and the codes are not specific to the runner, they should give me the second code, right?
WRONG. They refuse to give me the code, and, further, refuse to help me at all and have ceased all communication with me.
They have essentially only given me two options:
1. Refuse to run AT ALL and get nothing for the $90 I spent last year. Total money spent: $90
2. Pay $70 this year ($15 from ONE registration from last year, plus $55 for a new registration) and run in the race. Total money spent: $160, but at least I get to run, right? For the low cost of $80 per person. read more