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has anyone ever boycotted a race due to price? (Read 364 times)

Runslowalksalot


    It's not a run, but a local great race that the local organizers have done a fantastic job of, in 4 years, turn a local event in to a national event.   Trouble is, entry fee for the 6 mile course is now $100, and $140 for the 13 Mile course, a 25 and 40 % increase respectively from.last year.     This was  my A race of the year, but it now costs is  the equivalent of well over a full day's wages to enter.   Looking at the list of professionals who will be on hand, it is

    Clear that the price increase is going to pay them.

       My thoughts at  that they are taking a great race that hundreds of people enjoy and turning it into a pro-fest to stroke their own egos.    Others will say that they are trying to put on a world class event (they do, it's a blast!!!) And you have to pay to pay to play.   My gripe is that I am now effectively priced out of a great local event.     Those who know me and my sport know of what I speak.   I have  had issues in the past with the organizers, not getting what was promised out of a clinic, then been insulted and blown off when I spoke up, but it's the racers not the organizers that make the event.    That is why I will still be attending, taking  in the day and the demos and offerings, just not paying an exorbitant Amount to participate.

        Sorry if this seems like a "pity me" rant, but my heart really sank after I saw the price increase and had to make the decision to not race.    Not everyone has the ability to simply absorb these price increases, but the organizers are betting that most people will.    And they will.   This is a destination race for a lot of people, and the entry fee is but a small part of their trip.

      Oh flipping well, I'll still run, and ill still SUP I just won't enter the equivalent of the new York marathon, if it's only been around for 4 years and gotten a big head and decided to go Exxon and charge what people  are willing to pay.      It's  the American way, right,?

     Yeah, this is a rant being ranted from a disgruntled local who is priced out of a favorite local event put on by the well meaning efforts of some good people.    My last rant on this is that it is marketed as a "people's" race where the Joe's can race against The pros and "come and have fun" race for non racers, like a local 5k


    Feeling the growl again

      The price is completely ridiculous, they should call it "The 1% People's Race", because that's who can afford that for a silly 10K/HM.

       

      We have a great local 5K series here called the Blame Spaniel 5K.  We warm up from my house to the local track then run an accurate 5K.  Then we cool down back to my house and drink beer.  The company is exceptional and, if you are at least one lap slower than me, I follow you until you finish and heckle you FOR FREE.

       

      We've got what is supposedly the country's largest half marathon here in Indy (they claim, I haven't checked).  It's an OK race, you go around the Indy 500 oval.  I just checked, it's $75.  Just a few years ago I know it sold out in December for a May race, I just checked and it's still open.  People are getting tired of paying for over-priced races.  I think the organizers of your little local event are in for a rude awakening sooner rather than later.

      "If you want to be a bad a$s, then do what a bad a$s does.  There's your pep talk for today.  Go Run." -- Slo_Hand

       

      I am spaniel - Crusher of Treadmills

       


      SheCan

        Yes.  I boycott every race I can't afford to register for.  I know that sounds flippant, but I really do understand what your'e saying.  One of the better local races here started attracting runners from all over, and now because of the price, its filled mostly with out of towers, because many locals can't afford to participate.   

        Cherie

        "We do not become the people who this world needs simply by turning our backs on anyone we don’t like, trust, or deem healthy enough to be in our presence. "  ---- Shasta Nelson

        BeeRunB


          The price is completely ridiculous, they should call it "The 1% People's Race", because that's who can afford that for a silly 10K/HM.

           

          We have a great local 5K series here called the Blame Spaniel 5K.  We warm up from my house to the local track then run an accurate 5K.  Then we cool down back to my house and drink beer.  The company is exceptional and, if you are at least one lap slower than me, I follow you until you finish and heckle you FOR FREE.

           

          We've got what is supposedly the country's largest half marathon here in Indy (they claim, I haven't checked).  It's an OK race, you go around the Indy 500 oval.  I just checked, it's $75.  Just a few years ago I know it sold out in December for a May race, I just checked and it's still open.  People are getting tired of paying for over-priced races.  I think the organizers of your little local event are in for a rude awakening sooner rather than later.

