$171 for a New York Marathon entry

I had one experience with the NYC Marathon...and it was a logistical nightmare.

Unless you have gold teeth you ain't staying in Manhattan so you'll have to bus/subway to the start area.

Then you get to stand/sit around for hours on end.

Then you get to weave your way through the bag check area....this is where I got stuck in butt to butt traffic for 45 minutes.

Then after the race you get to walk for two miles through Central Park to get our damn bag.

NYC Marathon sucks.

Alan

How about the Kauai 26.2. Talk about an expensive marathon to get to. Now granted a person is in a "vacation paradise," but gee, you'd think they would make it a get easier on people.

Marathon - $175.00 until 12/31/08, $200.00 until 3/31/09, $225.00 thereafter

Disgusting cheapskate wrote:

http://www.orrrc.org/marathon/registration.html

$0 airfare

$30 one night in Motel 6

$20 entry fee

$10 food for 1 day

TOTAL: $60

P.S. I think they are both 26.2 miles. LOL

Where you in Gummo?

also cheap wrote:

Here's what I don't get. Runners complain about entry fees (and rightfully so; they've become outrageous) but they don't seem to mind at all the cost of travel, lodging, meals, and incidentals. Those costs easily dwarf the entry fee.

Of course they mind the cost of travel. That's the whole reason for the existence of travel sites like Priceline, Expedia, Hotels.com, etc. So that people can shop around and get a deal.

But there is no shopping around for a deal on an NYC entry. It's a monopoly. The seller raised the price to a ridiculous level. The same seller that is getting MILLIONS in sponsorship dollars from the various sponsor companies. Running my "local" marathon is not a substitute.

not expensive wrote:

also cheap wrote:

Here's what I don't get. Runners complain about entry fees (and rightfully so; they've become outrageous) but they don't seem to mind at all the cost of travel, lodging, meals, and incidentals. Those costs easily dwarf the entry fee.

Of course they mind the cost of travel. That's the whole reason for the existence of travel sites like Priceline, Expedia, Hotels.com, etc. So that people can shop around and get a deal.

But there is no shopping around for a deal on an NYC entry. It's a monopoly. The seller raised the price to a ridiculous level. The same seller that is getting MILLIONS in sponsorship dollars from the various sponsor companies. Running my "local" marathon is not a substitute.

I don't disagree with anything you say, except that your local marathon is not a substitute (is it not 26.2 miles?). If you think NYC or any other race is too expensive, do what I have done, and refuse to run it. I run locally and pocket the difference.

glad I did NYC last year just to say I did it. The actual running experience was great (didn't run for time, as I'd done Chicago 2 weeks before), but waiting around on staten island sucked. getting bags afterwards sucked.

I'm glad I did it, but I have no desire to run NYC again.

I feel the same way....NYC was an incredible experience and a very well organized event (it was a little too cold on that damn island though). However, one and done for me.

Kauai 26.2 wrote:

How about the Kauai 26.2. Talk about an expensive marathon to get to. Now granted a person is in a "vacation paradise," but gee, you'd think they would make it a get easier on people.

Marathon - $175.00 until 12/31/08, $200.00 until 3/31/09, $225.00 thereafter

Do not come to Hawaii and look to do it on the cheap. It can't be done and you will just be miserable. Everything is more expensive here. Food, hotels, cabs, beers, everything. Except for the fish, which is reasonable and tasty. But you can be certain the temperature will be between 68 and 75.

The bottom line is at least 3 times as many people as they have room for will try to sign up.

If they were concert promoters, they'd jack the price to $350 and still fill the start line.

Supply and demand, and demand seems to greatly outstrip supply so price will continue to go up.

also cheap wrote:

I don't disagree with anything you say, except that your local marathon is not a substitute (is it not 26.2 miles?). If you think NYC or any other race is too expensive, do what I have done, and refuse to run it. I run locally and pocket the difference.

Nobody runs the NYC marathon just "to run a marathon". They do it to run THE NYC marathon. My local yokel marathon is not a substitute for that. That's the whole reason to do it. To run that big time marathon and have that experience at least once.

not expensive wrote:

Nobody runs the NYC marathon just "to run a marathon". They do it to run THE NYC marathon. My local yokel marathon is not a substitute for that. That's the whole reason to do it. To run that big time marathon and have that experience at least once.

