Race Costs

polar135
polar135 Posts: 319 Member
edited October 6 in Chit-Chat
I love to race.

Only issue i have with it is how much they charge.

$37 dollars for a 10K if you sign up early. BLAH. That's just to much.

I don't need another tshirt.

Ok done now.

Replies

  • sc1572
    sc1572 Posts: 2,309 Member
    I agree...especially as a college student! :(
  • mbakken90
    mbakken90 Posts: 202 Member
    Agreed..but a lot of the races i'm in, most of the $$ goes to a charity so it makes me feel better :)
  • Topsking2010
    Topsking2010 Posts: 2,245 Member
    I understand how you feel. I joined a local running club and for annual membership fee of $35.00 I can run the club races for free and they have at least 20 a year.


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  • jlewis2896
    jlewis2896 Posts: 763 Member
    I agree...especially as a college student! :(

    Ditto....!

    I told people this year -- no presents! But if they DO wanna get me something....I want money for races.
  • Mom2rh
    Mom2rh Posts: 612 Member
    Well, as I see it, there are a lot of other reasons to "race" besides the awesome t-shirt. For some people, that looming event provides incentive to train. A challenge can be a really nice motivator for some people.

    For example, a friend has a marathon on her bucket list. I personally don't want to run a marathon. But I have run several halfs...and I think I could do a half again even though hit has been over 10 years. The one we are considering is at the end of April and involves travel and hotels. But there is something about doing a half (and for her a full) marathon that will motivate me and get me out running through the cooler winter months...when I maybe would talk myself out of running otherwise. So...for $37 or whatever the entry fee is, I think I'm getting more than a t-shirt.
  • Le_Joy
    Le_Joy Posts: 549 Member
    I agree! Some races like the hell run or other mud runs make sense to pay for, but usually I figure I can run for free if I want to and don't feel the need to pay $25+ to run...
  • MissFit0101
    MissFit0101 Posts: 2,382
    Agreed!
  • GorillaNJ
    GorillaNJ Posts: 4,024 Member
    If it is a good cause... I am glad to pay it! I ran the Tunnel to Towers run in NYC last year... money goes to building houses for wounded Iraq/Afghanistan vets... take my money for that any day!
  • maidentl
    maidentl Posts: 3,203 Member
    If it is a good cause... I am glad to pay it! I ran the Tunnel to Towers run in NYC last year... money goes to building houses for wounded Iraq/Afghanistan vets... take my money for that any day!

    Agreed, I see it as a win-win. The money goes to a good cause and I get the challenge and motivation of a race.
  • engineman312
    engineman312 Posts: 3,450 Member
    don't do mud runs then!! i just paid a little over $80 to run the Spartan Race in June. i missed the early bird special by about twelve hours, or it would've been twenty bucks cheaper.
  • MB_Positif
    MB_Positif Posts: 8,897 Member
    The race fees don't just cover the cost of the t-shirt. It's mostly for the extra police officers to keep the roads closed...that's why the more miles in the race, the higher the cost, more roads need to be closed.
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,423 Member
    You get a tshirt ? Huh, wish I was so lucky!
    I've just signed up for my second race and I don't get a tshirt for my $35 for either of them.

    That's OK though, for me I need to have a focus for my training so $30 to keep me focused for 4 months is pretty good.
    I don't go to a gym or spend much other money on fitness (except for running shoes and the new running skirt I've just ordered!) so I don't mind it.

    But, I can see that if you were doing lots of races, it would soon add up.
  • FoamyRiver
    FoamyRiver Posts: 276 Member
    If the race is for a charity then ask friends/family/co-workers for donations. For one race I paid 1/2 the entry fee and then asked a bunch of friends for a $1 donation to make up the rest. Usually no one minds giving a dollar and actually my entry fee/contribution ended up being more than the entry fee by doing that.
  • DannyMussels
    DannyMussels Posts: 1,842 Member
    This is why I don't run.

    But I DO chase people..
  • TexasNurseMom78
    TexasNurseMom78 Posts: 897 Member
    don't do mud runs then!! i just paid a little over $80 to run the Spartan Race in June. i missed the early bird special by about twelve hours, or it would've been twenty bucks cheaper.