           

          Awesome, Spaniel. What you do was what the heart of the racing and running use to be as a whole. There are still people doing things like you, like the awesome Red Rooster Ramble up in Warren, RI.

           

          I see all these half marathons for 100.00 plus, and there is no way I would ever pay that for a half. There are still half marathons for 50.00. The other thing everyone is doing now is the higher and higher price the closer you get to the race. Use to be you could show up and post-register on race day and just pay 5 bucks extra. I'm not one to plan out 5ks and 10ks six months ahead of time. It's money, money, money now. For some races, like Boston, they switched to a marketing strategy taht created an anxiety in people about not getting in, and suddenly everyone is signing up on the first day, and it's over. I ran Boston in 2006, and I don't think I signed up until November. I knew people still getting in during January and February. Not any more.

           

          I watched that documentary about Fred Lebow , the mastermind behind the NYC Marathon. Good movie, but the way the marathon was in the beginning was more akin to your Blame Spaniel 5k. Now it's this behemoth. I think it lost something along the way. Charm might be the word I'm looking for.

           

          But that's America, land of opportunity and business. Things just seem to naturally go the way of expansion. At least there are still small races that are sanely priced, and you have a choice whether or not to run them, or the gourmet races.

           

          p.s. so yes, I guess I boycott a lot of races due to price, but I just call that "shopping"

          C-R


             

             

            We've got what is supposedly the country's largest half marathon here in Indy (they claim, I haven't checked).  It's an OK race, you go around the Indy 500 oval.  I just checked, it's $75.  Just a few years ago I know it sold out in December for a May race, I just checked and it's still open.  People are getting tired of paying for over-priced races.  I think the organizers of your little local event are in for a rude awakening sooner rather than later.

             

            And I thought Disney races had jumped the shark.

             

            This is why I will run the Anti Mini. It's free and may not be the best course but it focuses on running and racing for its own sake.

             

            There is a All Comers track series in the summer which is 5 weeks of racing for $5. Run everything from 100 to 5k each week with no added charges. Now that's the ticket.

             

            Bring back the $5 5k with popsicle sticks. Enough of the $50 5k BS.

             

            Ans spare me the cost of route, police, permits, liability and such. Think outside the box and you can do it for less than the cost of a crappy NFL game ticket.

             

            Rant off.


            "He conquers who endures" - Persius
            "Every workout should have a purpose. Every purpose should link back to achieving a training objective." - Spaniel

            http://ncstake.blogspot.com/

            BeeRunB


               

              And I thought Disney races had jumped the shark.

               

              This is why I will run the Anti Mini. It's free and may not be the best course but it focuses on running and racing for its own sake.

               

              There is a All Comers track series in the summer which is 5 weeks of racing for $5. Run everything from 100 to 5k each week with no added charges. Now that's the ticket.

               

              Bring back the $5 5k with popsicle sticks. Enough of the $50 5k BS.

               

              Ans spare me the cost of route, police, permits, liability and such. Think outside the box and you can do it for less than the cost of a crappy NFL game ticket.

               

              Rant off.

               

              outstanding rant

               

              If anyone pays $100.00 for a 6-miler, they're absolutely mad as a March hairball.


              Still kicking

                I used to run 30-40 races a year. That's down to 6-8 races a year now, due to asinine pricing. So yes, I boycott over 30 races a year.

                I'm also on Athlinks and Strava


                Slow and Steady

                  Boycotts are really only effective if you've informed the Race Directors about it or if you've announced your boycott to the general populace (running club, internet, social media). If you're just in your room stewing about the prices and saying, "Well they're not gonna get MY business!" then it's not really a boycott. So let 'em know!

                  Eric S.

                  Trail Mix ||| dailymile ||| RA log

                  Goals: 50km, 50-miler, 100km, 100-miler

                  wcrunner2


                  Are we there, yet?

