Road Races out of control

Guys from Gloucester Public Works directed us in the parking lot. They did their best to make sure we did not park in or next to large puddles. Every aspect of Lone Gull made it an outstanding event at a bargain price. I will definitely run it again next year.

9 out of 10 times, I would rather run a no-frills race, and if I can opt-out of the tee-shirt, I will. All I ask, is just an accurately measured course. The disadvantage to these is sometimes a race can have less that 100 entrants and the competition around you is light.

Here on L.I., there is usually a race in one of the parks and usually you don't see police (whether that is good or bad is another story). This keeps the cost down.

This is only partly accurate. The parkrun event that my wife and I set up in 2016 now sees ~200 people per week, occasionally 300-400. Since it's every week, that will be around 10,000 finishers this year. More and more parkrun events in different parts of the US are seeing 100-200 finishers per week. So, they definitely can work in the US. And the back end infrastructure that parkrun provides makes it really easy for local teams to put on events at basically no cost (registration, insurance, timing and results, etc.).

But, unlike in the UK, where 200 will show up without much effort, in the US it still takes a sustained effort. And it doesn't always work. (The rest of Europe is more like the US. It's the UK and Australia that are the outliers.)

People are looking for experiences that make them feel good. Unsurprisingly. Whereas some are looking for the excitement of a medal, a shirt, and some cheap beer, going to the event with a group of friends, at parkrun events the experience that people keep coming back for is the low-key community vibe, seeing people that they meet at the events, etc. So they draw a different demographic than the $75 events. A little older.

In 1978 I ran in the Springbank Road Race 12 Mile, actually known to be 11.8 miles, in London, Ontario. The races had been around for several years and I'm not sure when or why they were discontinued. It was a day of road racing, the open "12," an open 4.5, maybe a master's 6 mile, a woman's race. I can't remember all of the races. All of them were held in Springbank Park around the perimeter of the park, about 4 miles. The park was narrow so you could watch runners come by on one side and be across the park to see them on the other side.

It was spectator friendly and required almost no traffic control. They had a budget from somewhere and every year brought in some world class road racers, Shorter, Hill, Drayton, all ran there at one time or other. I thought it would be a great model for road racing in the future. Little to no money had to be spent on traffic control, people could watch the race multiple times unlike at most road races where you see runners once unless it's an out and back course. I'm not sure why that model hasn't really caught on.

Gainesville, FL

(First one was while visiting family in central Mass though.) (Free was a park run, which is a great time.)

Yeah, the ParkRuns in the last two places I've lived are both great, 75-150 people per week.

Congratulations. That's a great result.

Me - 55:28 at age 64. B level performance, but it looked like a D in that field. Serious runners all around. I could tell simply by looking at people before the start that my time was going to be way down on the list. 40th in the AG, but that's to be expected at 5'10", 182 pounds.

Good point. For years, I tried putting on “ no frills” free races. The HS let me use the XC course and track.

My friend was a timer and out of my own pocket I hired him to time the races. No frills, strictly running theme.

Hardly anybody showed up. The same 10 or 15 if I was lucky. A couple of my most humiliating memories were advertising the races and reporters showing up to report on it and seeing maybe 10 runners out there and looking at each other , shaking their heads or the time NOBODY showed up for a 10,000 I put on, on the track, really nice homemade trophies.

Gun time, nobody there, I had my buddy time me. Midway around the track, this car screeches to a halt on the road just outside the gate. This guy jumps out with a “ Stop Pre” shirt on. I stopped. He looked out on the empty track, looked at me and said “ Is this the 10k?”

I said “ yeah”

I heard his buddy laugh, he derisively laughed hopped back in the car and off they sped. I looked at their license plate, they drove two hours.

No frills to be successful has got to have…. something behind it.

I did one of those $2 races when I was living in San Diego. It was like 30 guys on an open course down a bike path. There was a cone and volunteer at half way, thats it. It was fun.

Balboa 8 is an amazing race though, prob my fav in San Di. Def worth the money.

Registration fees can vary quite a bit depending on factors already mentioned here. What bothers me is when the price does not match what you get. For example, charging a lot for a race on a public bike path. I can do that for free at a Park Run.

The more expensive events that are justified are in big cities because it costs the organizers a lot to close the roads, pay the police, etc.

A suggestion to find lower-priced events is to look for any connected to parades. It's hard to find anything longer than 5K though. I have raced a couple of 5Ks that were put on parade routes through town before the actual parade. Therefore, since the roads were already closed, it cost the race organizers less to put it on and could charge us less.

Another tip is to look for events put on by running clubs. They're made by runners, for runners and (most) try their best to keep entry fees low and are good with extra details runners appreciate.

Sorry to hear about the depressing turnouts. It was a nice story though, and I applaud you for trying to set up some races.

And we have 2 Park Run series in Boston and Cambridge

Funny how this thread became US runners in the few cities with wide race and parkrun availability fellating themselves about how many options they personally see in their communities, ignoring the key element from the original point: Most cities don't have this wide availability due to a variety of lacking factors. For most, it's more like what the OP sees.

But then again, runners who post on LR and run well enough to think they can look down on hobbyjoggers tend to be based in places with wide availability of races and big running communities to begin with. That can explain the gap in perspective and the resulting blind spot they're not aware of.

This is not always the case. I put one on a few years ago. Just had a line drawn in the gravel, and paid a timer to post the times online. Nobody was upset; they just ran it and were glad to find a good race to run.

It annoys the hell out of me when races sell out weeks/months in advance, especially considering hundreds of people won't show up.

What annoys me more is when they won't allow me an extra place out of thousands. Even if I tell them I'll finish in a fast time. Back in 2021/22 they would allow this. Now everyone wants to be a hobbyjogger and all these sucky 40/50/60 minute 10k runners take up all the places.

I missed this post when it was new but for me it reinforces the idea that hardly any of the people who turn up at road races are there to race. It's more of a social outing with a friend or two and a nice goody bag.

Recently ran a race that had age group awards but didn't recognize overall winners so no top three.

Apparently you must be a big deal.

I was helping a RD out one race and he had me giving out the awards.

It really bothered him when good runners would show up to his races and it seems the faster runners get, the less they want to stick around after a race.

Even the races I directed and they were many, I and the volunteers would always joke about the big shots who’d come in, run the race then ask for their award before the race was even over and it always came up at a time where there was some turmoil going on and you had to take time out to find the awards, give it to the runner and they were gone.

This RD wanted them to stick around a little while and talk to all the little people so he had me do the overall winners last and not until the awards ceremony!!!

wow, you talk about some mad local elite runners! I think that day there were 4 sub 30, 10k runners and they had to hang out for a little while with the 50 minute runners….