List of Small Cheap Marathons?

Rockland county (NY) Road Runners Marathon.

1 mile out, 1 mile back

13 loops.

About 13 spectators.

I'm always perplexed when these older threads get resurrected, but I'll play along...

"Cheap", to me the entry fee is one of the smaller parts of that equation. Compare a $250 local marathon vs a $5 marathon 2500 miles away. Most people wouldn't call the former "cheap" (in comparison), but if I'm able to stay at home and have very little travel costs other than a few gallons of gas, vs having to book a flight, rent a car, rent a hotel room, and pay for a bunch of meals - the local race becomes the cheaper option. Even a $40 away marathon, which I think most people would consider cheap, vs a $125 away marathon, the difference in entry fee is negligible compared to all the other costs you're going to deal with.

To me, entry fee alone is probably the last thing I think about when picking races to go to.

I agree and have said the same thing for years. Your local marathon is almost always going to be cheaper than an out of town one, regardless of the entry fee. No hotel room, no plane ticket, no rental car, no restaurant bills. Even if the entry fee is 4X higher, your hometown marathon is still cheaper than traveling to a distant one.

As for big vs. small marathons, that's a separate issue.

Small and cheap. Rooms are cheap, too.

Small marathon fan wrote:

Say Hi To Frank wrote:

Virginia Creeper Marathon... they recently had to raise entry to $15. While it doesn't have the extras (tech t shirt, entertainment, expo, etc.) expected by most modern marathoners, it is put on quite competently by the local running club. Note-- field size is capped at 100.

http://www.runtricities.org/creepermarathon/

Sounds like fun. I'm going to check that out.

Similar to the Roxbury marathon in connecticut. $15 entry and the field capped at 125 which ends up at less than 100 come race day. BQ certified but very hilly and in December.

While I like a smaller marathon, if you go too small you may find yourself running 24 miles by yourself.

I've looked at some results of prior races and I know I could have more "competition" if I just gathered a few of my training partners and did 26 miles around town. (I'm not super fast, just a 250ish marathoner).

You want the race to be big enough to where you'll have someone to run with but small enough where it's not packed shoulder to shoulder, hip to hip.

If you read the OP's post, his question wasn't specifically geared toward races with small race fees. It was geared toward smaller races in places that may not cost a lot to get there or with high hotel room costs.

autoxfil wrote:

http://www.heraldofvictorymarathon.com

Small and cheap. Rooms are cheap, too.

Is this going to be a certified course? Could be a possible Spring race for me.

Erie is extremely flat, fast, well organized, scenic, and relatively cheap. Only drawback is its a two lap course, but it's in a state park so the scenery is worth it. Water stations at every mile too!