    I hear ya! I waited too long to sign up for Warrior Dash and I had to pay $80. But it was worth every penny!
  • ineednapkin
    ineednapkin Posts: 151
    I think that I got a lot more out of the $75 I paid for my marathon than just the tshirt and medal. It helped keep me motivated to run. NO WAY would I have ran 5 days a week I hadn't signed up for the marathon. It was worth every penny for me. The motivation alone is enough for me to sign up for races... I paid for it, I have to run it, so I have to train for it.
  • Articeluvsmemphis
    Articeluvsmemphis Posts: 1,987 Member
    lol. you could also run unregistered. just saying :) I usually only do the breast cancer walk, and I donate anyway, but you don't have to
  • bry_all01
    bry_all01 Posts: 3,100 Member
    Agreed. I get that and am happy that they are for charities, but it doesn't make it easier on the wallet. I volunteer for one every year and this was the first year for me to actually get to walk with my daughter and I had no idea how much we charged.
  • bry_all01
    bry_all01 Posts: 3,100 Member
    lol. you could also run unregistered. just saying :) I usually only do the breast cancer walk, and I donate anyway, but you don't have to


    most of the races (walks, in my case) I've been to registration is required, so they can get a headcount, etc. Plus, for the runners, many of them post times. The ones I have been to and know of, that is.
  • MissingMinnesota
    MissingMinnesota Posts: 7,486 Member
    There are a lot of costs to run a race especially a timed race, the timing equipment, the police, the costs to close the streets down but I also make sure the ones I run are for charities that I care for.
  • inatay7
    inatay7 Posts: 141
    Agreed!!!!!! It kills me BUT I've loved the challenge of finding the really cheap ones. In Sydney I've found a 27km bridge walk for $10 and there's a couple of others for around that price. I'm gonna save my $$$ for cool ones like mud runs and sand dune runs
  • EricNCSU
    EricNCSU Posts: 699 Member
    I got a steal for the New Orleans Rock and Roll Half Marathon.. registered for 35$ ..... and then dropped 400$ on a hotel for three nights during Mardi Gras... but it will so be worth it.

    All my 5K's are charity so I dont mind.. and not all of them are that much.. some are 15-20.
  • aa1440
    aa1440 Posts: 956 Member
    I understand how you feel. I joined a local running club and for annual membership fee of $35.00 I can run the club races for free and they have at least 20 a year.


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    Just started running this year, besides running in the military. I have seriously been thinking about this.
  • polar135
    polar135 Posts: 319 Member
    No problem if its for a good cause.


    If it is a good cause... I am glad to pay it! I ran the Tunnel to Towers run in NYC last year... money goes to building houses for wounded Iraq/Afghanistan vets... take my money for that any day!

    Agreed, I see it as a win-win. The money goes to a good cause and I get the challenge and motivation of a race.
  • polar135
    polar135 Posts: 319 Member
    I would pay extra to do a mud run or a fun outside race. I rather they just offer a tshirt free option. (I'll still pay don't get me wrong lol)
  • calderst
    calderst Posts: 222 Member
    I rarely do 5Ks anymore for this reason. They're cheaper than the long runs but $20 here and $20 there quickly adds up and I don't particularly like the distance. I'd rather save up and do one or two big races instead.
  • Seraph1120
    Seraph1120 Posts: 194 Member
    I understand how you feel. I joined a local running club and for annual membership fee of $35.00 I can run the club races for free and they have at least 20 a year.


    Top

    I need to find something like this that's close to home!
  • nixon76k
    nixon76k Posts: 48
    Agreed..but a lot of the races i'm in, most of the $$ goes to a charity so it makes me feel better :)

    I agree, but I try to run races that donate proceeds to charity. Most do.
  • bstamps12
    bstamps12 Posts: 1,184
    After organizing my own race last year, I learned the costs really are considerable. The price they are charged just to use the chip timing is quite a bit! Then to have a website domain to register online or print a ton of paper forms, then all the post race food/beverage, then the race bibs, then the extra security, then the port-a-potties, then the medals, then the t-shirts, then if you want them to be professionally organized (which of course mine wasn't), you consider that the people who know what they are doing are those who do that for a living. Even a white t-shirt costs almost $5.00 out of your $20.00 registration. Then the late fee because a second round of t-shirts costs more than the first round.

    So yes, it does cost a lot to register and you could run for free, but it's not like they are making a killing off of most of them.
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