Is competitive running worth the price of admission?

Jul 23rd, 2011 | By Dave | Category: Top News

I read in this month’s issue of Runner’s World magazine (Aug 2011, pp 82-83)  that racing has never been more expensive for runners and more profitable for organizers. Still, running is also more popular than ever.

I guess the great profit motive will try to get its parasitic tentacles on everything it can, including the good intentions of runners, who generally believe that races are organized around meeting the monetary needs of various charitable causes.

Obviously this is annoying to me.

However, in the same article the editors pointed out one thing that I also think is missing from running events: The fun factor. Rock ‘n Roll series of for-profit races (also on Facebook) is a popular national event that really brings the fun factor to bear – but it is not cheap!

“These races might cost more than the average marathon (the regular fee for the San Antonio race is $120), but they deliver live bands, cheerleaders, themed water stations and a postrace concert.” – Runner’s World magazine

Wow. That is crazy money! It sounds great, but I’d have to pass unless I could get someone to sponsor me (which will be the topic of a future blog post).

Racing in competitive events is a great way to motivate your training, establish personal records and meetup with like-minded enthusiasts. But there needs to be a middle point. Somewhere between boring charity races that are affordable and super-rockin’ race events that are way overpriced – that is where I want to be.

What do you think? How much is too much for an entrance fee? How much have you paid? Do you seek sponsorships or do you budget the fees?

Comments from Facebook:

Geoffrey Simpson

I am a race director for a local 5k and I have run in 5 Rock and Roll events (Dallas x 2, San Antonio, Denver, Las Vegas). Races can be a great way for an organization to raise money if they can put on a gret event. My race this year only had about 250 runners total between the 5k and Fun Run and we were just shy of breaking even. Double the size of the race and my expenses would have stayed about the same and we would have had around $5000 profit. It is hard work to put on a great race and get good participation. The market is somewhat saturated with races locally, so you have to be special to stand out (Midnight Streak, OKC Memorial Marathon, Downtown Dash)

Geoffrey Simpson

With that being said, you will not find a better organized large race than a Rock and Roll event. The races are always fun, fantastic crowd support (i felt like a Rock star in San Antonio) and always have great on-course support. Their finishers medals are some of the nicest you will find. Their prices aren’t far out of line with other races. When you see a marathon for $120, that is not a bad price. So much more effort, planning, support and cost goes into a marathon, even a half-marathon versus a 5k or 10k race. We run Rock and Roll races as part of our vacations, it is a great way to see 26.2 miles of a city.

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