IAF run experience
Genuinely one of the worst experiences I’ve had at a marathon. The way I was treated was absolutely appalling. I was made to feel like a prisoner or someone who had committed a crime, simply because I didn’t have a physical BIB.
I had already emailed the organisers informing them that I wouldn’t be able to collect my BIB in person as I wasn’t in Delhi. They couldn’t even be bothered to respond to the email. None of the emails they sent out had a contact number either, so there was absolutely no way to reach anyone and resolve the issue beforehand.
On the day of the marathon, the supervisors were absolutely hellbent on denying me entry. There was no willingness to listen, no attempt to understand the situation and, most frustratingly, no one willing or capable of escalating the matter to someone who could actually help. I was treated with absolutely no empathy or basic courtesy.
I understand that rules exist for a reason, but when you are organising an event of this scale, you should also have a mechanism to handle genuine exceptions, especially when participants have proactively reached out to you in advance. Having rigid rules is one thing; treating paying participants like criminals is another.
The entire experience was humiliating, infuriating and an absolute waste of my time, money and effort. I had set aside my entire weekend for this, only to be turned away because of an issue I had already tried to communicate to the organisers.
If you are going to collect registration fees from people, the bare minimum you can do is provide basic customer support, respond to emails and ensure that your on-ground staff know how to handle situations that fall outside the standard procedure.
Absolutely pathetic. Would not recommend this experience to anyone.