Local business owners form Ironman support group to fight growing negative sentiment
HEATHER SACKETT, News Staff Writer
LAKE PLACID — Thirteen people from the business community gathered last week to form an Ironman support group and brainstorm ways to counteract anti-Ironman sentiment they say has been growing in recent years.
“I was really surprised how much anit-Ironman sentiment is out there,” said Julie Voss, owner of Placid Planet Bicycles. “It was shocking to me.”
Voss and others say that negative comments about the Ironman triathlon, held every summer in Lake Placid since 1998, have been surfacing on the Internet and in local media forums, like newspaper letters to the editor and radio station WNBZ’s Talk of the Town. Lake Placid/Essex County Visitors Bureau President James McKenna said that his office also receives many comments and complaints regarding Ironman.
“There’s a rising tide we see starting to happen,” he said.
Last year, Ironman North America was sold to World Triathlon Corporation. 2009 is the last year the race is under contract to be in Lake Placid. McKenna said he and other local officials are working on what he hopes will be a three-year contract with the new company that would guarantee the race stays here through 2012, but nothing has been finalized yet.
McKenna said many people don’t like the inconvenience of road closures and crowds on race day. And even though there is an economic trickle-down effect, McKenna said people fail to see how Ironman impacts them personally.
According to a 2005 SUNY Plattsburgh Technical Assistance Center study, the total economic impact of Ironman on the area is about $6 million. That number does not include indirect “ripple effects” generated by the event. There are also 55,000 overnight visitor stays, including pre-race visits, that are directly connected to the race.
“We really need this business,” said Mirror Lake Inn owner Lisa Weibrecht. “We need people to go out and be great ambassadors.”
Since most of the group agreed that much of the negative sentiment is directed at cyclists who ride in narrow, curvy, shoulder-less sections of road in the Wilmington Notch and state Route 73, some suggested a campaign to educate both cyclists and drivers. A recent letter to the editor in the Adirondack Daily Enterprise, which detailed an argument between a cyclist and a driver in the Wilmington Notch, generated nearly 75 Web comments — a testament to the controversial nature of the topic.
Some attendees suggested working with the state Department of Transportation to get permanent signs along the bike route, encouraging both drivers and cyclists to be safe and share the road. That, however, could take months and this year’s event is just one month away.
In an attempt to immediately address the issue, Placid Planet has put up a sign in its store asking bikers to be considerate of drivers and Voss said she is mentioning the issue to people who are here training for the event. Tim Chien, a cyclist and massage therapist from Balanced Bodywork, suggested naming this Ironman support group, creating a Facebook page and using other social networking tools to help attract members. Searching out and responding to anti-Ironman sentiment in blogs is also one of the group’s goals.
“Clearly, the vast majority of businesses favor the event,” Voss wrote in an e-mail. “I think most residents do too; we just need to overcome the loud ones who don’t.”
POSTED: June 25, 2009
LAKE PLACID — Thirteen people from the business community gathered last week to form an Ironman support group and brainstorm ways to counteract anti-Ironman sentiment they say has been growing in recent years.
“I was really surprised how much anit-Ironman sentiment is out there,” said Julie Voss, owner of Placid Planet Bicycles. “It was shocking to me.”
Voss and others say that negative comments about the Ironman triathlon, held every summer in Lake Placid since 1998, have been surfacing on the Internet and in local media forums, like newspaper letters to the editor and radio station WNBZ’s Talk of the Town. Lake Placid/Essex County Visitors Bureau President James McKenna said that his office also receives many comments and complaints regarding Ironman.
“There’s a rising tide we see starting to happen,” he said.
Last year, Ironman North America was sold to World Triathlon Corporation. 2009 is the last year the race is under contract to be in Lake Placid. McKenna said he and other local officials are working on what he hopes will be a three-year contract with the new company that would guarantee the race stays here through 2012, but nothing has been finalized yet.
McKenna said many people don’t like the inconvenience of road closures and crowds on race day. And even though there is an economic trickle-down effect, McKenna said people fail to see how Ironman impacts them personally.
According to a 2005 SUNY Plattsburgh Technical Assistance Center study, the total economic impact of Ironman on the area is about $6 million. That number does not include indirect “ripple effects” generated by the event. There are also 55,000 overnight visitor stays, including pre-race visits, that are directly connected to the race.
