Frequently Asked Questions

The online payment options that can be used are credit/debit card or PayPal. If, however, you would like to make arrangements for another method of payment, such as cash or check, you can contact us via email to discuss this.

The full IronMay registration process is two steps: 1) completion of the registration form, and 2) payment of the entry fee. Once both steps are accomplished, it typically takes 24-48 hours for your data to be uploaded into the IronMay database by a real, actual person. Once you are entered into the system, your name and/or team name will be shown in the drop-down menus for the appropriate Activity Log.

Every IronMay participant must complete the registration form, and 2) pay the entry fee. If you paid for multiple participants, each of them must complete the registration form before their data can be uploaded into the IronMay database. Thereafter, it typically takes 24-48 hours for participant names to be shown in the appropriate Activity Logs.

Team registration and payment all at once is preferred, but not necessary. Every team member can register and pay individually at a time convenient for him/her. If the latter is the case, please make sure that all team members know the Competition Division they are supposed to sign up for and the name of the team (with correct spelling) they will be participating on.

On the payment page, please type in the name of a participant (and the corresponding team name, if appropriate), click "Add to Cart," then repeat this process until you have added all participants to your Shopping Cart. When you are ready to pay, click "View Cart" and checkout using one of the online payment options.

Competition and challenge are core elements of IronMay; these are encouraged across all divisions. With that said, we have attempted to provide divisions that allow participants to compete against one another in a fun and fair manner. The Champion divisions (individual and team) are intended to reward and further challenge those individuals and teams who log considerably more miles/hours than others in their respective divisions. Any individual or team who qualifies for the Championship division will automatically be awarded a Champion t-shirt and be moved from their registered division into a Championship division. Then, the best of the IronMay best will have an opportunity to compete for a new prize! Game on!

No. Some participants have asked to participate as an individual and also on a team. A goal of IronMay is to offer all participants fair and equitable competition in each division. Our experience has been that some individuals who participated in multiple competition divisions "ran the board," garnering awards in multiple categories. Obviously, this worked against our goal of fun and fair competition. For this reason, we require that participants choose only one competition division to compete in.

Yes, however, we strongly discourage this due to the data shuffling hassle that it creates. Instead, please choose your competition division wisely BEFORE you register. Please read the Rules and Info page to learn more about each competition division. Please contact us via email to arrange for a division switch, if necessary. Division switches will only be allowed during the first week of competition!

No. While the core mission of IronMay is to encourage physical activity, the IronMay competition division is a triathlon-focused event. Consequently, swimming, cycling and running/walking are the only accepted modes of exercise at this point in time. However, if you're interested in using other exercise modes, then we recommend participating in the IronTime division, where ANY physical activity/exercise can be performed.

Yes. If the stationary bike does not provide a mileage output, please use the time conversion provided in the answer to the question below. Once converted, please enter your bike miles in the appropriate Mileage/Activity Log.

Yes. Absolutely. Perfect. Go for it.

If you are unsure how far you biked, we suggest one of two options. The first option is to try and map out the bike mileage using Map My Ride. The second option is to convert bike time into bike miles using the following conversion (based on an average speed of 15 miles/hour):

• Your bike time (in minutes) x 0.25 = Bike miles for the session

If you are unsure how far you walked/ran, we suggest one of three options. The first option is to map out the run/walk mileage using Map My Run. The second option is to walk/run your laps on a track, if one is available and it is safe to do so. On a track, 4 laps = 1 mile. Using this as a reference point, a handy calculation to convert track laps to miles is as follows:

• Your walk/run laps on the track x 0.25 = Run/walk miles for the session

The third option is to count your steps. For many people, 2000 steps equates to 1 mile of walking. Using this as a reference point, a handy calculation to convert step counts to miles is as follows:

• Your steps count / 2000 = Run/walk miles for the session

Currently, we are only aware of a few instances where participants have utilized a tandem bike to log IronMay/IronDuathlon bike miles. Riding a tandem bike potentially lowers the exercise intensity for cycling. Since we cannot control exercise intensity across modes (stationary bike vs. outdoor cycling), there's already a wide range in the exercise intensity participants use to complete bike miles. Therefore, we allow each participant to count ALL of their tandem bike miles toward their IronMay/IronDuathlon bike total. If this becomes a problem at any point, we may revisit this issue. However, given that IronMay is about getting people active, we feel the current policy is actually a good thing.

