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Race Fees (Read 822 times)

    Do you feel that races fees have increased because races have opened themselves up to slower runners?
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    snooz_bar


      Not really......What's your correlation?
        It's been a while since I've taken economics, but wouldn't the fees decrease if there is a greater demand for it?
          There are numerous factors on what a race costs. Insurance, types of shirts (cotton, technical,etc), whether the police volunteer or require a fee to shut roads, is it for charity, etc.... Having slower runners may have a very minimal impact to the cost (say keeping a road open for 7 hrs as opposed to 4 or 5 hours if you only have elite runners) but for the overall benefit of the running community, having a greater number of participants in this great sport keeps the cost of down for all of us. Could you image how much to specialty shoes you wear, or your running gear, or your Garmin would cost if only a handful of people participated in our sport? Roll eyes I for one and glad that people of all walks of life,( fast, slow, walkers, disabled, whatever) participate. The more the better. As long as costs don't escalate to the point of where the costs exceed my pleasure, I will gladly pay what is being requested. Big grin


          gimme some sugar, baby

            In general, for a pure private good, a shifting out of the demand curve (higher demand) results in higher prices, all else equal. However, because races are non-rivalrous (one person racing does not decrease the utility of other's racing, in general) and because race directors gain from economies of scale (one additional person pays the same race entry fee, but the costs of running the race are not much greater whether an additional person signs up or not), more people racing wouldn't necessarily drive up prices. Race directors, to some extent, are just setting the price that maximizes their profits (or money for a charity), which is basically (#of people * entry fee) - race expenses.
            George: Runner/Law Student
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            Trent


            Good Bad & The Monkey

              Race directors, to some extent, are just setting the price that maximizes their profits (or money for a charity), which is basically (#of people * entry fee) - race expenses.
              Generalization are always inadequate. Wink I am a RD for a marathon. Our goal is to break even. We do not maximize profit or rasie money for a charity, although we err on the side of covering expenses with any extra going to a local charity. Our marathon registration last year was $50 for the 100 runners, plus we had several sponsors which pitched in with goods or cash (cash provided another $4.50 per runner), which covered the $25 technical shirts, the $8 wooden medals, the park fees, the website fees, the food and drinks, the bibs, the door prizes, etc, as well as a touch of seed money for the next year. In the end, we had about $5 per runner leftover, which we donated. Next year, we will increase our field size to 200 runners, which means we will need to pay additionally for portapotties, handicapped accessibility, and traffic control. Economy of scale did not work in our favor at this point. As a result we will have higher per runner costs and will increase the fee to $60. But we think it will sit there for some time to come. Interestingly, the charity to which we donate the extra funds is essentially the same organization that runs the Park in which the race is held, so that the park fees and the extra funds go to the same pot. If we billed this as a charity event, they would charge us more to hold the run, which means we would have less to donate, but the total going to the park would be the same. I was contacted at one point by the 50 States and DC club, offering to advertise my race to their members if I would give them a discount. I responded that since our event is seeking only to break even, we give EVERY runner a discount. He did not ever respond...
                So which races have begun allowing slower runners? Only one road race I've ever run even had qualifying times. Virtually all of the other races I'm aware of just take whoever signs up, or have a lottery. Modified to add: I'm still thinking "troll alert" here, but since we're playing along...

                Runners run

                Wingz


                Professional Noob

                  So which races have begun allowing slower runners? Only one road race I've ever run even had qualifying times. Virtually all of the other races I'm aware of just take whoever signs up, or have a lottery. Modified to add: I'm still thinking "troll alert" here, but since we're playing along...
                  Yeah. Don't take the bait, Mike.

                  Roads were made for journeys...

                  Trent


                  Good Bad & The Monkey

                    Troll or not, I think it is an interesting discussion. Where does the money go? Why should it cost so much? Etc.
                      Troll or not, I think it is an interesting discussion. Where does the money go? Why should it cost so much? Etc.
                      I agree. And I read your post with interest since I'm in the process of trying to decide how much to charge for next summer's 5K. But the premise of the question was that races have opened up entry to slower runners and I don't think that's really true. I think the majority of races have always been available to slower runners.

                      Runners run

                      Wingz


                      Professional Noob

                        I remember finding out last year - with great surprise - that the entry fees on races don't necessarily cover all the expenses. It's corporate sponsors that make the difference. Mind boggling... Shocked When I got a look at the budget sheet for the HM I was helping out with, my jaw about hit the floor. Thousands of dollars to the police dept. to close the roads. Thousands of dollars for the timing and start/finish gates (they were in different places). Close to a thousand for the EMS support. Course certification. Lost chips (and chip rental). Permits. Advertising. Goodie bags. Refreshments. Porta-johns. The list goes on and on...

                        Roads were made for journeys...

                        Wingz


                        Professional Noob

                          Yeah. Don't take the bait, Mike.
                          Ah. Gripperm. Not so long ago we had someone trying to stir up trouble on the boards, and their favorite topic was about slow or big runners. They ended up getting a few people quite upset. Your post sounded a lot like this guy's writing style, and I thought you were that person coming back for more fun. When I looked at your log I saw no entries. When I looked at your profile, it had only a broken link to a home page. (It is broken, by the way...) So I thought you weren't for real. My bad. There is a wide range of paces and sizes here - all are welcome. If you are inclined, feel free to join us over at the Jiggly Joggers group - for us less-than-svelte members. Wink Janell

                          Roads were made for journeys...