Online "processing fee" for race = $20?

You are such a fvcking moron! Every post ive seen from you has been completely stupid. Do you enjoy showing the world how low your intelligence is?! Do us all a favor and break your computer so we never have to see another one of your posts!

This is interesting, but as an RD in California we pay permit fees. Sometimes they are cheap (park districts) and sometimes they are expensive (City and County). Sometimes we have to pay for multiple jurisdictions. Also our timing company fees are much higher ($1,000 +), but we use chip timing with live updates. I don't think this is incredibly important, but runners expect this level of service today (as well as tech fabric shirts which cost 3-4 times as much as the old cotton ones).As far as online fees go, they should be at most a few bucks. Electronic registration is easier for the RD, not harder. The fees go to the registration service (like Active, although we no longer use Active) and not to the race.

I think itd be nice to do something like that in my city. Just a really cheap race just for fun. Maybe have a $3 fee just to pay for some post race food or maybe a little prize money. Its completely wrong to charge $20-$30 for a 5k!

Trying to get back to OP -

The half in New Brunswick is put on by CGI Racing, which also does its own online registration. Rutgers is either a sponsor or a joint promoter. On $65 dollars, their fee should be around $5... I tried it, $5.85 I think it was.

Credit card processing is going to run 2% +/- depending on volume.

Numerous online registration systems converge around about 6% fee, plus a buck or two. Those fees keep the web servers humming, the lights on, pay some people, and, horrors, make a little profit for providing a service better than the other guy.

With my race director hat on, I'd say that active.com is the best for small organizations doing not so many events. They do the database, have highly customizable forms, and yes, a trusted brand name. There is customer service that answers the telephone.

If you can deal with the manual data entry and have only a simple form, PayPal works -- about 2% to 3% fee, but you are making up the difference in your time.

We have offered cheaper entry online before -- it is so much nicer than mail-in. That amounts to the same thing as a mail-in fee, which I have also seen.

Consider supporting your local running club and participating, both as an athlete and volunteer. Help out at maybe 1 race for every 8-10 you run. That's how you get the cheap quality events.

Shameless plug. Princeton A. C., princetonac.org will have a 6K trail event on April 21 in Princeton... check the web site for details, it'll be about $15, not sure about the online fees yet. Preregistration only for this event due to property owner's rules. If you want to see every line in the budget, join the club, come to one of our business meetings. There are no secrets.

anotherrunner wrote:

Permits $0 (I don't know what everyone is talking about but I've never paid for a permit so we can throw that out the window, that's including at my real job with the MS150 bike ride that goes through 15 towns and 150 miles, never paid a dime for a "permit")

Because it's a bloddy fekkin tour in open traffic. Try closing roads instead of stealing money from people and calling your fraud a charity ride. Maybe you would like to share how much of the entry actually goes to charity? Is it 15-20% as it is on average with those rides?

Laurent, is that you?

what gives? wrote:

Well, it's the Rutgers half marathon (New Brunswick, NJ)

mredrow@cgiracing.com

Everyone email the RD as a petition.

Before you consider an email to the RD, know the facts, as some of the post have incomplete info. Here is the deal:

If you are a Rutgers student the price is lower. Also, if you are a USATF-NJ member, the price is even lower. And, if you dont answer yes to the question "Would you like to Reserve Race Day Packet Pickup?", which is limited to the first 250 entrants, then your cost is even more lower. (Not sure how this service affects things)

Below are the breakdowns. Rutger student fee is $40, non-student fee is $65. Other fees depend on the the answers to the other two factors. Yes, they do get you on a couple scenarios, which may be considered misleading. If you are expecting a $65 fee, its no surprise or major mark up to be tagged with a $3 to $6 fee, but $20 to $22 is bit extreme.

student,yes reserve packet, non-NJ member...59.95

student,yes reserve packet, yes-NJ member...57.77

student, no reserve packet, non-NJ member...43.60

student, no reserve packet, yes-NJ member...41.42

non-student,yes reserve packet, non-NJ member...87.20

non-student,yes reserve packet, yes-NJ member...85.02

non-student, no reserve packet, non-NJ member...70.85

non-student, no reserve packet, yes-NJ member...68.67

I am not sure if this race offers mail in and/or race day registration, and if so, what are those fees set at?

hope this info helps

anotherrunner wrote:Permits $0 (I don't know what everyone is talking about but I've never paid for a permit so we can throw that out the window, that's including at my real job with the MS150 bike ride that goes through 15 towns and 150 miles, never paid a dime for a "permit")

We normally don't pay much for the "permit" itself either, it's just that in many municipalities the "permit" says what you're going to have to pay for police, barricade placement, insurance, etc. That means in effect the "permit" becomes the invoice from whatever municipality you're working with as well as your permission to use the road/park/trail for a money making enterprise.

87%...got any other questions that are completely off topic?