A long time runner and follower of the blog sent on the following message about the ever increasing cost of road races...
It was with interest I read your comments in your recent post on the ever-increasing cost of races. It was something I was going to contact you about some time ago, especially when I saw the prices of two new races that took place recently.
One was a half-marathon which states a fee of €55, click on that it’s €58.58 and then if you have to add the levy it comes to over €60. The other, a 10-miler (a ‘must do’ event, according to the organisers!) had an entry of €47 which amounts to €50.06, plus the levy.
As one of the comments on your site states, if you turned up on the day with €50/60 in your hand, you might think twice about it but online nowadays makes it all so painless. Also, no doubt, a lot of the new people to running think these prices are the norm and have no knowledge of what it was like in the past.
I recently came across a copy of the Irish Runner from September 2000. It may be 25 years ago but its interesting see how prices compare. Virtually for all the races advertised, the entry fee was five Irish pounds. These include the BLE National Half-Marathon at Rathkeale, along with such high-profile races of the time like the Rathfarnham 5km and Tinryland four-miler. There was a T-shirt for all entrants in the half-marathon and a thermos flask (!) for the first 1,000 at Rathfarnham – all for that fee.
There is an Irish Inflation Calculator (hargaden.com) which compares prices from any year in the past to today. According to it, five pounds in 2000 would be in region of €11 today (the figure it gives is €10.49). Therefore, going on that, I feel that the entry fee for any race in the 5km/10km region should be, at the most, in the range of €12-€15, a ten-miler €15-€20 and a half-marathon around €20.
Athletics Ireland (along with Eventmaster) don’t seem to care, as long as they’re making money. Charging €50 for the National Half-Marathon at Tullamore a couple of weeks ago is just one example.
It’s not that local races are short of money – look at the Facebook page of any event in the weeks leading up to it and you see a list of different sponsors being announced on a daily basis.
Another thing nowadays is that some races announce no entries on the day/night. Obviously, you have to have this for the major events but for a small local race what’s the problem in accepting a certain number on the night. With chip timing it’s a lot less easier than back in the day when a lot more people were required for duties such as recording and timing manually.
25 comments:
Today the 5 euro BHAA (registered) and 10 euro (unregistered) are still better value than the 5 pounds (11 euro adjusted) in 2000, and Park Run is even cheaper at no cost.....and people do not want any more running tops, wasteful plastic bottles or a banana in modern running circles
The National Half Marathon referenced earlier was organised and hosted by Tullamore Harriers. AI has no role in the setting of entry fees for races other than the One Day Licence of €2 for non AI Members - thus money is used to part fund the coaching and development of many of the athletes that "we" are roaring on, on the TV at present!
Comparing entry fees is irrelevant if there is no comparison on costs which are significantly higher than 25 years ago. Take the international Charleville half last Sunday, the cost of running this must be significant. Park run cannot be used as a comparison as it’s not a race nor was it ever intended to be. There are a significant number of entries in every race that want the T shirt, medal etc. perhaps 2 entry fees, one without the t shirt s and medals and one with might be a solution.
I agree races are now extremely expensive and in places are pure money-making effort jumping on the current boom but applying a entry fee then plus inflation to now logic is naive.
The cost of everything now is significantly higher, instantly increasing the required entry fee. The landscape has also changed a lot adding extra costs that weren't there 25 years ago. Examples: every race is chip timed. Advertising was simple 25 years ago and was an ad in Irish runner and word of mouth, now its multi fasciated and costs money. The market is flooded with races so things like prize money have gone up plus paying for different things to attract people to go them. I assume insurance has skyrocketed? Cost of road closure or garda support. Food, water and the list goes on but anything you give runners basically has all skyrocketed in comparison.
You can obviously still do it cheap and cheerful like the BHAA for sure but Id imagine the sponsoring company fund the ability to do that?
Do away with t-shirts and medals for anything less than a ten miler, and even then make them optional when entering.
Many IMRA races are as low as 7 euro with refreshments afterwards.
