Active.Com Attempts to Make Amends for Marine Corps Marathon Sign-up Mess

The registration process for the Marine Corps Marathon this past Monday went anything but smoothly.  The popular marathon which will take place on October 27th in Virginia and Washington, D.C. sold out in record time, under 2 1/2 hours,  but, in that short amount of time, the website of Active.Com – the company in charge of the sign up for the marathon, was continuously busy and/or crashing.  I tried to register non-stop for over an hour.  On at least three occasions, the registration seemed to go through to the final pages, only to crash again.  It was brutal. It was painful. After 78 grueling minutes of refreshing my computer and iPhone, I was finally was able to register in full for the Marathon.  I was one of the lucky ones.  The aftermath brought a lot of complaints and criticism about the process.  Those who were closed out are rightfully frustrated and angry.

I just received an email from Active.Com, apologizing for the mess, and stating that Active.Com intended to donate its proceeds to charity. The email states:  

Marine Corps Marathon Runners,

Have you ever had a race where after months or even years of training, eating right, listening to your coaches, investing in new gear, it went badly?

This happened to Active last week and we feel sick about it. Marine Corps Marathon was ready to sell-out in record time. We were ready. And, we tripped at the starting line. We are truly sorry the registration experience did not reflect the iconic Marine Corps Marathon itself.

We’ve looked back from every single angle. We should have done this. We could have done that. The fundamentals are all there. It came down to a few miscalculations. We know you expect more from us. We are capable of much more. It’s our job to prove it from now on.

In order to create some good out of a frustrating experience, we’re donating all of our fees associated with this race to two causes we can all get behind, the Wounded Warrior Project and Semper Fi Fund. Our mission is to make the world a more active place. There are hundreds of charities aligned with our mission but these two have specific programs that support our military on the road to creating an active life through the sport of running.

Wounded Warrior Project’s Physical Health and Wellness program provides recreation, adaptive sports programs and overall strategies to help Wounded Warriors remain physically engaged while adjusting to life after injury.

Team Semper Fi, the Semper Fi Fund’s Recovery through Sport program, is made up of servicemen and women who have been injured or have battled a life threatening illness and have refused to let those challenges prevent them from competing in athletic events like the Marine Corps Marathon. Team Semper Fi is the heart and inspiration of the Semper Fi Fund’s rehabilitative Athletic Program

This by no means makes our mistake right, but using these funds to support our military and the running community is the best way we know to move forward.

We hope you have a great journey training for an incredible race.

The Active team

I’m not sure how I feel about this.  I’m trying to digest it. While its actions are commendable, some might say it is too little, too late.  What do you think?

On another note, I know at least one person who appealed to the marathon or Active (I’m not sure which) about the fact that she was almost registered when the system glitched.  She was permitted to register.  Maybe this is worth a shot if you came really close to registering – especially if you took a screen shot of the page? 

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