You're Ruining It For Everyone

The original Ironman triathlon took place in Hawaii in 1978, and quickly became iconic.  By 1983, entry was restricted to triathletes who had qualified by racing fast enough at another triathlon.  But another method of entering Ironman Kona was created in 1983--the Kona Lottery.  The idea in 1983, and until yesterday, was that athletes of all abilities (not just the fastest) should be have the opportunity to race at triathlon's greatest event.  And so, for 32 years, for a relatively small fee ($50 most recently), anyone could enter the Kona Lottery for a chance to race.

That's over apparently.  The Department of Justice launched a criminal investigation into WTC, and came to an settlement yesterday.  We can all sleep better tonight knowing that our federal agents are watching out for public safety.

The lottery has been in place for over 3 decades, with as much publicity as WTC's budget will allow.  This is not private gambling, with all of the attending ills:  extralegal enforcement, financial ruination, etc.  No one is skipping car payments or spending the kids' lunch money on a $50 lottery fee for a race that will cost thousands to actually attend.  No one is going to get their fingers broken for failing to pay WTC.

It's been long time, in any event, since our state and federal governments moved from discouraging gambling as a moral evil to promoting them as a retirement plan and pretending we don't know that lotteries are a tax on the poor.  But apparently that's not criminal.  WTC's $50 lottery fee for Kona is.

This sort of insanity happens with regularity.  The central problem:  the government is simply too big.  Every agent and every bureaucrat with a desk and a phone has to find something to do.  In this case, it seems that a frustrated triathlete named James Muench also happens to work at the Department of Justice.  I can imagine the too-predictable thought process.

1. I wish I could race Ironman Kona.
2. There's a lottery I could enter.
3. Didn't someone at work say lotteries are illegal?
4. Maybe I can fill my quota for prosecutions this year and get to spend more time thinking about my triathlon hobby.
5. Two birds with one stone!

Here's what didn't enter the thought process:

1. Laws against lotteries are directed at gambling for money
2. WTC's lottery is not like those lotteries
3. Maybe I can find something useful to do

Mr. Muench is an 8-time Ironman Florida finisher.  If there's justice in the world, WTC will never welcome Mr. Muench to any Ironman race, ever again.