It was not clear before when a refund was being issued what it might be for, or if the runner was still in the race. We have updated the Refund page for Race Directors so you can send your own message to the participant when you issue a refund quickly and easily:
We include a message automatically letting the participant know if they are still in or out.
I think this is another cutting edge tool. I see that the market will shift to making everything easy for the athlete. They are now smart and educated about the registration process. They realize it doesn’t cost the RD much, if anything, to issue a refund. I now see events that are offering athlete protection policies: if they want to withdraw for any reason, by a certain date before the event, they get a full refund, no questions asked. If they aren’t happy with the event after the race, for any reason, they get a full refund. It places the customer first. Those races are the ones that will grow and show commitment by the RD to the athletes.