Crazy how road race entrance fees have increased!

Don't forget the latest scam that the RNR races started and others are picking up. No race day number pick up, unless you want to pay $20 for the VIP number pick up on race day.

That is before PDR sold it's sould and became Rock n Suck Philly

Here's a little different take on things... The company I work for started up a no frills half marathon in 2007. We charged $12. No finisher medals, no awards, no shirts (if you wanted a shirt you had to pay extra). Accurate course (and flat/fast), water at the aid stations, quick results. Basically it was a glorified training run/club race kind of thing. We did provide a bus to the start because it was point to point and we got a local restaurant to supply post-race snacks for a super low price. We made a little money on the race but not very much. Only got 265 entrants the first year, 216 finishers.

For 5 years we kept the entry fee down and the race grew moderately - by year 5 we had just over 500 finishers. That's good, but in our biggest race we have almost 9000 runners. So we started asking around, why don't you guys come to our spring half marathon? The #1 reason we heard is that runners didn't think it was going to be a good race for such a low entry fee. So for 2012 we decided to bump the fee and see if that changed things. We went from $18 to $30. Really didn't add any amenities. Registration went from 610 to 1002, and we sold out in 5 days. We actually had to add a 2nd start wave 2 hours after the first wave, to accommodate demand (a lot of the race is on a bikepath so we don't have the width to put 1000 runners on the course at once). Over the next 4 years the race grew to 1800 entrants and we were still selling out, albeit not as fast as in 2012. Entry fee went up to about $40, still below market for a half marathon, and we have added some amenities over time (beer, food trucks, finisher bottle opener, chip timing) but I'd still call it a "low frills" race.

I too miss the days of $2 5k's, $5-$10 half marathons, $20 marathons!! Heck, when I started racing triathlons (I'm a fossil) the big national series was $40/race - good luck finding a tri entry for under $75 now. You would think people would want some lower priced races but from our experience that's not exactly the case, for the masses anyway.

It ain't all bad. Any legacy local running club (ie, Richmond Road Runners, Saratoga Striders, DC Road Runners) are serious about keeping entry costs down. They might not put on marquee events but who wants to be in a marquee event anymore anyway?

I mostly get bitter when I find out the races are by for-profit companies. I'm okay with a charity wanting to do something decent with the money. And while I believe there should be a healthy for-profit running segment I cringe that the for-profits get away with their exorbitant prices largely because many runners don't realize they are signing up to a for-profit race; they always have charity runner tie-ins to advertise, but in most cases those charities even had to pay for their spots in the race!

Corrigan Sports, I'm looking at you.

Yes there is plenty of greed to go around, however, the sudden rise of entry fees coincided almost perfectly with the presence of timing companies. From $10 to $25 within a year. It then became standard.

I have directed races in the past and had volunteer help in nearly every capacity including doctors and medical personnel donating their services, donated shirts for advertising, donated $/awards, donated post-race refreshments.....then hit for $3-$4K by a timing company.

I do understand that I and others do not need to hire them but it became standard operating procedure to get results included in on-line sources and for other reasons with convenience at the top. I am not intentionally bashing them, just pointing out a big source of entry fees climbing well over 100% in just a few years and continuing to climb since.

Derderian wrote:

Entry fees are higher. Amenities are greater. Is the value changing? Do runners get what they pay for? Is there less participation because of higher entry fees? Where is the trend going?

I know this sounds like a research project.

Tom

I can tell you it shuts out good talent. I know handfuls of sub 17min 5k guys but why are majority of races being won with 19-20 min times? My goal in local race series here in SD was to pick low cost races, with good quality USATF certified course. So I shut out many of the popular races. Also, a quick trek south of the border, and competition is high again. Mexico provided many free to low cost races, with even prize money for age groupers! It is a part of their anti obesity program and tourism effort.

As an old RD, I could certainly shock you with stories of the Dark Side. From the horrible things that runners say to you, to the local officials with their hand out, to the running organizations & sponsors who try to destroy your event if they can’t own it themselves. It’s not a fun hobby, and it loses money. I’d do it again, though. People reach their goals & lives are changed.

I think everything was cheaper in 1995. Gas was $1.15 Inflation suggest 64% increase in prices for he US Dollar.

I am a race director and have been putting on races for several years. They are extremely costly to put on. Permits, insurance, food, T-shirts, awards, police @$60 per hour, modern day timing, advertising.

A $30 race that has all the essentials, awards, food, T-shirts, timing, etc... would be breakeven at 250-300 people.

Shoebacca wrote:

I mostly get bitter when I find out the races are by for-profit companies. I'm okay with a charity wanting to do something decent with the money. And while I believe there should be a healthy for-profit running segment I cringe that the for-profits get away with their exorbitant prices largely because many runners don't realize they are signing up to a for-profit race; they always have charity runner tie-ins to advertise, but in most cases those charities even had to pay for their spots in the race!

Corrigan Sports, I'm looking at you.

These are the ones that I scrupulously avoid. I'll pay good money for the well-organized big event races. The level of competition is worth it, so I make them my goal races. And I love the local 5K that benefits the Special Olympics where the finisher medals are handed out by people with Down Syndrome. But the fly-by-night 5K For Fallen First Responder Orphaned Puppies run by a for-profit that sends a token amount to a charity I've never heard of and does the whole race on a public path? No.

old guy 73 wrote:

In 1979 you could run the San Francisco Marathon for $5 ($7 late entry). You got a t-shirt and refreshments. Of course you had to wait months for the results booklet.