Some interesting comments here.
Maybe runners should ask themselves - are they running for enjoyment or performance ? before entering these overpriced races. (So many are now)
As the majority of people that run for enjoyment will never get near the cash prizes, they are just paying for them. In addition, they are also paying towards the "elite" athletes entry fees in some cases!
Parkrun really is a great example of voluntary community spirit, let's keep supporting these by helping out regularly.
Women's mini marathon on Sunday, wait for it.... 26.75 euro, 30 euro on the day for 6kms!! Pricing gone crazy, surely the organisers can put it on for half this with the backing of the Echo.
As I'm pretty slow I only run for my own benefit. I do 95% running on free public roads. I will only enter races that suit my needs, in Cork thats mainly BHAA or very local fundraisers events where the money stays local. I will not support overpriced, and often over hyped, races. Vote with your feet and your money, support races you think are worth it and ignore the rest.
Re the above comment people are voting with their feet. The races with the t shirts, medals and ‘high entry fees’ are regularly sold out.
A certain cohort are obviously paying these high fees, I suspect it's mainly runners with high disposable incomes that either don't need to care about costs or don't have a reference point as to what's a reasonable price to enter the various distances even accounting for the inclusion of refreshments/goodie bags/t-shirts etc.
Not everyone is on Facebook so these are some of the comments left over the last 24 hours...
You can enter IMRA races for as little as 6 to 8 euro, just saying!
***
Very good to see this and thank you for publishing the article. It is extraordinary that there is so little discussion about race price inflation and the very real impact this is having on the ability of many to enter as many races as they might wish to. Increasingly amateur racing in Ireland is being divided into those who can afford to enter as many races at they wish and those who cannot do because of inflated race prices - the very honourable exceptions to this trend are the Cork Business Houses Association and the Irish Mountain Runners Association who offer tremendous value both in terms of token annual fees and token almost race fees. There are of course a number of Cork running clubs who do offer reasonably priced entry fees. There is also of course Parkrun which offers free races - or call them timed runs if you wish - every Saturday in various locations. As for Athletics Ireland, this organisation seems to see amateur club running as essentially a revenue flow.
***
As someone who has organised many races both BHAA and local club races I know the huge costs involved in both . Prize Fund , Chip timing, Red Cross, traffic management, refreshments and increased health and safety requirements. Everything has a cost even the pins for your race number . Races are often compared to the very low cost of a BHAA race but there is always a company sponsor who bears the bulk of the costs . Local road races who don’t have the luxury of a BHAA type sponsor still have to produce the same end product and it always a gamble as you may not get the numbers. Small sponsors are usually connected to the host club and are essential but you need to have many of them to meet your costs . Simply applying an inflation calculator is a bit unfair as the health and safety requirements have changed significantly in recent years. Very few races make a profit and can make a loss by something as simple as wet morning or other races scheduled close to yours.
***
Agree. Running 15 years & de cost of races keep going up & up!
The demand for races shows no signs of slowing down. In fact, events are selling out faster than ever.
At the end of the day organisers - are focused on turning a profit - that's business for you.
The reality is, runners are still signing up in droves, paying premium prices for the chance to line up at the start - because they can afford to do so.
So while there is plenty of talk about financial pressure, the race scene tells a different story.
And don't even get us started on the "race gear" spend we are seeing across the board thanks to all these "influencers" - there is money out there!
The nonsenical claim by Parkrun that it is not a race has to be challenged as Parkrun has No Right to redefine what a race is or is not. As long as parkrun are timing runners and listing runners by finishing time and finishing order, parkrun is a race - it shoudl also be said that whilst Parkrun races are free at entry point, the taxpayer is subsidising all Parkrun's races.
