Forums >Racing>has anyone ever boycotted a race due to price?
Folks near me have started an evening ~5k XC race series Wednesday evenings in the summer. The kids races (100 foot toddler popsicle dash and 1 mile fun run) are free and the XC race is something like $7 each or $30 for the 7 week series. Old fashioned timing and no frills but a great course. Family friendly atmosphere, plenty of non-running parents to befriend for during race child care. Not quite a park run, but close.
There's a $1 weekly 5k near me. And loads of inexpensive races basically all the time.
We're lucky in New England. Actually it's not luck ... we have a lot of races that are put on for runners by runners because we prioritize it more than in other regions.
Runners run
No.
Me neither. I run every race out there. I'm running 25 of them right now.
Proboscis Colossus
I'm (apparently) weird - I kind of enjoy the hoopla of the larger races, and will pay a certain amount for said hoopla. But, I "only" do two marathons a year, and after I qualify for Boston and run it, I may dial that back a bit and be more thrifty in terms of entry fees. One that I'll absolutely do again is the White River Marathon in Arkansas. Ever heard of it? No? Exactly. It is excellent - great food, reasonable price (IMO), small field (3:19 got me second in my AG), flat course, and lots of camaraderie amongst the runners, since the crowd support is almost nil. That last item is why I'm avoiding it until after I BQ, though - I found out that day that the crowd support helps me in the final miles, which brings me full-circle 'round to the reason I'll pay a little more than "normal" for a large race.
I've never really participated, nor had the opportunity to participate, in a "premium" shorter race, and I completely agree with the OP's opinion on the price point for that local race. I generally keep the shorter stuff to charity-type races, and to a point, if those are a shade on the expensive side, I look at it as a donation to that charity.
"God guides us on our journey, but careful with those feet." - David Lee Roth, of all people
My wife signed up for the Diva Dash the other day and I saw the $70+ charge on the credit card and thought it must have been a mistake. It's just a 5K and you don't even get muddy. She didn't appreciate me asking whether it really cost that much or not.
Our local running club cost $15 to join and they have 13 races a year. It's $5 each for 10 of the races that are chip timed and give out age group award medals. Fully stocked aid stations, the whole works. One of the $5 races is a half marathon on a certified course. For 3 of the races they are $20 each and you get a very nice technical running shirt at those. The smaller $5 races tend to have 200 - 300 runners and the 3 big races usually end up with 600 - 800 runners. If you want to sign up for all 13 races you can pay $100 that covers your membership and entry to all 13 races including the T shirt races. They also run a yearly challenge series and host a banquet at the end of the year that is free to all members. They give award plaques and a small gift card to a the winners in the challenge series.
As an aside the local color run that cost $55 last year and had 13,000 "runners" has been trying to sell entries on groupon for $35 this year. I will be surprised if they have more than 2,000 participants this year. This is partly due to the fact that there are 3 other color runs in Lubbock this year and I think that for most of the folks who participated last year it was a very gimmicky thing that they aren't going to do more than once.
My 2 cents on the subject.
Age: 50 Weight: 224 Height: 6'3" (Goal weight 195)
Current PR's: Mara 3:14:36* (2017); HM 1:36:13 (2017); 10K 43:59 (2014); 5K 21:12 (2016)
I'm boycotting Ferrari due to price.
Most of the races I've done have been free trail races, but I will shell out $70 for a marathon or $40 for a half.
From the Internet.
There's a $1 weekly 5k near me. And loads of inexpensive races basically all the time. We're lucky in New England. Actually it's not luck ... we have a lot of races that are put on for runners by runners because we prioritize it more than in other regions.
Yup. The running community around here is great.
Like others have said - I don't "boycott" races, but I do choose races that fit my budget/goals and support things that make me happy.
Yes, I boycott the RNR races, but for cost as well as other reasons. Although I confess I may end up doing one some time with OPM.
- Joe
We are fragile creatures on collision with our judgment day.
Let's see. This winter/spring I've raced a 15K, a half marathon, a 10K, and a 5K.
For all of that I paid a total of $35 bucks in registration fees.
I don't think many of us have any context for the prices you're describing, as paddle board races are obviously not as common as road races. Personally, I have no idea if the fees you mention are "reasonable" or not - it seems like they've raised them for your race, but maybe demand is way up? Maybe whoever regulates this figured out that insuring a race in open water is more expensive? I don't know, because I don't know anything about paddle board racing.
Come all you no-hopers, you jokers and roguesWe're on the road to nowhere, let's find out where it goes
I'm boycotting Ferrari due to price. Most of the races I've done have been free trail races, but I will shell out $70 for a marathon or $40 for a half.
That's pretty much my cut-off too...with $15-20 for 5K and $20-25 for 10k.
Amost everynight of the week there's a free group run/race of 5K or so hosted by a local restaurant or bar...they usually offer discounted food and/or drinks to runners afterwards as well. I use those to "supplement" the races that I'm missing out on.
Just a dude.
For grins, I did a quick search to see what races in my area were available in April. I just looked at the 5k option for all of them, since they all had one. Here are the prices:
$25
$23
$15
$47 (dye run)
$30 (zombie run)
All but 2 were for some charity cause. (Even the zombie run is supposed to get some high school team some scholarships or something.)
There was a run last month for pi day. The goal was run a 5k as close to 31:40 as possible. It was free and winners got pie.
I cringe at paying 25 or 30 bucks. And usually, I have to pay most of a month before or I won't get a T-shirt... /shrug...
-Kelly
Getting back in shape... Just need it to be a skinnier shape...
I pick and choose, not necessarily boycott. Used to race Bolder Boulder a lot, but even the lowest entry, no frills, option gets pretty steep. I don't know what it is now.
Most of our races are reasonable, but the prices are creeping up. $15 to $20 for pre-reg is usually decent. I think long if it's more than that.
We do have a lot of freebies or $5 entries.
Most races in my area (Va Beach) are $25.00 to $40.00 in price for a 5K. There are over 100 races a year in my area, and all the Race Directors seem to know not to go above that $40.00 price for a 5K.
--- I run a bunch of races, perhaps 40 a year, but I have personally never boycotted a race because of price. I have, however, boycotted what I call "races that aren't races". Glorified social events really, not sure why "run" is even in the title. "Glow Run, Foam Run, Color Run". Those I boycott. :-)
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The Plan '15 → /// "Run Hard, Live Easy." ∞
Ha shows my reading comprehension, didn't even realize this was about paddle board racing. A friend of mine does SUP races and they are super expensive compared to road races. Like way more than the most expensive marathons. But a lot of them involve boat rides and lobster bakes on the beach and shit. It's not comparable to road racing. It's a lifestyle sport.