The Wharf to Wharf locals registration did not sell out in record time Tuesday, in part because the race’s website experienced a glitch for the second straight year.
The 3,000 bibs set aside for Santa Cruz County residents sold out in about an hour, not counting the 40 minutes the site was down, according to Scott McConville, race director for the annual six-mile run between the Santa Cruz and Capitola wharves.
The race contracts with a third party to run registrations through its site. McConville said the company used to process credit card transactions went down about 10 minutes after the 10 a.m. registration window opened. Many would-be registrants were stuck in limbo, noticing their cards had been charged but receiving no confirmation of registration. After about 40 minutes, the site began working again.
In the interim, organizers fielded numerous calls and emails and tried to keep participants updated about what was happening.
“We took it case by case, person by person and helped them get registered,” McConville said. “A lot of people who did have the original issue were able to get back on and get registered.”
McConville said both the company used to run the site and the nature of the glitch differed from last year’s, when the sign-up window closed in the middle of the locals registration process.
Last year, 4,000 bibs allotted for the locals registration sold out in 33 minutes. Even though this year’s allotment was smaller, organizers expected the process to go slower because of the introduction of a loyalty registration. That window opened March 21 to anyone who had raced in four of the past seven races and consisted of 1,000 bibs.
“This year we had the loyalty registration, and a good percentage of loyalty registrants were locals as well,” McConville said. “Most loyal locals got in in the first round, so this (locals registration) was expected to be a little bit slower.”
McConville said he does not expect to have the same issues when the open registration, which consists of 8,000 bibs, or half of the race total, opens at 10 a.m. on April 4. Last year, those bibs sold out in 11 minutes.
“I feel comfortable with this, that it was an isolated issue,” McConville said.
Anyone still without a bib after April 4 can apply for a bib on the race’s website, wharftowharf.com, any time between April 11-14, when 1,000 bibs will be randomly distributed.
The race is scheduled for July 23 at 8:30 a.m.
Contact Julie Jag at 831-706-3257.
