Is that a new rule? The reason I ask is that the only policy that they've had, that I've been aware of, is if you don't participate you lose your entry fee, but you will be guaranteed a spot in the race the following year but still have to pay the full entry fee again.
They have had deferral options for awhile (at least since 2011 - I first ran the marathon in 2012 and met a lady that had originally been signed up for the 2011 - slipped on some ice on New Year's Eve and broke her arm, and it was too late for her to defer her entry, so that was when I'd first hear about it), they're just buried in the website. Difficult to find.
It starts at this year's Avengers Half.
They announced the new rule after registration for W&D had opened. Since it impacts travel plans, rD decided to continue with the old rules for all races whose registration had already begun (also including DL1/2) and only begin enforcing them for new race registrations after that point. The announcement was made prior to registration opening for Avengers, so the new policy will be enforced on both coasts beginning with that race.