Every IronMay participant must 1) complete the registration form, and 2) pay the entry fee. Once you have completed both steps, it typically takes 24-48 hours for participant names to be shown in the appropriate Activity Logs because a real, living human being (gasp!) must process your data. If it has been over 24-48 hours, make sure that you are looking at the appropriate activity log for the Competition Division you registered for. If you still cannot find your name, please contact us via email and we'll look into the issue to determine the problem and fix it accordingly.

Sometimes, it can take several minutes for the leaderboards to update following mileage/hour entries. Common entry errors include:

• Entering an incorrect participant or team name

• Including an unnecessary decimal/placing a decimal in the wrong spot (1.06 vs. 10.6)

• Not clicking the "submit" button to enter your miles/hours

Mistakes are common, so activity entries are checked almost daily in an attempt to fix basic entry errors. Thereafter, the leaderboards are manually updated to reflect the most accurate activity data. If your miles/hours have not shown up after 24-48 hours, please contact us and we'll look into the issue to determine the problem and fix it accordingly.

Currently, the leaderboards do not allow IronMay participants to "drill down" into team activity totals to determine individual mileage/hourly contributions. If you would like this data, please contact us and we'll be happy to send it to you via email.

No. The website is the only means used to track mileage/hours and determine finishers and award winners. By agreeing to the event disclaimer during registration, you agree to use the website to track your miles/hours during May to earn your shirt. If you choose not to use the website, then, essentially, you choose not to participate. If you know that you will not have website access at any point in the event, but wish to log miles/hours an alternative way, please contact us via email.

No. Miles/hours should only be counted once you have registered and paid for IronMay. We encourage you to complete the registration and payment processes prior to May 1st, so that you can use the entire month for the IronMay Challenge.

There are two types of shirts offered: Finisher shirts and Champion shirts. All IronMay, IronDuathlon, and IronTime individuals and teams that complete the required distances/times and have logged these miles/hours on the website before the end of May, will receive a cotton-blend IronMay finisher shirt (all members of finishing teams receive a shirt, even if some members do not log miles). If you happen to be an individual or team that receives an award, such as Fastest Finish or Most IronMays/Duathlons/Times, then you will receive a tech-fabric Champion shirt instead of the standard Finisher shirt.

No. The purpose of the IronMay division is to complete at least 2.4 miles of swimming, 112 miles of cycling, and 26.2 miles of running/walking. Excessive mileage in one of these areas cannot count toward deficits in other areas.

No. The purpose of the IronDuathlon division is to complete at least 112 miles of cycling and 26.2 miles of running/walking. Excessive mileage in one of these areas cannot count toward deficits in other areas.

No. The website is the only means used to track mileage/hours and determine finishers and award winners. By agreeing to the event disclaimer during registration, you agree to use the website to track your miles/hours during May to earn your shirt. If you choose not to use the website, then, essentially, you choose not to participate. If you know that you will not have website access at any point in the event, but wish to log miles/hours an alternative way, please contact us via email.

All individual and team finishers are eligible for awards at the ceremony. All Mini Challenge finishers are eligible for corresponding prize raffles, but must attend the awards ceremony to win these prizes. All IronMay participants who attend the awards ceremony are also eligible for general raffle prizes.

No. All Mini Challenge finishers are eligible for corresponding prize raffles, but must attend the awards ceremony to win these prizes.

No. IronMay participants can only qualify for each Mini Challenge prize raffle once, regardless of how many times they complete a specific Mini Challenge.

No. Each Mini Challenge has a corresponding prize raffle. If you accomplish the Mini Challenge, then your name will be entered once into the corresponding prize raffle.

All IronMay participants who finish Mini Challenges are encouraged to complete the online notification form before the event is finished. We will keep track of all Mini Challenge finishers from there for the raffles.

Generally, no. With the exception of the IronWeek Mini Challenge, the rest of the Mini Challenges are intended to be completed individually. However, you can use your team as a support mechanism to accomplish the Mini Challenges individually.