The field was limited to 4000 runners. Converse gave away 71 pairs of their World Class Trainers (running shoes to the top age group runners. Open men 18-29... 20 pairs, sub master men 30-39... 15 pairs, etc. The women who won shoes also received running tops and running shorts from MOVING COMFORT) There were also other merchandise prizes given away at random.

The race was co-sponsored by Converse and the PAMAKIDS , a local running cub. (Pa, Ma and the kids)

I got all this info off an old entry form I kept.

I just noticed on the bottom of the form that PAMAKID RUNNERS was providing housing for out-of-town runners. Space is limited.

Heck, in 1982 you paid $5 for your Boston entry. I know, I still have the top half of the entry form.

I recently looked at the price of racing and literally every race I signed up for 10 years ago was double the cost this year. Road and trail. I couldn't believe it.

I saw a bike race that posted the costs of the race and where your entry fees went. Permits, police overtime, EMTs, timing, insurance. The problem with bike racing is that a few hundred people show up to race (at most), so you're splitting the costs with not too many people. In a road race it's often a few thousand. I guess you usually have to pay a guy to certify the course if it's a running race, and there may be costs associated with baggage check.

Near me the toughest part about putting on a race is that it's just a hassle. Everyone gives you a hard time about the race course. People who live on the course have to be notified, businesses usually don't like it, park services have committees and they'll complain about where it goes. Knucklehead stuff like that really doesn't make it worth your time unless you really love the sport.

All of us living and racing in the Seattle area should praise Bill Roe and Club NW. Monthly road runs and summer track meets at 1980s prices.

You can run cheaper races like CIM for $99 by signing up a year early or Philly for about $100, and avoid the $200+ races like Boston, Chicago, and New York. However, most of your cost is in travel (planes, car rentals, etc) and hotels. So the cheapest marathons, regardless of the cost of the bib, are the ones near your home.

My understanding that the vast majority of the cost increases are, as some have mentioned, increased costs charged by the cities for closing the streets. That and insurance.

It's called the free market.... just about any and every profession / service that can charge a higher price will do so (or be deemed an idiot, if they don't). Just like the poster above mentioned, if prices are kept low (to be nice or to "give back") the market usually decides that it must be an inferior product (and participation will decline).

Consider health care services... my wife and I are expecting a child (we have a number of kiddos), and the "standard care" for pregnancy and labor and delivery is nothing like it was when we had our first child. Now, they are doing ultrasounds on one of the fancy 3d imaging machines at least every other week. And, if you suggest that maybe it isn't necessary because billions were successfully born without multiple ultrasounds - even as recently as a few years ago, you are seen as a complete knucklehead. On the other hand, malpractice insurance for OB-gyns is sky high. So, I guess I have to live with and pay for the "extras" or find another way to have that baby. Maybe go the route of a doula and a bathtub delivery at home!

Just about everyone can look at another professional or service provider and deem their contribution to be worthless or consider them greedy. Are real estate agents really necessary? Isn't 3% of sales prices a bit much, especially as the cost of homes has increased so much? How about all the spreadsheet finance monkeys in corporate America. Are all of them needed and valuable for society (or even their company)? Hell no, and I should know having been one of them. What about public sector employees, do they provide service like they used to? I don't think so (everything is so bureaucratic), yet they get paid more than ever. How bout professional athletes, actors, or musicians? Why should they get paid tens of millions when you can watch young kids play or act for next to nothing? Is their contribution to society that great, or are they "greedy"?

At the end of the day, money talks and bullshit walks, so if you don't like the costs, then simply don't engage. Better yet, put on your own event and be the change you want to see in the world. A guy in my area does that... Accurate course and timing every month for $1. Yay - it's not that hard!

I also know a guy who, although his races are "expensive", he will comp you or arrange an easy bartering deal (easy for the runner) if you simply ask (because how is he supposed to know your economic situation). He loves the sport and doesn't want good runners priced out, but it would be nice if people understood economics and the free market... and understood that not everyone can have everything.

Shoebacca wrote:

I mostly get bitter when I find out the races are by for-profit companies. I'm okay with a charity wanting to do something decent with the money. And while I believe there should be a healthy for-profit running segment I cringe that the for-profits get away with their exorbitant prices largely because many runners don't realize they are signing up to a for-profit race; they always have charity runner tie-ins to advertise, but in most cases those charities even had to pay for their spots in the race!

Corrigan Sports, I'm looking at you.

I don't know how charity got tied up into races. You go to the movies or out to dinner you don't expect that activity to be tied into a charity. Fill up with gas, air travel, grocery store, etc.

No, if it were all about the free market then we wouldn't volunteer to help out at road races at all!

It used to be that every local club put on one road race as a service to the running community. Now the number of clubs that do that are dwindling and their prices are rising. A lot of those races were also bought by larger racing companies with no added benefit to the running community.

I know, right?! People who think that the money they paid for a race is going to a charity are beyond dumb. If you want money to go to a cause, here is a crazy idea... don't run a race, but rather donate. directly. to. that. cause. Crazy idea, right!?!?!

I think the ceo of the race for the cure series makes over $1M a year. And, ALL the decently-sized marathons have an entire team of people employed to put them on... hmmmm... I am sure they must do it for free. I don't begrudge people doing stuff for a living, but under the guise of "non-profit" is misleading at best. On the other hand, maybe I should give them credit for finding the best way to part fools from their money. Not only do they make nice money, but they are thanked and lauded all the way to the bank!