race against cancer 2011

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Too Expensive?

9 May 2011
Runner Melissa Field shares her thoughts on upward trending race entry fees and how they will affect her racing this year.  What do YOU think?  Have race entry fees gotten too high or is it just the price we pay to play?

Race entry fees have spiraled out of control.  I am tired of looking at my bank account—instead of my training plan—as a gauge of race readiness. I may be physically able to run my next marathon but am I wealthy enough?  And shouldn’t we, as runners, care as our sport descends into the hands of the rich and richer?

I don’t want all the hype that comes with a race.  I just want to, well, run.  I don’t want an over-sized shirt designed for men and covered in advertisements, a cheap medal, Chap Stick, gloves, pens, notebooks, fruit cups, high fructose sports drinks, and salty pretzels.  I want chip timing, port-a-potties, and water.  I don’t want a live band and celebrity guest speakers.  I want an affordable race.

Some runners love the added extravagance and I can appreciate that.  But all these additions come at a cost—an extraordinarily high cost.  A “cheap” marathon hovers around $70.  And if you plan on running the New York City Marathon, otherwise known as the most expensive marathon in the country, be prepared to dish out a whopping $200.  For $200, you could fly to another state, see an exceptionally popular band live, dine at a fancy restaurant four times over, or run 26.2 miles.

And it’s not just the marathon.  I recently looked into signing up for a popular 10k only to be dissuaded by the cost—a staggering $50.  I can run 6.2 miles without water or food any day of the week for free. I simply could not justify spending the $50 and so I didn’t register.

I can appreciate that some things, such as insurance and emergency staff, cost money.  But I miss the races I ran years ago—races that celebrated the beauty and simplicity of running, the culture of a community, and the soul of a small town or a big city.  All I had to do to fall in love with a place was to run there.  These days I am too busy wading through the pages of instructions associated with a typical overblown race to appreciate the race itself.

If the future of running is overpriced fanfare and if I am alone in my desire for a simple, bare bones race experience, let me just say that the best things in life usually don’t come at an exceptionally high cost.  The best part of running should be running.

So this year I plan on running fewer races and putting the $50 I might spend on a 10k into my 401k.  We are still in an economic recession, after all.  And all that money just can’t buy my love of running.

 

Melissa Field was born and raised in Boulder, Colorado and grew up skiing, mountain biking, hiking, and running. After earning a B.A. from the University of Colorado at Boulder and a Master’s degree in Public/Government Administration at the University of Pennsylvania, Melissa reacquainted with her childhood passion and began running road races.  In 2008, she started a monthly column for Philadelphia Runner. In addition to the running column, Melissa continues to work in public policy. You can visit Melissa’s website h

Makoy wrote:Kasali ako dito....

Anong category dre? Balak kong ring sumali sa 5km or 10km. Mukhang maganda
ang rason sa pagtakbo kasi.

this is an eye opener article. true enough kahit dito sa SG. i started running at $30 lang mga fee up to less than $50. now eh
kahit 5km,10k,12k,15k eh mga $60+ na ang fee. masyadong commercialized and most weekend warrior runner appreciate kse
the freebies kaya ayun taas na ng entry fee. in fairness maganda naman mga running tee's and singlet.
worst ang cycling! if you dont have a team or sponsor, magbabayad ka sa organizer to ride sa saradong kalsada. other than that
walang freebies kahit drinks. well except sa OCBC cycle which is ginagaya format ng marathon.

so what can we do? we loved the sport so much, and we invest time and money to it. sigh.

GIANT wrote:this is an eye opener article. true enough kahit dito sa SG. i started running at $30 lang mga fee up to less than $50. now eh
kahit 5km,10k,12k,15k eh mga $60+ na ang fee. masyadong commercialized and most weekend warrior runner appreciate kse
the freebies kaya ayun taas na ng entry fee. in fairness maganda naman mga running tee's and singlet.
worst ang cycling! if you dont have a team or sponsor, magbabayad ka sa organizer to ride sa saradong kalsada. other than that
walang freebies kahit drinks. well except sa OCBC cycle which is ginagaya format ng marathon.

so what can we do? we loved the sport so much, and we invest time and money to it. sigh.

Ayos giant ah. May pa-sigh sigh ka na..

Competitive 15KM dre...

Makoy wrote:Competitive 15KM dre...

competitive ka talaga dre.

ganito ang cycle nangyayari (kaya yumayaman ang LBS)

mag tratry ng road racing

then nalaman mahirap pala magtraining

kaya tatakbo

kc sa marathon eh winner ka kung matapos mo

then maeesep na bike and run

duathlon! kaso parang walang prestige ang duathlon

kaya magtratrain ng swim

para maka triathlon kc winner kung makatapos rin

train train train ng tatlong discipline (nahirapan na nga sa isa at tatlo pa)

kinalabasan eh quit the sport(s) kc overtraining

at nandito ang mga kaibigan na sasalo ng malagintong bikeparts!!!

pahinga in a few months then nung napadaan sa LBS

eh natripingan magbike ulit kc less stressful and enjoy than running and swimming

swipe ang plastic money then walaH!

new bike at ride na ulit sa mga ka-tropa........

kumagako wrote:ganito ang cycle nangyayari (kaya yumayaman ang LBS)

mag tratry ng road racing

then nalaman mahirap pala magtraining

kaya tatakbo

kc sa marathon eh winner ka kung matapos mo

then maeesep na bike and run

duathlon! kaso parang walang prestige ang duathlon

kaya magtratrain ng swim

para maka triathlon kc winner kung makatapos rin

train train train ng tatlong discipline (nahirapan na nga sa isa at tatlo pa)

kinalabasan eh quit the sport(s) kc overtraining

at nandito ang mga kaibigan na sasalo ng malagintong bikeparts!!!

pahinga in a few months then nung napadaan sa LBS

eh natripingan magbike ulit kc less stressful and enjoy than running and swimming

swipe ang plastic money then walaH!

new bike at ride na ulit sa mga ka-tropa........

If you cant beat them, join them!

Go go go go!

kumagako wrote:ganito ang cycle nangyayari (kaya yumayaman ang LBS)

mag tratry ng road racing

then nalaman mahirap pala magtraining

kaya tatakbo

kc sa marathon eh winner ka kung matapos mo

then maeesep na bike and run

duathlon! kaso parang walang prestige ang duathlon

kaya magtratrain ng swim

para maka triathlon kc winner kung makatapos rin

train train train ng tatlong discipline (nahirapan na nga sa isa at tatlo pa)

kinalabasan eh quit the sport(s) kc overtraining

at nandito ang mga kaibigan na sasalo ng malagintong bikeparts!!!

pahinga in a few months then nung napadaan sa LBS

eh natripingan magbike ulit kc less stressful and enjoy than running and swimming

swipe ang plastic money then walaH!

new bike at ride na ulit sa mga ka-tropa........

sino kaya ito?

Proud2bpinoy wrote:

Makoy wrote:Competitive 15KM dre...

competitive ka talaga dre.

Ay Mali.... may "." yun...
Competitive "1.5KM"....