                    There are races I won't run because of exorbitant entry fees, but I wouldn't call that a boycott. There are also races I won't enter because of the size of the field. Interestingly the two often go together.

                     2024 Races:

                          03/09 - Livingston Oval Ultra 6-Hour, 22.88 miles

                          05/11 - D3 50K
                          05/25 - What the Duck 12-Hour

                          06/17 - 6 Days in the Dome 12-Hour.

                     

                     

                         

                    Slo


                      Here's a free race.

                       

                      Solo Cup Series

                       

                      C-R, you might like this one.

                      NikoRosa


                      Funky Kicks 2019

                        I only run one race a year, it costs $25.  But all you get is a t-shirt, no participation medal, and no other freebies.  The prize last year for first place was a packet of seeds lol.  I don't know how people can afford to race all the time, especially if you have to travel or get a hotel room.  They don't put on a marathon anywhere near me, so I will probably never run a real marathon.

                         

                        100 bucks for a short road race is rather ridiculous, unless the "freebies" and other perks are especially great.  It's all I can do to afford a new pair of running shoes every 500 miles.

                        Leah, mother of dogs

                        duckman


                        The Irreverent Reverend

                          I'm of two minds on this. Big races do cost money to put on, and apart from the hard core runners (which many of us consider ourselves to be), many people run these big road races as bucket list items, or once/twice annual efforts (I have many friends who are fit but not year-long runners for whom the Indy Mini Half Marathon is their one annual race). I think the Big Mega Road Race name, shirt, medals all help draw these kinds of folks in. But for the grunt who is pounding out 40-80 miles/week month after month, year after year, much of the costly glitz and paraphernalia that accompanies these races is completely unnecessary.

                           

                          Still, it gets people in, and I for one am glad for the Big Mega Road Race and all its trappings. The Army 10 Miler in Washington, DC was my first big road race 3+ years ago, and it got me into running. I learned quickly from that race that I do't like Big Mega Road Races, but that I like running. Perhaps these races are a necessary evil. They serve a purpose, even if many of us would rather just line up along a crudely drawn chalk line in a county park, run past the old oak, go left at the bandshell, down the hill, cross the creek, back to the old oak, and straight to the crudely drawn chalk line for a finisher's beer.

                          Husband. Father of three. Lutheran pastor. National Guardsman. Runner. Political junkie. Baseball fan.


                          Feeling the growl again

                            I get what you're saying and I think there is some truth to it, but at the same time not entirely accurate.  You can complain all you want to the RD, but if they are filling the field at the advertised price they are unlikely to care (though bad publicity may have some effect).  But what will really have an effect is when people simply stop coming.

                             

                            Frankly I do think the marathon fad now followed by the fad race fad (color/taste/sound/obstacle runs) are eventually going to run their course and these RDs will wake up to find that people are through paying insane prices for "experience races".

                             

                            In 2003 I signed up for Chicago 6 weeks out.  Now, heh.  And I can't even bring myself to commit to pre-registration for local races anymore.

                             

                            Boycotts are really only effective if you've informed the Race Directors about it or if you've announced your boycott to the general populace (running club, internet, social media). If you're just in your room stewing about the prices and saying, "Well they're not gonna get MY business!" then it's not really a boycott. So let 'em know!

                            "If you want to be a bad a$s, then do what a bad a$s does.  There's your pep talk for today.  Go Run." -- Slo_Hand

                             

                            I am spaniel - Crusher of Treadmills

                             


                            delicate flower

                              No.

                              <3


                              Run Wild

                                Boycotts in general have very little effect.

                                This is a growing sentiment though, and one that the trail running community has started to react to. There are a number of free, loosely organized runs out there. And more, and more are being organized all the time. One that we started is the Trainwreck 50. 

                                 http://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=26487

                                 

                                If you can't find an event like this in your area, I would encourage you to organize your own.

                                 

                                Dan Crouse

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