Well done to you John Desmond for this article and discussion - as you say it really is surprising how little discussion there is about race prices
Parking is a timed 5k, everyone running gets their time and can try improve on it, it was set up in the UK as something to encourage a healthier lifestyle without a competitive side to it. Parkrun do not list placings or declare a winner, there are no prizes. It is not and was never intended to be a race
I gave up entering club road races, just got tired of paying silly money to run on public roads. Running from own front door, no travelling required, it's so much easier . The money saved now pays for all my running gear for the year. thank goodness for Cork Bhaa and Parkrun Ireland , 2 fantastic organisations.
As a long time runner my opinion is that once upon a time race werr organised hopefully to break even with a little left over. Nowadays everyone from clubs to charities think that organising a race is a cash cow and a major fundraiser. Runners are being taken for granted and just used. Of course we have inflation and other costs involved but it is the underlying thinking that has changed. It will change again as for the major price many have moved onto thyroxine triathlons adventure races. It only lasts so long
Worthy post and discussion. To take a 5k race in 2012 at €10, 13 years later at €25. Granted chip timing is now the norm and a long sleeve top is included but as a 5k the general agreement here is it seems unnecessary. There is an interesting up trend pre covid to now - I'm conscious this is a local race that also has to cater for traffic management, red cross, health & safety and refreshments however there are other local 5ks (and longer distances) that don't come to this price nor rate or inflation with the above in mind. Acknowledge the race has a generous prize fund but the core prizes remain unchanged as advertised from 2012 to now.
2012 - €10
https://www.millstreet.ie/blog/archives/49303
2019 - €15, a 50% jump in 7 years.
https://duhallowac.wordpress.com/2019/12/02/notice-newmarket-5k-road-race-sun-15th-dec-2019/
2022 - €20, a 33% jump in 3 years
https://register.enthuse.com/ps/event/Newmarket5k2022
2025 - €25, a 25% jump in 3 years
https://www.facebook.com/events/819207390379053/?ref_source=NEWS_FEED
Targeting one race is wrong, Duhallow A/C have one of the best 5k races in the country, up to 1,000 entries, that’s not by accident. The insurance, traffic management, health and safety, first aid, they have the Hi Land venue post race. Costs have risen comparable to entry fees, yes in 1990 I could run a gun to tape times 5k with maybe a £2 cotton t shirt for a fiver but it’s the same as saying I could go out with a twenty in my pocket, get pissed and have enough for a bag of chips on the way home
To be fair the race is contributing a percentage of the entry fee this year to a charity which is a nice touch. Probably the best approach was to introduce the charity, drop the tee which reduces a carbon footprint and keep the price the same as last year. A jump from 10 to 25 euro in seven years is a significant rise but make a small adjustment above and the race, charity, environment and entrant all still benefit at the price of last year
parkrun isn't redefining anything, make of it whatever you want - "People walk at parkrun, others jog, some run, many volunteer, and a few do a bit of everything! You can take part however you want, at whatever speed you want. Everyone is welcome and nobody comes last – there is a tail walker volunteer for that!"
The focus of these local races shouldn't be charity or prizes, it should be about like minded people getting together to enjoy themselves & encouraging others to get involved without the nonsense/hype that a lot of races are trying to do. Going back to simple setups, keep costs down, stop chasing the bigger numbers/fees - what are running clubs about? surely, it's not to make a profit or to be a charity resource?
A lot of people are very naive when it comes to the cost of putting on an event like a half marathon . When you factor in the cost of road closures, traffic management & route setup, insurance, ambulances & 1st Aid, extra garda resources, toilet hire, cone & barrier hire, t-shirts, medals, chip timing, advertising, race day signage, charity donations, not to mention Water and of course the all important PRIZE MONEY, believe me the costs are extensive.
Not every race is lucky enough to have , as someone put it in an earlier post, an endless list of sponsors. In fact, some are trying to stand on their own and be self sufficient. And yes, athletic clubs need funding the same as all other sports clubs around the country. GAA clubs all over have their golf classics and no one bats an eye at the prices changed per team.
So, factoring in all I’ve listed above, a race for €30/40 which includes a T-shirt & medal for me isn’t the organisers trying to take advantage of entrants
Post a Comment