Lexmark wrote:
Ballbeenhammer wrote:But running would be a good time with family and friends on Thanksgiving AM so I want to bandit the race. There is almost no charitable benefit that the race supports, I don't feel like running fast, won't take aid, cross the finish line, etc. So, rather than paying $40 to run around the town I grew up in I am not going to pay and instead run and have a good time and then go spend the $40 on something more worthwhile. Thoughts?
OK Ahole I suggest that sometime over the next year you volunteer to act as a RD for an event. We'll see how well you do.
Do you think those police officers block traffic out of the goodness of their heart? Portojohns pop up over night like magic mushrooms?
Put up or shut up d!ckhead.
Thanksgiving day race costs:
$1,785: $35 per hour for cops, city requires one at every intersection, minimum of three hours per city rule.
$250: Race permit fee from city.
$370: Race insurance.
$670: Race advertising.
$940: 10 port-a-jons at $94 apiece.
$250: Dj for music before and after.
Those are the fixed costs, $4,265 for a 500-person race or roughly $8.53 per runner.
Then we have short-sleeve, three-color cheap-ass Tech Ts that cost $7.13 each. Cost per runner is now up to $15.66.
Chip timing worked out to be about $3 per runner. We're now at $18.66.
I haven't even figured on food, drink, awards that aren't too embarassing.
But early entry fee was $20. The online registration fee was nearly $2, so early entry actually cost me about $.60.
We had week of entry fee of $5 more, so $25. Actually made a little money for the homeless shelter off that, as long as I estimated shirts correctly and didn't have to re-order at a higher rate.
To prevent a ton of race-day entries which can dealy the start and generally foul up the race, we upped race day fee $10, or $35. That's where a real "profit" comes in, fromt he dumb folks too lazy to register early.
So, maybe your 4-miler cost a bit more. But it really doesn't seem like a rip-off when you realize the economies here.
And if you run it without paying, all those fixed costs remain yet you "steal" safe, traffic free roads, you have an accurate course (paid for a few years back), you got the pleasure of running with and competing against others, and I know you got split timing and probably looked at the finish clock, too, so basically you're screwing a charity, the city, the race director, and your fellow runners.
Hope you had a Happy Thanksgiving!!