2015 Meiringspoort 10km & 21.1km 

2015 Meiringspoort 10km & 21.1km

2015 Meiringspoort 10km & 21.1km

Athletics SWD (ASWD) as the custodian of road races in our area took on the responsibility of handling the online entry process on behalf of the organizing club, De Rust Striders (Meiringspoort 10km and 21.1km).

Many months of planning, checking and testing of the process was done prior to the entry opening date of 12h00 on 5 May 2015. Despite the best endeavours of ASWD we were overwhelmed with the response and interest shown in taking up the 3100 entries on offer for the event. Some stats to illustrate the overwhelming interest are

i) 3114 attempts to enter were made on 5 May before the 12h00 opening time
ii) 6844 individual users were on the site from 12h00 to midnight on 5 May
iii) 49,000 views were made on the site on 5 May

This ‘overload’ which we as ASWD had not foreseen put severe strain on the site which caused slow response time and eventual failure on the site. This problem was further exasperated by our oversight at ASWD not realising that the default entry payment limit of Payfast, the payment platform used was R100,000. This ceiling was reached in the first hour of taking entries. This resulted in entrants not being able to do payments in order to complete the entry process. Upon restoring the entry limit on the afternoon of 5 May a limit was again reached early evening. This could only be attended to by Payfast at opening for business at 08h30 on 6 May. The IT service provider then informed ASWD at 10h00 on 6 May that the 3100 entry level mark had been reached and not more entries would be taken.

ASWD would then hereby wish to tender our unconditional apology for all the inconveniences caused to everybody from youm the entrant, to the race organisers and sponsors alike.

Way Forward:

ASWD presently is undertaking a manual reconciliation of all paid up entries. The next step will then be to provide the unpaid entrant with a link to complete the entry in full – this exercise make take a week or two longer than initially indicated to some of you.
Literally thousands of emails have been received. Each and every email will be attended to. Many of the issues raised in these emails are being resolved by the steps in the formentioned paragraph – please bear with us. Should you not have received an email from ASWD by 22 May 2015, kindly send us an email to online@aswd.co.za with your query.

Extra staff has been brought on board in an endeavour to speed up the process to finalize all entries.
Once this has been done and in the unlikely event of a few entries being available within our 3100 entry limit we will make them available again with prior advertising of these arrangements to the total database again.

The normal substitution process will also be available from 17 to 30 August 2015 as well.

In Closing:

ASWD again wants to categorically state that their unfortunate experience was no doing of the race organisers, De Rust Striders (Meiringspoort 10km & 21.1km). We as ASWD will continue to do our level best to resolve all the issues in the best interests of you, the participant, and the sport we serve.

Banks going off-line, system failure, overwhelming interest in limited entries as well as our own oversight regarding daily deposit limits were all contributing factors. None of these were any wilful action by any party.

We trust that you will accept the unconditional apology and bear with us as we strive to sort out the entries process.

ASWD TEAM

2015 Meiringspoort 10km & 21.1km

As beheerliggaam vir padwedlope in ons gebied het Atletiek Suid-Westelike Distrikte (ASWD) die hantering van die aanlyn registrasie proses namens die organiseerders De Rust Striders (Meiringspoort 10km & 21.1km) gedoen.
Beplanning, stelsels toets en nagaan is oor maande gedoen voor die aanvangs datum van 5 Mei 2015 om 12:00. Ten spyte hiervan was ASWD oorweldig deur die belangstelling en aanvraag vir die 3100 beskikbare inskrywings. Hier volg ‘n paar statistieke ter illustrasie:

i) 3114 pogings is voor 12:00 op 5 Mei gedoen om in te skryf
ii) 6844 individue was op die blad in die 12 ure tussen 12:00 en middernag
iii) 49,000+ bladsy besigtigings op 5 Mei

Ons as ASWD het in ons wildste drome nie so ‘n reaksie verwag nie. Die stelsel was dus onder druk vanuit die staanspoor. Dit het spoed vertraag en die uiteindelike staak van die stelsel veroorsaak. Hierdie probleem is dan verder vergroot in ons oorsig rondom die Payfast betalings limiet platform van R100,000. Hierdie doelwit is binne die eerste uur van inskrywings behaal. Dit het veroorsaak dat inskrywings nie die uiteindelike betalings proses kon voltooi nie. Die limite is gedurende die middag van 5 Mei herstel net om weer vroeg die na middag oorskrei te word. Payfast kon eers op Woensdag 6 Mei om 08:30 die limiet herstel. Die internet diensverskaffer het ASWD om 10:00 op 6 Mei in kennis gestel dat die 3100 inskrywings merk bereik is.

ASWD wil dan hiermee onvoorwaardelik verskoning aanteken vir enige ongerief aangedoen aan u, die deelnemer, wedloop organiseerders en borge.

Weg vorentoe:

ASWD is tans besig met ‘n rekonsiliasie proses van alle opbetaalde inskrwyings. Die volgende stap sal dan wees om alle onbetaalde inskrywings die geleentheid te gun om hul inskrywing te voltooi. Hierdie oefening gaan ongelukkig ‘n week of twee langer wees as aan van u gesê is.
Daar is letterlik duisende eposse ontvang. Alle eposse sal die nodige aandag ontvang. Vele van die kwessies geopper in die eposse sal in die stappe in die voorgenoemde paragraf uitsorteer word. Wees asseblief geduldig met ons. Indien u geen antwoord vanaf ASWD ontvang het teen 22 Mei 2015 nie, stuur asseblief ‘n epos na online@aswd.co.za met u navraag.

Addisionele personeel is aan boord gebring in ‘n poging om die proses vinniger af te handel. Sodra dit gedoen is en in die onwaarskynlike geval dat daar ‘n paar inskrywings nog beskikbaar gaan wees binne ons 3100 limiet sal hierdie weer beskikbaar gestel word deur normale kanale vir die totale databasis.

Die normale vervangings proses sal ook tussen 17 en 30 Augustus beskikbaar wees.

Ter afsluiting:

ASWD wil dit duidelik stel dat hierdie onsmaaklikke voorval geensins die make is van die wedloop organiseerders, De Rust Striders (Meiringspoort 10km & 21.1km), nie. Ons as ASWD sal aanhou poog om tot die beste van ons vermoë die saak op te los tot voordeel van u, die deelnemer, en die sport wat ons dien.

Banke wat aflyn gegaan het, stelsel mislukking, oorweldigende belangstelling in beperkte inskrywings ter same met ons eie oorsig in verband met daaglikste deposito limiete het alles bygedra tot hierdie ongewenste uitkoms. Geen party het aspris opgetree hierin nie.

Ons vertrou dat julle ons onvoorwaardelike verskoning sal aanvaar en geduldig sal wees terwyl ons strewe om die inskrywings proses tot die beste van ons vermoë uit te sorteer.

ASWD SPAN

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