Online "processing fee" for race = $20?

Boycott that crap. I have a feeling in the near future sub elites and fan boys will start hosting unregistered races for guys who just want to run fast. Screw dropping 25+ for 5ks and 80+ for halfs or fulls. Just run baby.

what gives? wrote:

The fee was advertised for $65; Ok, no big deal.

I would not run a halfmarathon race that charged $65, and certainly not any race with hidden fees.

$10 tops for any race and that better include a tee shirt

My sister and her husband put on races for a living and he told me their usual processing cost for online orders is $4, but they charge $10 and put the leftover toward race costs (or profit). I wouldn't pay that crazy of a fee.

Most of the big marathons in the early 80s were 4-6 dollars and a pair of shoes cost $50. Now the marathons cost more than a good pair of shoes.

$65 is $5/mile....why would you even consider paying such an outrageous fee? That race director is putting the screws to you.

I agree that $20 sounds high. There are fees involved with online registration. There is a credit card charge of probably 50 cents plus 1-2% of the transaction fee. The reg site needs to charge enough to cover its expenses (servers, staff for maintenance, etc), but even with all that it seems high.

The online system makes a RD's job infinitely easier. No running to the bank with checks. The reg is in an easy to download format for scoring/timing.

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

mredrow@cgiracing.com

Everyone email the RD as a petition.

Agreed!

Um, easy solution. Send in the registration form by mail. Costs 44 cents for the stamp and a few cents for an envelope.

what gives? wrote:

I was just about to preregister for a half marathon in April. The fee was advertised for $65; Ok, no big deal.

Turns out the total is actually $84.95, with the "processing fee" included. What gets me even more mad is the fact that there is no prize money in this particular race.

Sure, I have the choice not to run it at all, but can someone fill me in one what I'm missing here? I just want to feel more justified with the amount of money I'm about to drop.

It is becoming more of a problem. I've seen similar low-frills races like 5Ks and such that charge $35. That's insane. I've never paid that and never will. However, Competitor is the absolute worst. I believe Las Vegas Rock n' Roll was $175.

I looked, and didn't see a mail in option. I also didn't see any mention of the fee until you filled in all your info. It then didn't even mention the fee, just the total higher fee, saying it included the processing fee. The whole process, even forgetting the outrageous amount is very sleazy. If it wasn't so outrageous, you would state the fee up front. Credit card fees normally would be about $3. There is no excuse for anything higher.

Online processing fees are ridiculous. Online applications and registrations require LESS work on the part of the company receiving the document. If I send you a paper application, you have to have a staff member copy my info into the computer system. If I send you an online application, the info automatically goes into the computer system with no human intervention. This is why schools will usually tell you that they strongly prefer that applicants apply online rather than by paper application.

You are making their lives easier by registering online. They are trying to charge you extra money for doing them a favor.

No different than cell phone companies charging you a $35 activation fee. Total b.s.

My local half marathon costed $55, so me and a friend just ran the course as a training run

Don't run it? Maybe email the RD and tell them why, but if you vote with your feet by NOT running, things will change.

Its the free market.

I am a race director and I can tell you it costs a lot of money to put on races. There is a lot of things that the average runner doesn't know about that goes into putting on a race. Even the average runner on here doesn't know a whole lot. Pay the fee, run the race.

stuck with match.com wrote:

I am a race director and I can tell you it costs a lot of money to put on races. There is a lot of things that the average runner doesn't know about that goes into putting on a race. Even the average runner on here doesn't know a whole lot. Pay the fee, run the race.

Don't pay the fee, don't run the race, jump in a local open college XC race, be a a fan of Galen Rupp not a hater, get girls, be a man.

stuck with match.com wrote:

I am a race director and I can tell you it costs a lot of money to put on races. There is a lot of things that the average runner doesn't know about that goes into putting on a race. Even the average runner on here doesn't know a whole lot. Pay the fee, run the race.

I have also been a race director and can tell you that the costs associated with putting on a race should be included in the ENTRY FEE. The PROCESSING FEE should only pass on the cost of the online registration service and any other costs associated with registering, which are generally minimal. A race director who up-charges the processing fee is potentially committing a deceptive trade practice violation. Ticketmaster just settled a class action on their transaction fee. A twenty dollar processing fee is an obvious upcharge to make more money for the event. Active.com and other similar services generally charge $3-4 for each participant. A race could add maybe a dollar or two to that to cover the cost of printing labels for bibs and other administrative costs. But $20 is just a blantant grab for money.