Cal Tri Events has reaffirmed its commitment to its ‘Divine Intervention Refund Policy’. This promises full registration fee refunds to athletes if a race is entirely cancelled due to an ‘Act of God’, such as a natural disaster or an incident outside of human control.
The policy was originally formed in 2024 following the cancellation of the 2024 Cal Tri Charlotte event. The company notes that this was due to… ‘Hurricane Helene which left more than 230 dead across six US states, making it the second deadliest storm to hit the mainland United States in more than 50 years, behind Hurricane Katrina. Many of those areas and communities are still feeling the storm’s impact and will be forever changed.’
Continuing into 2025, and beyond, the refund policy applies when a Cal Tri Events race is cancelled by either the event organiser or the municipal authority due to an ‘act of god’ – a natural disaster, accident, or other incident outside of human control.
- Full Refund: Registered participants are automatically refunded their full registration fee.
- Cost Absorption: Cal Tri Events has committed to absorbing the associated costs – stated as 2% of the registration fee – meaning the cost of the financial protection is provided without being passed on to the athlete.
The organisation noted that the policy represents an evolution of its existing athlete-focused protections, which include free race transfers, deferrals, and participant transfers as late as the day before the race.
Cal Tri Events Chief Executive Officer Thom Richmond said “Our athletes have reached out in high numbers to express their gratitude and delight in the policy. It’s clear that when you give people choice and protection, they feel seen and respected.”
The event organiser’s reaffirmed commitment to its Divine Intervention Refund Policy is introduced amidst a wider discussion on athlete protection standards. A release from Cal Tri Events noted…
‘It’s worth recognising that in August 2025, USA Triathlon reversed its long-standing no-refund stance when its 2025 Sprint & Paratriathlon National Championships in Milwaukee were canceled due to extreme flooding.
‘USAT announced full refunds for affected athletes, despite their prior waiver language forbidding such refunds. This is a positive step, and there is hope that they will use this moment to permanently revise its policies more meaningfully beyond emergency situations, moving toward a consistent athlete-friendly standard in 2026 and beyond.
‘The Divine Intervention policy from Cal Tri Events represents a thoughtful evolution in athlete focused policy: with a clear trigger (full race cancelation due to external cause), a transparent response (full refund), and built-in cost absorption.
‘While no policy can eliminate risk entirely, this sets a high bar in the multisport event space. It also raises the question of whether other organisers will follow suit with more generous, overdue athlete protections moving forward.’
