After yesterday’s big announcement from BattleFrog, we had a few questions. We sent them along to BattleFrog HQ and here is what they told us.
ORM: The event page link on your website shows a Miami event listed to take place on November 21st. However, an announcement from a few days ago on your Facebook page lists Orlando on November 21st. Can you clarify?
BFS: Any information regarding date or venue changes will be handled directly with participants who are affected first before being discussed with anyone else.
ORM: The BattleFrog Series Championship taking place in Atlanta is listed on the BattleFrog Elite page, but is not listed in the dropdown menu on the events page or the event page itself. Can you clarify that this is in fact on the schedule and is open for registration?
BFS: The BattleFrog Championship is still on our calendar and we’re working on logistics for the race itself. Being so early in the season, and so few qualifiers at this point, we’re taking the necessary time to create an amazing event that not only provides a great experience for elite athletes but for open racers that want to challenge themselves on the course that weekend! Because of the recent changes and decrease in events on the schedule, we are determining if Atlanta is still the best option for the event. We are taking the effects on points, opportunities to qualify, etc into consideration in making this decision.
ORM: Are you offering any sort of refund or partial refund for season pass holders since closing the Sunday races?
BFS:We recognize that with the decrease in event days, the season pass isn’t the value that it was when we opened it. We will be contacting those who have purchased a season pass and refunding them half of the cost of the pass. If they would like a full refund, we’ll be more than willing to accommodate that request as well.
ORM: What is to become of BFX? Any changes?
BFS: With the BFX, slight changes have been made but the spirit of the race remains intact. Instead of a lap of the 15K and repeated 5K laps, racers will now tackle laps of the 8K throughout the day. While there have been opinions that this diminishes the BFX’s difficulty, we think it will be the exact opposite. In Miami and Central Florida, participants only dealt with a half or so of the obstacles during the longest stretch of their race, the 5K laps. With the new format, each racer will deal with EVERY obstacle on EVERY lap, with exception of Tsunami and the Normandy Jacks which are reserved for their final lap.
Below is a breakdown of how racers will earn their BFX medal and the allocation of the stars:
After Lap 3: Earned the BFX medal and two Gold Stars
Lap 4: Gold Star
Lap 5: Gold Star
Lap 6: Silver Star (no additional gold star)
Lap 7: Gold Star
Lap 8: Gold Star
Lap 9: Gold Star
Lap 10: Gold Star
Lap 11: Silver Star (no additional gold star)
etc. etc.
ORM: Will there be separate lanes for elites when starting different laps to differentiate from the open runners?
BFS: While we don’t anticipate elite athletes being affected by open wave participants, special measures are being put in place along with the elite wristbands to ensure that every elite runner will have priority at obstacles over any open runners that may be on the course. Staff, elite course marshals and all other volunteers will be on the lookout for any potential elite runners that may run into open runners.
Matt B. Davis
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BattleFrog seemed too focused on being like Spartan Race and trying to “one up” them instead of creating their own niche and growing organically. So, when Spartan announced $500,000 in cash and prizes, BattleFrog announced $1,000,000. Good for the 1% of OCRers this impacts, but it doesn’t help motivate the other 99% to sign up for your race and now they are struggling financially because of over-ambitious moves like that and others. Go figure right after Spartans get done with the Spartan Cruise it now appears BattleFrog has set sail on the Titanic with all these changes. Always one-upping.