$16 to watch 3 hours of distance racing in an empty stadium?

I'm fine with your rant and your opinion.

Your problem is that you're an adult and use LOL (a lot. lol).

Penn Relays: A poor Drake imitation.

Fishnbrew: I appreciate your vacillating indignation at the $16 charge and the over-zealous security in an empty home-stretch. It's nice to know that some posters are willing to reconsider their position and, upon further reflection, reconsider again. That's what I like; an open mind.

If you watch 3 hours of distance racing in an empty stadium, is it still an empty stadium?

I walked right in at 7:30. No security and no charge. Just got lucky I guess. I will not pay $16 in the future if asked. They are going to lose a lot of people who just go to watch the distance races.

I'm with the original poster. From $0 to $16 is a big jump. I would think it would have been smarter to charge a smaller fee this year ($5-$8), and increase it over the next few years. Get people used to paying, then gradually move the cost up.

it was a disaster. as someone wo had=s been going since the late 80's last night was a shame. the steeple was sad to watch for the competitors as the traditional chaos and packed sections had 36 people ( we counted) instead of a few thousand. the free seats were now $22. distance night has been a traditional free admission. last night suvked

They're not going to lose a lot of people. There were no people!

A few weeks ago Giants Stadium had 22,000 paying customers for a lacrosse tripleheader. That was a first time event. I'd buy stock in lacrosse before track and field. Their fans support their sport. It's the same type of fan base. People that played and their families. They're just a lot more loyal and willing to pay $16 (or more!) to support the sport they love.

Distance night used to be some of the best racing of the season. I recall watching the likes of Virgin, Treacy, etc. win the OD 10,000 in 28 min. time range - now sub-30 is rare. All the good people go to Mt. SAC, Stanford, and this year, Brutus Hamilton put another nail in the Penn distance coffin. The college races are still decent, but even they have lost stature. The weather at Penn is iffy (it was windy as heck during the day; not sure if it calmed down at night) and people are all about chasing times nowadays, so no one wants to waste a race, esp, 10,000, under those conditions. Maybe it's time to drop, or at least reduce, the Distance Night events. Sad to write this, but hell, since Cold Molsons died years ago half the attraction of Thurs. night is missing.

yesterdayshero wrote:

I walked right in at 7:30. No security and no charge. Just got lucky I guess. I will not pay $16 in the future if asked. They are going to lose a lot of people who just go to watch the distance races.

Darn, I should have found you and walked in with you! :)

I got there around that same time, went to the entrance I normally use (on the north side of the stadium) and was asked if I had a ticket. Others were being whisked through, but in fairness, I assumed they'd shown some sort of credential--ticket, Penn ID (apparently that was enough for free admit?), athlete pass. When I asked about the free admission, the guard directed me to the entrance on the opposite side. But when I got there, I was told the free admission didn't start until 8. I had to leave not long after eight, and I'm planning to go tomorrow (the expensive day!), so I decided to hold my money until then.

Another year, I forget which, I seem to remember they charged for distance night (or somehow made the really good distance races unavailable for free). But the next year, they were back to their usual format.

I really think they should keep the free night as it was. It's good PR and the attendance is pretty light as the OP mentioned, so it's not as if they're going to be out too much.... They make the money from concessions anyway, such as programs, souvenirs, and food. In fact, they might have made more money from these items if they'd let people come in for free sooner than they were likely to make selling tix until 8.

Distance night has always had a certain magic for me... as mentioned, the best runners in the country, some Olympians would come for these races. I've had a chance to see some amazing performances--Fam (last year), and in earlier years, Alan Webb, Joan Benoit Samuelson, Lynn Jennings, etc. And it was a chance to get close to the track, near the home stretch--seats that weren't available any other time.... Although I have gone some Saturdays (there are some exciting relays and the mile events) and plan to go tomorrow, I really find that the environment feels much more "runner friendly" on Thursday nights... Things are so jam packed Sat. that it can get pretty tense. One year, I witnessed a near fist fight over a seat--they had to get security. Thursdays just have a much more mellow feel.