paxsarah
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Dec 20, 2007
- Messages
- 605
The system & technology are certainly available and cheap, but I don't think that's Disney's main driver. Unlike Marine Corps, which prides themselves on getting the maximum number of runners out on the course, I think Disney is after dollars in their pocket. I'm sure they calculate a percentage of entries that are DNS, and that's less medals, drinks, etc., that they and their sponsors need to provide.
I was really just trying to refute the argument that Disney doesn't do it because it's not cost effective. I think with today's technology, it certainly can be cost effective. I think even your argument about planned DNS numbers - I would guess that some percentage of those who come also spend additional money at Disney, so even if they have to give a medal and some powerade to someone who otherwise wouldn't have been running, that person is likely either filling a room, or spending money at Downtown Disney, or going to a park (at least on average, to cover the cost of the services provided). And Disney could certainly hold down the number of initial entries if they wanted to (they keep that kind of info pretty opaque, anyway), knowing that a transfer system would keep more bibs in play, and still get the same number of total runners on race day. They don't want to do it for whatever reason - or maybe they do, but they just haven't implemented it yet - but I really think that cost isn't a compelling argument for why they haven't. Plenty of other races have.