“We really need this business,” said Mirror Lake Inn owner Lisa Weibrecht. “We need people to go out and be great ambassadors.”
Since most of the group agreed that much of the negative sentiment is directed at cyclists who ride in narrow, curvy, shoulder-less sections of road in the Wilmington Notch and state Route 73, some suggested a campaign to educate both cyclists and drivers. A recent letter to the editor in the Adirondack Daily Enterprise, which detailed an argument between a cyclist and a driver in the Wilmington Notch, generated nearly 75 Web comments — a testament to the controversial nature of the topic.
Some attendees suggested working with the state Department of Transportation to get permanent signs along the bike route, encouraging both drivers and cyclists to be safe and share the road. That, however, could take months and this year’s event is just one month away.
In an attempt to immediately address the issue, Placid Planet has put up a sign in its store asking bikers to be considerate of drivers and Voss said she is mentioning the issue to people who are here training for the event. Tim Chien, a cyclist and massage therapist from Balanced Bodywork, suggested naming this Ironman support group, creating a Facebook page and using other social networking tools to help attract members. Searching out and responding to anti-Ironman sentiment in blogs is also one of the group’s goals.
“Clearly, the vast majority of businesses favor the event,” Voss wrote in an e-mail. “I think most residents do too; we just need to overcome the loud ones who don’t.”
Member Comments
View Comments: | 1-7 | Post a comment
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Delanemp
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07-08-09 9:00 AM
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***********stumbleupon****/s/#A1VFlB/****10hoursaweek****/wordpress?p=325/ Here is the full link in case the last one didn't work.
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Delanemp
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07-08-09 8:58 AM
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Here is a link to a good article written by a person that has run several tri camps in Lake Placid and has become aware of the increasing tension that is starting to arise between the town and tri groups. *******su.pr/A1VFlB
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placidgirl
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07-01-09 10:32 AM
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I miss "the outdoor games"That was fun and fit the area like a glove.
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sudsman
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06-30-09 8:18 AM
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I have done IM Lake Placid 3 times and have seen the change in athletes as noted by others - it's a shame. There truly was a sense of "thankfulness" back in early 2000, but now I agree, "entitlement and elitest" best describes many of the athlete's attitude and behavior. It's embarassing to see a community which once held its arms open, begin to close their doors. Many will disagree that the athletes have changed, but the voice of the Lake Placid community should be evidence enough. You see the riders, in packs 4 and 5 wide, monopolizing the road tossing wrappers off to the side. They will tell you they ride in middle of the road because of the condition of the shoulder (or in some cases none). It wouldn't matter if the shoulder was 10 feet wide and smooth, they would still ride 5 abreast - "give 'em an inch"... As for the wrappers, well, that's just poor form. I wonder if other communities that have decided to host Ironman events are feeling a b
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Snogood
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06-29-09 12:35 PM
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I volunteered for Ironman from 2000 to 2007 and found that the attitude of the athletes (not all)changed from thankful and gracious to entitled and elitest. Their "get out of the way I'm training" attitude has turned many a local off. Too bad, this used to be a good event.
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northcountrynell
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06-29-09 8:08 AM
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Many of us grew up here and remember Lake Placid before Ironman. It was NICE. There is a reason many residents are upset. Bike riders and runners who use the center of the road and DO NOT move over, garbage,bottles, powerbar rappers left on the side of the road, athletes(?) stopping to relieve themselves where -ever they please. Keep the horseshows and other winter events that fit this area....drop this loser. I think Im smart enough to keep myself in good shape without being motivated by a 78 pound man running in the middle of Mill Hill. Many quality events fit in and do well here. Ironman is NOT one of them....Maybe Tupper Lake could use the economic boon these people bring with them. I know I and many others would not miss them. It's not like we made up these complaints. They are real...and I have seen no evidence that it will change....or has changed in the past 6 weeks. Some of us will take quality of life over greed....it is why we choose to live here in the first place.
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BobElling
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06-26-09 8:59 PM
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The benefits to the town, county and region are tremendous and I am thrilled to hear that some people have stepped up to deal with the negative attitudes about the Ironman competition. I cannot imagine what Lake Placid would be like in the Summer without the athletes out there on our roads and swimming our lake! The example these athletes are setting for the State and rest of the Nation in cardiovascular health and fitness is absolutely awesome. Lets continue to keep Lake Placid the home of the best Ironman USA!!!! Bob Elling
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