That's great. If that experience is worth the ridiculous price tag for you, then stop complaining and go for it. Personally, it is not worth it. So I run my hometown race.

bananas wrote:

That's great. If that experience is worth the ridiculous price tag for you, then stop complaining and go for it.

Thanks, I think we've managed to figure that out.

The point of the thread is that the price tag is becoming more ridiculous, for no discernible reason beyond simple greed. A huge race like NYC that gets 40,000 runners and massive corporate sponsorship has no need to charge anywhere near that much. Chicago and Boston bear that out.

Both NY and Boston have their logistical "nightmares". Whenever you have a point-to-point course and have to transport X amout of runners from point A to B, its going to suck. Since it usually means waiting around for hours for the start.. The 1.5 hour bus ride from Boston to Hopkinton isn't any more fun than the subway/ferry/bus ride to SI...

People don't run NY for the race or because its a fast course. They run it because its the NYC marathon. A course that attracts almost 40,000 runners, probably 1-2 million spectators, good support with drawbacks due to size. Extras that aren't available at smaller races (like timing mats at every mile from mile 16 to the end). Plus you wont have a problem finding anyone to run with if your speedy...

Yes its a log jam back in the mid-packers (maybe the wave system has improved that), but us letsrunner's are mid-packers are we and shouldn't have any problem with that....

I do admit Chicago/Houston are so much better logistically its scary. In Chicago you have well marshalled corrals, the start/finish are the same spot and you can stay in a nice hotel close to the start. Leave your hotel less than hour before the race and be right up front. Same thing in Houston. Plus the courses are fast...

Chicago has its drawbacks course wise especially when you go by the United Center area since its dead and you are out in the open sun, but might be a better "race" for the common folk than NYC. Hotels are cheaper, better logistically, good crowd support, fast course. Its just got a bad rap with the heat the past two years...

Houston is a well run race, but not up-to par of Chicago/Boston/NY. Such as not enough timing mat, half/full at same time. Plus you're usually running by yourself at the end....

I'll sign up for NYC since its my local marathon for the fall. So it is inherently cheaper than me than Chicago...

not expensive wrote:

The point of the thread is that the price tag is becoming more ridiculous, for no discernible reason beyond simple greed. A huge race like NYC that gets 40,000 runners and massive corporate sponsorship has no need to charge anywhere near that much. Chicago and Boston bear that out.

Do you have any concept of what permitting, rentals and staffing cost in NYC? As someone who has some experience with event management, and has seen the NYC Marathon from a number of different vantages, I'm surprised the entry fee is under $250!

Moreover, how many other times a year do the race organizers in Boston or Chicago put on professional caliber races or post legitimate prize money for a race? I suspect that for NYRR, the marathon can't simply be able breaking even when all is said and done on Sunday.

not expensive wrote:

The point of the thread is that the price tag is becoming more ridiculous, for no discernible reason beyond simple greed.

It's not for no discernable reason. It is because they have 100,000 people who are willing to pay tht price.

JRunnerJ wrote:

Do you have any concept of what permitting, rentals and staffing cost in NYC? As someone who has some experience with event management, and has seen the NYC Marathon from a number of different vantages, I'm surprised the entry fee is under $250!

I certainly have a concept of what $171 x 40,0000 is. 6.84 million bucks. Charity runners are paying more so the take is actually higher. Corporations are donating millions. Business are donating services and goods. People volunteer. The city businesses take in millions with all the added economic activity.

The difference is that marathon organizers get an extra 2.84 million dollars over what they would make if it only cost $100. They would make a profit there too, just not as much.

Moreover, how many other times a year do the race organizers in Boston or Chicago put on professional caliber races or post legitimate prize money for a race?

BAA does its Half Marathon and Mayors Cup and, this past year, the Women's Olympic trials. Chicago has Shamrock race. Don't now what else they do

Mr. Obvious wrote:

It's not for no discernable reason. It is because they have 100,000 people who are willing to pay tht price.

That addresses why the race organizers CAN raise the price. The reason that they DO is simple greed, as I said.

not expensive wrote:

That addresses why the race organizers CAN raise the price. The reason that they DO is simple greed, as I said.

I don't think it is wrong to be greedy.

Also, NYRR puts tons of money back in the sport by giving athletes a chance to win prize money, staging showcases, increasing publicity, etc. Everybody wants to the sport to thrive at an elite level except when it is coming out of their pocket.

Mr. Obvious wrote:

I don't think it is wrong to be greedy.

It is wrong if you are a not-for-profit organization like the NYRR